It was a night of revelry, and a night for celebrating life.
It was Flogging Molly playing at the Cleveland House of Blues on Sunday night on the third stop of their eighth annual Green 17 Tour circuit. Would you expect anything less?
There was no new album to tout, and yet chalk up another successful sold-out show for the seven-member band as it worked its way through a balanced set from its five studio catalog.
After openers, folksters The Devil Makes Three and roots rock-soulsters Black Joe Lewis and the Honey bears warmed up the crowd, FM leader Dave King led his band through 23 numbers, including two encore songs that packed a lot of raw energy, and plenty of emotion.
King has always had a way of crafting a play list for live performances that begins with both barrels loaded, works the band and crowd into a frolicking frenzy, then dies down and mixes in a few ballads before revving the FM engine up for a final blast.
“Drunken Lullabies,” Speed of Darkness,” “Revolution,” “Saints and Sinners” and “The Likes of You Again” were all delivered in rapid fire succession amidst the opening eight salvos. Stage left, bass player Nathen Maxwell and Schwindt powered the backbeat with amazing crispness while banjo player Bob Schmidt and guitarist Dennis Casey jammed away stage right.
Matt Hensley showcased his accordion dexterity throughout the middle set songs as King and wife, fiddle player Bridgette Regan serenaded the crowd with slow numbers, “Son Never Shines on Closed Doors,” “Prayer for Me in Silence” and “Float.”
The band crescendoed back into high speed with “Black Friday Rules,” “Rebels of the Sacred Heart,” “Devils Dance Floor,” and “What’s Left of the Flag” before ending the regular set with “Seven Deadly Sins.”
Drummer George Schwindt, a native of Columbus, shared with the packed house his newborn son George Schwindt III, aka G3 as his wife Meridith strolled the newest member of the FM family on stage to thunderous applause.
On an even more touching moment, King dedicated “If I Ever Leave This World Alive” to the late Kenny Lawrence of Canton, Ohio. Lawrence was a huge FM fan and was at the band’s last HOB show two years ago. He was gunned down last summer, leaving two teenagers daughters. Gabby and Nikki Lawrence came out on stage actually during the encore number and received applause from the masses in attendance.
Kicking off the two-song encore was FM’s version of bob Dylan’s classic “The Times They Are a Changin’ which the band recorded for Crimes of Freedom: The Songs of Bob Dylan Honoring 50 Years of Amnesty International.
The banded ended the night with “Salty Dog” before playfully dancing on stage to Monty Python’s “Always Look on the Bright Side.” In all it was two hours of Flogging Molly doing what it does best, flogging jolly much to the delight of all in attendance.
