I guess I’ve been listening to too much Lady Gaga and movie music scores, because I was today-years-old when I learned of Celtic punk band Dropkick Murphys. (Massachusetts, please forgive me!) Anyway, the band is touring and has won me over as a new mega fan. Not because I’ve attended one of these concerts, but because band member Ken Casey has been making a habit of calling out Maga hat wearing audience members that he spots from onstage. It happened at a Florida show earlier this month, and again over the weekend in Boston. Both instances made their way to social media, prompting President Elno’s X to say Dropkick Murphys’ official account had been “suspended for violating X rules.” Only the band had receipts, which even X couldn’t deny, that proved the band hasn’t operated that account since 2022. Or as Dropkick Murphys put it themselves: “We quit Twitter in 2022 when he was only half a Nazi.”
[Ken] Casey, Dropkick Murphys founder and lead vocalist, had a few choice words about MAGA merch after he spotted a fan wearing a white cap at a sold-out show in Boston on Saturday night.
“The Chinese (expletive) red that they all wear, and I think it’s dyeing their brains. Ya got the black-on-black Elon Musk, true Nazi edition And then my man here is getting ready for summer with a nice (expletive) white white one,” Casey says in a clip reposted to YouTube.
Casey went on to say that he admired the man’s “dedication,” asking the audience: “If you’re in a room full of people and you want to know who’s in a cult, how do you know who’s in a cult? They’ve been holding up a (expletive) hat the whole night to represent a president.”
“This is America, there’s no kings here,” Casey yelled to a cheering crowd.
Various media outlets reported that the Dropkick Murphys account was suspended on X after the interaction between Casey and the fan.
The Dropkick Murphy X account currently says it was suspended for violating X rules, but the band says they have been off X, formerly Twitter, since 2022. The exact details and the timing surrounding the band’s suspension were not immediately available.
“We broke up with him first. We quit Twitter in 2022 when he was only half a Nazi,” Casey said in a Tuesday statement.
Someone else, unaffiliated with the band, later took the band’s X handle and pretended to be “our official account,” Casey said.
“So we filed a legal complaint to put a stop to that—which is why @dropkickmurphys shows as suspended,” Casey said. “Look, we pulled our account because we didn’t want to be part of that guy’s empire. But if we were still on there, I’m sure he would have suspended us by now.”
An X spokesperson confirmed to USA TODAY that the information shared by Dropkick Murphys on Tuesday afternoon was accurate.
Dropkick Murphys, who have been vocal about their disdain for President Donald Trump, also called out another fan sporting a MAGA hat at a show in Clearwater, Florida on March 8, according to a fan video shared by the band.
“The reason we speak out, we don’t care if we lose fans because when history is said and done, we want it known that the Dropkick Murphys stood with the people,” Casey said in the video. “We stood with the workers. It’s all a (expletive) scam, guys.”
“The reason we speak out, we don’t care if we lose fans because when history is said and done, we want it known that the Dropkick Murphys stood with the people.” THIS. Every action we take these days, the ways we choose to respond to this moment, history is watching. Casey’s expletive-laden manner of prose comes across a bit aggressive just reading as a transcript, but in watching the clips I found him more playful during the interactions. It’s not just him yelling at a concert goer “WTF?!” It’s Casey asserting that as an audience member, you’re on the band’s turf, so to speak. So if you show up in a convicted felon adjudicated rapist con artist snake oil salesman’s hat, you’re gonna hear the band’s thoughts on the matter. At the Florida show, Casey even got the Maga hat attendee to do a wager in which Casey bet that the Maga hat would not be made in America (whereas all Dropkick Murphys merch is). Guess who won?
Erin go bragh!
This video is NSFW or around kids:
Photos credit: IMAGO/Christoph Hardt/Avalon, IMAGO/Eibner-Pressefoto/Daniel REINELT/Avalon, Getty and via Instagram
Yes to all of this we need to stand up and speak out. Love what Ken Casey and Dropkick Murphys stand for. The Tesla protests and boycotts are working everybody keep it up.
So much this! And I love his explanation. When history is said and done, how do you want to be remembered? You know what we call Germans who did nothing and simply went about their lives in the 1930s? Nazis. We call them Nazis.
Well done him for standing up . 👏
Hope more call out these cultists – leadership in times of darkness.
Listen to the Meidas Touch episode where Casey tells the whole story. I was really impressed with how he didn’t make the call-out mean or nasty- despite how I feel about the red hat-wearers I could really use the lesson in how to confront them in a productive way like that.
Been a fan for over 20 years. Love these guys. Go Massachusetts!!
The Dropkick Murphys are quite literally an institution here. Always loved them and I appreciate TF outta them for calling these LOOSAHS out. These people should be publicly shamed everywhere they go.
They´re probably the one band we can all agree on in my home. Hoping for a concert closish to home so we can take the 7 year old to her first gig.
Also, I gotta say…
The punk scene, even the Irish pop punk scene… it’s never been cool to be a Nazi. Punks punch Nazis, and always have. Glad these toxic non-fans are getting called out.
It’s a really interesting dynamic to research in 1970s Britain. The punk scene attracted a lot of neo-Nazis, and it dabbled in Nazi imagery (mostly to piss off their parents, who fought the Nazis and endured military assaults on Britain, but were a stodgy generation). True punk though will always be anti-oppression and anti-fascist.
NAZI PUNKS F*** OFF
Jello Biafra recently hopped on stage with another band to give a live performance of this song. Dropkick has always been on the side of the working class. As are most punk bands. See also Lars Frederiksen and the Bastards.
I’ve taught my nieces and nephews all the words to shipping up to Boston so we can play it loud as they sing along. It has no curses in it!
I love that song and downloaded it forever ago when I first saw The Departed trailer- it’s so so good.
It’s yes it’s years later, but I still have microSD cards in all my devices, my music library is almost 4,000 MP3 files strong, and the Dropkick Murphys are still rocking on my phone.
This is how it’s done!! Use the platform you have and stand up against the maga cult!!!!!
MAGA and punk do not go together, I think that guy was at the wrong concert. Yuck.
Sadly, a huge amount of the punk scene in Southern California got swept up with maga. Glad someone they look up to is speaking truth in their language!
I just learned about the Dropkick Murphys on Monday when our resident maga coworker (older guy who always talks about his punk days) played them. He must be furious. LOL
I had never heard of them. Now I love them. I’m going to listen.
The endless soundtrack for Boston sports teams for the past 20 years.
YASSSSSSSSS. Heroic badasses and god forbid you mess with the Irish because they will savage you with wit and tell you and your whiny Nazi gang to f*** right off down the road 🧡💚
The Irish have always stood in solidarity with the oppressed — look at the way it’s been the Irish and the South Africans standing up for Palestine.
Irish Americans are a dodgier bunch, sadly. My people got a taste of power and white bourgeoisie and kind of lost their nut. Here’s hoping the Dropkick Murphy’s (tiresome though one can find them after living with a Masshole sports fan for 16 years) can get through to some of these chuckleheads.
I loved every moment of this and it makes me want to buy a ticket to a concert.
I’ve always been more into Flogging Molly, but my former 20 year old pop punk loving heart just thawed a little. BRB, gonna go stream some Dropkick.
I saw them live a few years ago around St. Patrick’s Day and they were amazing.
I resisted joining the Dropkick Murphy fandom because it’s so affiliated with Boston sports and I’m a diehard Philly fan, but they are truly awesome. So glad they’re taking a stand.
With all due respect the Celtics-Sixers rivalry means more to me than that media-hyped Laker thing ever will and Andrew Toney is one of the most underrated clutch players the NBA has ever seen. I am proud that Celtics fans sent Dr J to the 1983 NBA finals with the chant “Beat LA!” echoing in his ears and he’s one of the few opponents Red Auerbach honored with a farewell retirement ceremony on the Boston parquet. Again, RESPECT
Fortunately, we never really face off in baseball.
If you were on TikTok at all a couple of weeks ago when the “Border Czar” said he was going to go to Boston and “bring hell” – then you’ve heard a lot of “I’m Shipping Up to Boston” played as Massachusetts prepared to defend their cities. Dropkick Murphy’s have always been pro-worker and vocal about politicians they don’t like.
They’re touring the U.S. this summer and Europe in the fall. Great all age shows, I’ve been to see them several times—if you support what they are saying and doing buy a ticket and go.
Wow! I just listened to them on YouTube. I am now a HUGE fan. My husband’s like “they’re the Pogues” and hey nothing wrong with that, but an American version? So cool!
Been a fan for years! You’ve absolutely heard at least Shipping of to Boston or at least the intro. Was in the Departed movie and plays at a lot of sports games now. You should also check out Flogging Molly if you like the celtic punk vibe.
Also love his message here – no kings in america!!!!
Loved them for years and years!! This made my day.
Dropkick fans here for decades. Love the guys. When my husband passed away, we played nothing but Dropkick music at his wake. They were his favorite band. Reading this post makes me love Ken Casey even more!