Flogging Molly Winnipeg concert review and photos

Flogging Molly in Winnipeg concert photo

Bridget Regan and Dave King onstage with Flogging Molly at the Burton Cummings Theatre, Winnipeg, Oct 24 2009. Ailsa Dyson photo

Review and photos – Flogging Molly at the Burton Cummings Theatre, Winnipeg, Oct 24 2009

– text by eugene osudar/photos by Ailsa Dyson

we’re ready

we’re waiting

AC/DC’s
Riff Raff
invites us onto
the
Devil’s Dance Floor

here
now
at the Burton Cummings
Theatre
on an autumn
Saturday night
in wonderful
Winnipeg

it’s 9:20 PM
and time
gentlemen
and ladies
younger
and older
for this Irish
music
dance
party
to

b
e
g
i
n,

full
throttle
fury

speed
rush
hell

“never see
the likes of you
again!”

fiddle and banjo
accordion and mando

acoustics
and
electrics

haunting
tin whistle
and
a strolling
bass

thundering
strums

lightning
drums

unforgettable
choruses

that’s the Magic
of great Irish punk
and traditional
songs

the sing along(s)

and the choir
is ready

and the choir
is strong

we danced
as we sang
and we clapped
as they banged

there’s gin in the balcony
cuz David King
knows
what goes on
up there

we’re drunk
on the jigs
hammered
on the reels

swaggered
and
staggered
and
hopelessly

we’re
intoxicated

we’re taking care
of each other

looking out
for the toes

and rolling
waves of
too much
hard drink

23 songs
105 minutes

Likes Of You Again
Swagger
Requiem For a Dying Song
Every Dog Has Its Day
Worst Day
Drunken Lullabies
You Won’t Make a Fool Out of Me
Paddy’s Lament
Tenement Square
Us Of Lesser Gods
Sun Never Shines
Float
Tobacco Island
Rebels
Devil’s Dance Floor
Laura
World Alive
Salty Dog
Lightning Storm
What’s Left of The Flag

encore,

Wrong Company
Black Friday Rule
Seven Deadly Sins

the first four songs
we barely have time
to catch
our collective
dancing souls
and breath

we’re moving

as one

rolling
undulating
bopping

swaggering and tilting
banging and hopping
hundreds strong
in front of the stage
in the mosh
pit
waves of
flowing
flying
hair
heads and shoulders
all sweat
from the Irish
from the dancing
from the songs
and
from the playing

the traveling players,

Dave King, lead voice and acoustic
Bridget Regan, fiddle and tin whistle
Dennis Casey, electric guitar, leaps and jumps
Matt Hensley, accordion
Nathan Maxwell, bass
Bob Schmidt, mandolin and banjo
George Schwindt, drums

this is a band that takes
notice
of the audience
looks around
and listens

Dave notices a pair
of dangling
legs
over the balcony
ledge and laughs
about it
with the audience

Bridget sees some characters
in full super/hero
costume
ten, or twelve, rows
away
and whispers to her husband,
singer
Dave King
and a song later
he says,

“Is that The Flash?”

and yes, there’s The Flash
and Superwoman too

all there
to dance

super heroes
love an Irish
jig an Irish
reel

and Dave King observes a “set of chops”
(sideburns)
unequalled,
the Canadian champion
from Winnipeg
who placed 4th in the world
at the
beard and sideburns
world championships
held way up north
this past summer
(Alaska i believe)

the eyes
and
ears
and hearts
open and bare

Flogging Molly
their members
care

hearing an audience
member
recognize a song
(Us of Lesser Gods)
Dave reaches out
and shakes his hand
and asks his name,
and so the song is
dedicated
“to James.”

and there’s a song
dedicated later
to the Sinclair family,
who lost a son,
(Devin or Devon)
and Dave tells
us he lost a friend
back in Ireland
recently
and instead of mourning
these lost loved ones,
there’s a Flogging Molly
“song of friendship”
to celebrate
their beautiful
lives and spirits
“World Alive”
and we
in the audience
arise as One,
we sang strong
and
we danced stronger

we sang,

“if i ever
leave this world
alive…”

Beautiful,

this unity
of song
of fellowship

is harmony
is music
is life!

and
a song for musical heroes,
Joe Strummer
Johnny Cash
Bob Marley
Ronnie Drew,
a whipping
lashing
dance
flashing
Lightning Storm
and we’re moving again
into the last song
dedicated
to Dave’s father,

we’re dancing
we’re singing,

“walk away me boys
walk away me boys
and by morning we’ll be free
wipe that golden tear
from your mother dear
and raise what’s left
of the flag for me
then the rosary beads
count them 1,2,3
fell apart as they hit the floor
in a garb of black
we must pay respect
to the color we were born to mourn
walk away me boys
walk away me boys…”

What’s Left of The Flag

had us clapping and chanting
immediately after the band
left the stage,

a rousing cheer,
“Flogging Molly!’
for the encore.

and Dennis on guitar
had his eyes
open
to our loge
where
a father of three
with long blond
curly
strands
in full kilt
attire
hopped and jumped
to every song
to every lightning
fire

and so after
the very last song
he jumped
into our loge and handed
this dancing father
a bottle of beer
and hugged him
dearly
and celebrated
us all

as i look back
at the stage
every player
in Flogging Molly
after the last song
hands picks
and drumsticks
shakes hands
and
signs anything
handed to them
and personally
gives their set lists
to adoring,
dancing fans

and the drummer
went looking for
one last set list
for me

and after copying it
in my journal
i found a dancer
who accepted it

this gift
is music

is unity
of spirit
is
Flogging Molly
on a Saturday night
in Winnipeg

the highlights,
the first four songs
cuz the dance party
is fully
On!

Drunken Lullabies
You Won’t Make a Fool Out of Me
we’re singing the choruses
and dancing

this wondrous choir

Tenement Square,
the tin whistle has me
in the shivers,
so haunting

Us of Lesser Gods
beautiful melody
immense drumming

Tobacco Island
is a dancing
on the grave
song,
Oliver Cromwell
and 1659,
“it’s okay to dance on this
bastard’s grave!”
and we’re grave
dancing
and clapping
500 strong
the extra percussion

Rebels,
” an altar boy song…
for you hedon(ist)s…”
the choir
singing,
“We’re rebels of the sacred
heart…”
we’re dancing
as Dave mimics
the devil horns
the AC/DC motif,
right into
the Devil’s Dance Floor
sweet
spine
shivers,
a little beauty of a poem
to dance to
everybody clapping
in time to,