Concert Review: Dropkick Murphys

Concert Review: Dropkick Murphys

College taught me many things, but none more important than the fact that any St. Patty’s day party worth sneezing at ends the night with the song “Kiss Me, I’m S***faced” by Dropkick Murphys. It’s one of the most ridiculously fun Irish songs around, and it became a staple among my college friends. In fact, one of those friends (Bryan) insists on wearing an obnoxious green shirt with that song title featured prominently across the front whenever he gets the chance. As much as I hate that stupid shirt, I’ve always had a special place in my heart for Dropkick Murphys, partially because of fond memories of those college years. For years I’d been looking for the chance to see them live, and for some reason it had never worked out.

Fast forward nearly fifteen years – Dropkick Murphys schedules a 20th anniversary show at one of my favorite venues in Cincinnati (Bogarts). There was just no way that I could turn this show down, even though it was on a Sunday night.

Jesse vs. Howard – Killswitch Engage

Jesse vs. Howard – Killswitch Engage

Disarm the Descent Tour
Bogarts – Cincinnati, OH
6/16/2013

I love Killswitch Engage. I flat out think they are amazing. Not only do they put on really great shows, but I believe they were instrumental in bringing clean vocals into the world of metalcore, which helped create and refine my favorite style of music. So, needless to say, I’m a big fan, and I always have been.

…..BUT. In my head, a BIG part of what made KSE so great was the aforementioned clean vocals by Howard Jones. His booming, powerful vocals just really drew me to their music, and when I found out that he was leaving the band in 2012, I was really bummed. They brought in original lead singer Jesse Leach, and so I was intrigued to find out how he would do. There were several early signs that he might be great – first was a side project called Times of Grace, where he released an album with Adam D that was really good. Next came the latest KSE release, called Disarm the Descent, which came out this April. But the tell all would be their live show. I had to know – was KSE better or worse off by swapping tried and true Howard for the original, refined Jesse. As always, Bogarts got a bid on the Disarm the Descent tour. KSE – lets do this.

Concert Review: The Used

Concert Review: The Used

I Come Alive Tour
Bogarts – Cincinnat, OH
May 31st, 2012

I have been a huge fan of The Used for a really long time. I believe they are a unique band that carved a new niche in the many genres of music back in the early 2000’s when they first started. Since then, many have tried to follow them into that genre, and some have even been successful, but finding a band that can continually grow and progress for well over a decade, all while creating an extremely passionate fan base is a rare thing. The Used stormed onto the musical landscape with the song Buried Myself Alive in 2002, and they stayed relevant with the 2007 release of Lies for the Liars, which is a brilliant album that houses the likes of The Bird and the Worm and Paralyzed.

However, I’d argue that with their most recent album, Vulnerable, that dropped earlier in 2012, The Used showed that they are as strong as ever. I was very excited at the potential of seeing them headline their own tour to support this album, and then figured it was unlikely when I heard that they were headlining Warped Tour. However, they proved me wrong and booked a small string of shows that included a stop at one of my favorite venues, Bogarts. (I know, I’m as surprised as you are that they haven’t given me a membership of some kind). As is often the case, a big group of us piled into a car and took the 2 hour trip down to Cincinnati to catch the show. We were not disappointed!

Concert Review: D.R.U.G.S.

Concert Review: D.R.U.G.S.

Strength In Numbers (S.I.N.) Tour
Bogarts Theater – Cincinnati, OH
2/24/2012

For someone who spends as much time listening to and reading about music as I do, it doesn’t often happen that I discover a band through someone else and end up really liking them. However, I have to give credit where credit is due. Last year my brother-in-law Joe mentioned a band to me called D.R.U.G.S. and said that they were great and I should check them out. He was spot on. I quickly learned that D.R.U.G.S. was the new project of ex-Chiodos singer Craig Owens, and he was back with a bang, supported by a solid group of musicians and boasting a really good self titled first album.

Since last year, I had been looking for an opportunity to see D.R.U.G.S. live, and this show, at good-old Bogarts near the University of Cincinnati, was a no brainer. A strong opening couple of sets from Hit the Lights and Like Moths to Flames, opened the door for Owens to deliver, and by all means, deliver he did. I’m a sucker for incredible lead vocalists, and Owens was good enough to make this show one of the best I’ve seen in a while.