1/28/13

Show review: Flogging Molly with Skinny Lister and Dave Hause

Flogging Molly kicked off their 9th Annual Green 17 Tour with their second stop of the tour in Detroit last Friday night, playing to a packed house at The Fillmore Detroit. Almost a homecoming of sorts, since Dave King and his wife Bridget Regan live in the Detroit area part of the year, their setlist for the night brought thunderous cheers at the amount of songs that hardly get played live. A cheerful and festive night, with the London based sensation Skinny Lister providing direct support, and veteran punk rocker David Hause kicking off the night, the crowd was anxious to get the party started, filling the venue as soon as the doors opened.

Dave Hause is no stranger to the stage, having played in multiple bands and supporting many notable acts in his tenure as a musician. Going solo on his guitar to open up the night, he dove in to several songs off his solo album, bringing the intensity of a full band in his set.

Skinny Lister, a rising star of a band, exploded on to the stage shortly afterwards. Bringing their rowdy style of sound, the five piece band wasted little time in igniting the crowd in to a non-stop pub style sing along. Often compared to The Pougues, they certainly lived up to that comparision with all five members dashing around the stage, switching instruments often between songs, bellowing out their songs to the captive audience. This band has found quick success in the past few years and it's easy to see why they've drawn the attention they have over such a short perdiod of time.

By the time Flogging Molly took the stage, the places was amped up to 11 on the amplifier dial. Pausing often to sip from a drink and cheer the crowd, Dave King led the band and the crowd in to one song after another, pulling songs deep from their catalog that hardly get any stage time. It was a celebration of the bands success and an ode to Detroit, pulling out all the stops to make it a most memorable night for the crowd. Bodies floated across the crowds, arms joined at the elbow as strangers danced a drunken dance with each other, fists pumped in the air, and with the backing vocals of thousands of die hard fans, it was almost hard to even hear the band themselves at times. A true celebration of Detroiters love of music and partying was had by all, and was by far probably the best party of the night in Detroit.


Flogging Molly


Skinny Lister