Rancid + Dropkick Murphys Prove Punk Rock Is Alive and Well at Coney Island Show [Photos]
Punk rock took center stage at Coney Island in Brooklyn, N.Y, on Sunday night (Aug. 6), as co-headliners Rancid and Dropkick Murphys thrilled a sold-out crowd on a beautiful evening for an outdoor concert.
The Ford Amphitheater was packed as Dropkick Murphys took the stage following opening sets by Bouncing Souls and Jake Burns. The veteran Celtic punkers kicked things off with "The Lonesome Boatman" off their latest album, 11 Short Stories of Pain & Glory, also playing new songs like "Blood," "Paying My Way" and "Until the Next Time" off the new disc over the course of their set.
Singer Al Barr recalled the last time he was in Coney Island as a young man living in Brooklyn who passed out and missed his train stop, waking up at the end of the line. Dropkick also delivered favorites like "The Gang's All Back," "Rose Tattoo" and the anthemic "Shipping Up to Boston."
Rancid then took the stage, as the heavily bearded singer-guitarist Tim Armstrong sang the opening lines to "Radio" from Let's Go. From there, the band delivered a set of their signature sing-along punk anthems, with favorites like "Roots Radicals," "Olympia WA.," "Salvation" and the set-closing "Ruby Soho" whipping the crowd into a frenzy as Armstrong and Lars Frederiksen traded vocals throughout the night.
The band also showcased songs off their 2017 album, Trouble Maker, including "Ghost of a Chance" and "Telegraph Avenue." Despite cranking out 20 songs, the set seemed short by Rancid standards, but there was good reason for that. Following the band's exit from the stage, extra microphones were being set up, setting the stage for a special night-closing performance.
Fans who stayed until the end of the show, as most of the concertgoers in Coney Island did, were treated to a special set that saw Rancid and Dropkick Murphys sharing the stage for a handful of cover songs, including the Ramones' "Cretin Hop," Cock Sparrer's "Take 'Em All," Johnny Cash's "Folsom Prison Blues" and Sham 69's "If the Kids Are United."
It was a rare chance to see two of the best punk rock acts of the last quarter century together onstage showing the power of a genre that continues to thrill and thrive after all these years.
See our exclusive photos of Rancid, Dropkick Murphys and Bouncing Souls in the gallery above, and check out the remaining dates on the From Boston to Berkeley Tour here.
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