Arriving at The Forum, I noted several things: there were quite a few people on the drink, there was an abundance of Boston shirts and hats around, and a lot of people were wearing green. It could only be a Dropkick Murphys show...

Lucero had the privilege of opening proceedings, and their country infused punk-rock tunes seemed to be the perfect fit for the evening, but for one reason or another it just didn’t work. In their defence, they played a solid set, and as it progressed I felt myself wishing to hear song after song from their impressive eight album back catalogue. However, as expected, the tunes showcased came mostly from their latest two efforts, Rebels, Rogues & Sworn Brothers and 1372 Overton Park, as well as a few new tracks thrown in for good measure.

It was such a shame to see much of Lucero’s performance lost on the modest crowd. There were the true fans up front relishing in the chance to see the boys from Tennessee, but for the majority of patrons they were just filler before the main act. Disappointing, given this was Lucero’s first visit to Australia in their 13 years as a band. I look forward to a proper tour by them someday, but given the response of this show I won’t hold high hopes.

As the lights went down for Dropkick Murphys, we waited for several minutes while a Celtic ballad was played over the PA. The restless (and intoxicated) crowd began chants of “let’s go Murphys”, and each time becoming louder and louder, until after what seemed like an age the black screen was dropped to reveal a shielded backdrop with twisted snake columns, and I was treated to one of the most energetic and fun shows I’ve ever seen.

It became apparent very quickly that there was a lot of diehard fans present, as with the beginning of each new song several beers were thrown in the air and the mosh got crazier. It was almost as much the audience's show as it was the band's, considering the way they acted; the majority in attendance singing along to every word, and giving back just as much as they were receiving from the seven guys on stage.

Taking a breather mid set, lead vocalist Al Barr let us know that this was the final stop on the 2011 calendar for the Murphys, and as such we’d be getting a few surprises. Two of these came in the form of "(F)lannigan’s Ball" and "Johnny, I Hardly Knew Ya", from 2007's The Meanest of Times. However, it was the unexpected acoustic portion of the set that turned out to be one of the highlights of the show, as the band took to stools and performed stellar renditions of "Take ‘Em Down" and "Echoes On “A.” Street", surprisingly managing to keep the energy levels high in the process.

Paying homage to one of their biggest influences, and one of Australia’s largest exports, the final song of the main set was none other than an AC/DC cover in the form of "T.N.T.", and it took only a few seconds before the "Oi! Oi!"s echoing from the crowd became just as audible as the music itself.

With the inevitable encore came a change of scenery. The backdrop which I had grown to love over the previous 75 minutes fell, and in its place was a black and white pirate-themed backdrop, which really only seemed fitting considering proceedings of the show so far.

Opening up the encore with AFL’s recent theme song "I’m Shipping Up To Boston", the Dropkick Murphys kept the energy of the show high, and the crowd responded as such. Then, with the first few notes of "Kiss Me, I’m Shitfaced" came arguably the largest cheer of the evening, and as the band played the anthemic song, each and every person in attendance belted out the lyrics with everything that was left in them. Towards the end of the song, attendees were invited on stage, and as it rounded up, Barr let us know that it was now our final chance to dance before the band whipped into a short but sweet cover of The Misfits’ "Halloween", and leaving the crowd chanting for long after the band left the stage and the lights came on.