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‘That’s what music’s for. You use it as a protest. That’s what we’re here for.’ Why the Dropkick Murphys joined Boston demonstrations.
By Meredith Goldstein Globe Staff,Updated April 5, 2025, 36 minutes ago
Casey behind the stage on City Hall Plaza on April 5, 2025, before he and the Dropkick Murphys performed at the "Hands Off!" protest.
Casey behind the stage on City Hall Plaza on April 5, 2025, before he and the Dropkick Murphys performed at the "Hands Off!" protest.Eric Romaniecki/courtesy
Thousands demonstrated in the “Hands Off!” protest around Boston Saturday afternoon – parents with their children, college students, retirees, and many who held signs calling for the release of detained Tufts doctoral student Rümeysa Öztürk. Among them: The Dropkick Murphys. The Quincy-bred, Celtic-punk heroes, best known for “Shipping Up to Boston,” took the stage at City Hall Plaza, to, in frontman Ken Casey’s words, stand up for democracy.
“No kings here,” Casey said in an exclusive Globe interview behind the stage, as rain fell on the crowd. “One man thinks he calls all the shots, and that’s not what he was elected for. He’s elected to be a public servant for all, and we’re here to speak up against that.”
The Dropkicks have not been quiet about their feelings about President Donald Trump. At a recent St. Patrick’s Day weekend performance in town, Casey called out a concertgoer in a MAGA hat.
On Saturday, Casey explained, to any fan that might bristle at the band’s involvement in the protest, “If you’re confused as to why we’re doing this now, then, you’ve been confused about us the whole time.” He said the band, which was founded in 1996, was “based on these same beliefs” as the crowd at the protest, “and it’s that passion that made us write a lot of the songs we’ve written.”
Casey said, of the point of the day, “I mean, we’re just standing up for democracy.
Asked about the power of protest music, and what he listens to for music with a message, Casey said, “We just came off doing two albums of Woody Guthrie’s unpublished lyrics. So following the footsteps of Woody Guthrie … that’s what music’s for. You use it as a protest. That’s what we’re here for.”
Not long after, the band took the stage, starting their acoustic set with a new song, “Who’ll Stand With Us?”
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