Show Review | Boston to Berkeley Tour – Dropkick Murphy's & Rancid

The Boston to Berkeley Tour brought punk rock superstars Dropkick Murphys, Rancid, The Bouncing Souls, and Jake Burns from Stiff Little Fingers together for an epic show.

Rancid played to a setting sun and a raucous crowd. Pits erupted and punk after punk surfed their way to the stage as the band played several new songs that were just as good as everyone’s old favorites. Rancid finished their set with their arguably most well known song “Ruby Soho” and the crowd continued to beg for an encore until the Dropkick Murphys took the stage.

As one would expect in Boston, Dropkick headlined this stop on the tour. They played all their newer tunes like “Rose Tattoo” and every Red Sox fan’s favorite “I’m Shipping Up to Boston” but the real treat was Ken Casey reacquainting the crowded with several songs off the Do or Die album from 1998. Al Barr was all about the hometown crowd, spending several songs in the audience and ending the set inviting the fans to rush the stage for one last singalong punctuated by a blast from a confetti cannon.

Just when everyone thought their night couldn’t get any better, Tim Armstrong of Rancid appeared in a lone spotlight at the center of the stage with his guitar. As he began to sing he was joined on stage by the rest of Rancid and the Dropkick Murphys in a historical moment in punk rock encores. Together the bands played several covers of old punk and classic rock. The energy these two bands brought to the stage made it hard to believe they have been at it since the early 90s.