Dropkick Murphys at the Rust Belt -- March 5.
Thursday, March 5, 7 p.m.
The Rust Belt, 533 12th Avenue, East Moline IL
Traveling the country in support of their 2025 release For the People, an album in which, according to Kerrang!, "the Celtic punk legends are in reeling, anthem-filled form, bolstered by their trademark gang vocal hooks," the Boston-based rockers of Dropkick Murphys bring their "For the People in the Pit St. Patrick’s Day 2026 Tour" to East Moline venue The Rust Belt on March 5, the group's latest release also lauded by TheRazorsEdge.rocks as "driving punk rock, run through with a huge amount of Irish green."
Dropkick Murphys are a Celtic punk band formed in Quincy, Massachusetts in 1996. Singer and bassist Ken Casey has been the band's only constant member, with the outfit's other current members including drummer Matt Kelly, singer Al Barr, guitarist James Lynch, bassist Kevin Rheault, and multi-instrumentalists Tim Brennan, Jeff DaRosa, and Campbell Webster. The band was initially signed to independent punk's Hellcat Records, releasing five albums for the label, and building a reputation locally through constant touring and yearly St. Patrick's Day week shows held in and around Boston. The 2004 single "Tessie" became the band's first mainstream hit and one of their biggest-charting singles to date. Dropkick Murphys' final Hellcat release, 2005's The Warrior's Code, included the song "I'm Shipping Up to Boston," which was featured in Martin Scorsese's 2006 Best Picture Oscar winner The Departed and went on to become a platinum-selling single and one of the rockers' best-known songs.
Known for their loud, energetic live shows, Dropkick Murphys began releasing music through their own imprint label Born & Bred via Alternative Distribution Alliance in 2007. That year, The Meanest of Times made its debut at number 20 on the Billboard charts and featured the successful single "The State of Massachusetts," while 2011's Going Out in Style was an even bigger success, making its debut at number six and giving the band their highest-charting album to date. Dropkick Murphys' eighth studio album Signed & Sealed in Blood was released in 2013, making its debut at number nine on the Billboard charts, and featuring the singles "The Season's Upon Us," a Christmas song that was one of the band's highest-charting singles, and "Rose Tattoo," which has become one of their most popular. Released in 2017, Dropkick Murphys' ninth album 11 Short Stories of Pain & Glory debuted at number eight on the Billboard charts and rose to number two, with 2021's 10th album Turn Up That Dial debuting in April of 2021. Their eleventh album This Machine Still Kills Fascists premiered in September of 2022 and was followed by 2023's Okemah Rising, which boasted the singles "I Know How it Feels" and "Gotta Get to Peekskill" featuring Violent Femmes.
Dropkick Murphys bring their "For the People in the Pit St. Patrick’s Day 2026 Tour" to East Moline on March 5 with additional sets by The Aggrolites, Haywire, and Slugger, admission to the 7 p.m. concert starts at $64.10, and more information and tickets are available by visiting TheRustBeltQC.com.
