Chris DeLine

Traditionally, the Dropkick Murphys have taken the stage to “The Foggy Dew” by the Chieftains—a song that features vocals by Sinead O’Connor and which gravely rolls along with churning drums and foreboding strings. Bursting at its seams with green, the song is a fitting introduction for a band that has, through six studio albums, become a symbol for Celtic pride in their hometown of Boston. Be it a punked-up rendition of “Johnny I Hardly Knew Ya” on the band’s latest album, The Meanest of Times, or through any number of Celtics/Bruins/Red Sox odes, the Dropkick Murphys are as insistent on honoring their roots as they are their heroes and working-class values. And if you’ve been to a sporting event in the past two years, chances are you’ve heard rumblings of “I’m Shipping up to Boston,” the band’s anthem that was used as the theme for Martin Scorsese’s Oscar-winning The Departed. With H2O and Civet. All ages.

[This critics’ pick was originally published by City Pages.]