Bad Religion/Dropkick Murphys Summer of Discontent Tour
I love punk rock. I think if my soul had a soundtrack, it might be folk punk, but punk music itself is a genre that I feel a distinct kinship with. The lyricism and frenetic pace are some of the crown jewels of the genre, but the crown itself is the honesty. The guys screaming because they can’t sing, the people who spend their entire lives pushing back at the things they find unjust, the violent empathy of the mosh pit. I’ve been to all sorts of shows, but absolutely nothing beats a punk rock show.
I caught Bad Religion opening for the Dropkick Murphys at Terminal B on Wednesday. It’s advertised as the Summer of Discontent tour, and I got tickets just as soon as I heard Bad Religion was playing near me. Over the past decade the lyrics and albums of Bad Religion have become particularly personal to me and my work. To see them play live was a feeling that’s hard to match.
Bad Religion @ Terminal B, August 6th, 2025
We arrived late to the show, the reasons don’t matter in this context. I had my partner and an old friend with me. At the gate, my friend had trouble accessing his ticket and we had to buy another for the sake of speed. I was anxious that I’d miss even more of the set than we already had. Bad Religion was clearly audible from the parking lot. When we got into the venue, the space was open and the excitement was nearly tangible. My partner grabbed us drinks and said she was going to look at the vendors. Not being there for the vendors, I slammed one of my two beers (a habit I’m well out of) and went into the crowd.
A bad live set is enough to turn me off of an artist. A few years ago I caught another set of punk legends who’d been around for decades, and they came off as talented musicians who knew their set list. There wasn’t much more to that legendary band live. This was not the case with Bad Religion. They’re older musicians who know their instruments certainly, but the energy was there. The heart was there. I could not stop beaming.
The call of the mosh pit is strong to old punk fans. You want to jump in, to vent the frustration and feel the support in a hectic, turning violent expression of joy and fraternity. Usually, common sense and decorum tap you on the shoulder at that point to remind you that your bones are glass and your ass is fragile and slow.
Bad Religion played True North and while I still acknowledged the good-natured advice of common sense and decorum, I waved goodbye to them, telling my friend that my presence in that pit during that song was a “moral imperative”. And it felt like that. It felt near rapturous. I was in the pit a few more times that night, but the reason I entered the fray was True North. That felt appropriate. It felt right.
The Dropkick Murphys @ Terminal B, August 6th, 2025
Bad Religion gave way to the Dropkick Murphys too soon for my liking. I’d have watched them play until midnight, but the show must go on. Aside from that, I believe most people were likely there for the Murphys in the first place. Their use of footage of ICE attacks on reporters, citizens and immigrants during their shows drew the ire of the Traitor-in-Chief recently, and I was incredibly pleased to see that they continued to make good use of that footage. The number of instruments utilized, the blending of the traditional and the raw electric, was intoxicating. Special recognition should go to Campell Webster, who started the show on the bagpipes, jumped to a violin, and at some point was playing a flute of some sort. The absolute on-pointedness, the face-splitting grin of the frontman, it was beautiful. I think my favorite moment of the Murphys set was the Workers Song, a folk traditional and a personal favorite of mine.
Dropkick Murphys @ Summer of Discontent with footage of ICE attacks
Overall, it was the best show I’d been to all year. It was the most emotionally significant performance to me personally in several years. I can’t adequately express my pleasure, my absolute relief, that there are artists like Bad Religion and the Dropkick Murphys out there touring. Punk music is important. It helps us see each other as people, and its our fellow human beings that help us push back against those with their boots on our throats.