A beautiful summer evening was made amazing with ska and Celtic punk energy from two genre heavyweights at the Red Hat Amphitheater.
It was the perfect marriage of a fantastic venue, even better summer weather, and a lineup of bands who apparently only know how to perform when they’re smiling and enjoying the hell of every second they’re on stage. The Flogging Molly and The Interrupters summer 2022 tour stopped in Raleigh, NC and days later the city is still dancing.
Opening the four-band lineup was The Skints, an English reggae punk band based in London, UK, and Tiger Army from Los Angeles. The cool and infectiously groovy vibe from The Skints followed by the non-stop raging steamroller of psychobilly rock n’ roll known as Tiger Army set the tone perfectly for the evening.
Co-headliners The Interrupters took the stage just before 8 pm as the sun was setting over the downtown Raleigh horizon. Wasting no time and kicking right into fan-favorite “Take Back the Power.” Aimee Interrupter and the Bivona brothers, Kevin, Justin, and Jesse could not stop smiling and somehow managed to make eye contact with every single person in attendance. Long before reaching their hit “Family,” The Interrupters made the entirety of the Red Hat Amphitheater feel like one big joyous family, dancing on perhaps the most glorious night yet of the summer.Performing for a full co-headliner hour, The Interrupters included material from most of their catalog including “She Got Arrested” from Say It Out Loud and closing the night with “She’s Kerosene” from Fight The Good Fight. After teasing the audience with a mash-up of unfinished covers of fellow Epitaph Records artists Bad Religion, The Offspring, and NOFX, the band delivered an excellent cover of Bad Religion’s “Sorrow” which absolutely thrilled and energized the audience.
Flogging Molly opened their set with arguably their biggest hit, “Drunken Lullabies,” then didn’t slow down for the rest of the evening. Recently celebrating his 60th birthday, vocalist and band leader Dave King demonstrated his unique ability to play guitar while simultaneously spreading his arms as wide as he could, inviting the audience to grab on for a huge hug. As politically charged as Flogging Molly can be, the vibe in the venue was one of joy, hope, and let’s all get happily drunk together on this beautiful night.Backed by stage lighting in every color in the rainbow, the band spread side-by-side across the stage, forming a sort of battle line from which the band launched assault after assault of punk-fueled Celtic stories of hope, loss, and love. The setlist was impressively strong including songs such as “Crushed,“ “Float,” and “What’s Left of the Flag.” The energy never subsided. Their appreciation for being back on stage and in the presence of their fans was repeated multiple times, and Dave provided many cans of Guinness to parched dancers in the pit.
In terms of co-headlining, the mix of The Interrupters and Flogging Molly works on every level. Their songs are aligned with stories of friendship, hope, and struggle. The bands are equally as thankful, emotive, and genuinely appreciative to be on stage and with adoring fans. Perhaps most importantly, the fanbases for these bands blend together so well, that this was a truly and thoroughly enjoyable evening for everyone.FLOGGING MOLLY
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THE INTERRUPTERS
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TIGER ARMY
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