The Covid-19 pandemic shuttered thousands of live music venues and toughened the landscape for artists, but it’s equally as important to recognize the countless crew, stagehands, audio engineers, roadies, and everyone else behind the scenes that make those events happen, many of whom have picked up 9-to-5 jobs to get by.
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Dropkick Murphys’ crew is just one of many to be affected. And instead of collecting money to support the band, Dropkick Murphys will be planning a special St. Paddy’s Day livestream on March 17, which will be donation based, with every penny going towards charity and helping their displaced crew.
“Instead of charging for tickets, we’re going to ‘pass the virtual hat’ so you can donate what you’d like to help support us in our efforts to keep paying our employees,” founder Ken Casey said. “When we did our first two free livestreams for charity, our fans were super generous, and we raised lots of money for good causes. But frankly, we’ve been out of work for over a year, so this one, we’ve got to make about us. Of course, a portion will also go to charity, as always.”
Giving back to their community has always been a consistent effort for the group who founded the charity the Claddagh Fund. Last March just as the pandemic was initially surging the group streamed a performance titled “Streaming up from Boston” and in turn raised over $60,000. The stream has been watched repeatedly by fans via CNN, CBS, and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert among other broadcasters.
The upcoming global livestream dubbed “Dropkick Murphys St. Patrick’s Day Stream 2021…Still Locked Down” will air simultaneously on March 17 at 7pm ET and is being presented by the Boston tech company Pega. The stream will include an arena-sized stage complete with all the bells-and whistles of a real concert including massive LED screens, lights and a video show directed by the group’s longtime friend Josh Adams of Mindpool, who has also directed live footage and videos for bands like The Foo Fighters.
Patrons who donate in advance or during the performance will also have their names included in a scroll at the bottom of the screen of the stream. The livestream will feature a track list of fan favorites from the group’s lengthy career, as well as brand new songs from Dropkick Murphys forthcoming album, expected April 30.
Watch “Still Locked Down” here on March 17 at 4PM PT/ 7PM ET and be sure to donate what you can to help out the crew that continues to make all the magic happen.
