The Dropkick Murphys may be Boston's favorite punks, but that doesn't mean the rest of the world doesn't love them. The Murphys have plenty of fans across the country in addition to those in Canada, Europe, and Asia. Now Murphys fans everywhere can see what the pits are like across the globe thanks to On the Road With the Dropkick Murphys.

The DVD's main attraction is their live performances from 2002's St. Patrick's Day weekend. The Murphys celebrate their favorite holiday with a multi-day series of concerts in Boston. They gave it their all in 2002, and it shows on screen. Interwoven throughout the show are clips of off-stage material such as fans saying how far they traveled to see this show. Not just Bostonians attended the concert - people came from across the country for this extravaganza.

My only gripe is the fact that many of the tracks on the DVD are the same ones from the CD. Since I own the Live On St. Patrick's Day CD - as I'm sure many others who have the DVD do - I would have liked more variety. A greater amount of songs not on the CD or even different versions of the CD tracks. Since they played for five days straight, I'm sure there were plenty to choose from. But at least the tracks they picked were excellent, so it's not a huge downside.

Not too long ago, the Murphys had the honor of playing the Fleet Center after a Bruins game. The DVD includes a backstage look at what went into the short concert as well as some performance footage. This is a cool piece for any Murphys and/or Bruins fan.

"65 Days In Hell" shows the Murphys traveling across North America on the 2003 Warped Tour. It starts at the beginning of the tour and ends with their show in Boston. Yes, it's a fitting way to end the piece, but I happened to go to the Montreal show - the one after Boston. Not only do I not see the one I attended, no one gets to laugh at the Montreal Canadiens fans rocking out to Time To Go and then getting mocked by the band. Oh well.

My favorite part of "65 Days In Hell" was the Fourth of July. Sadly, the band had to spend another Independence Day out of the U.S. But they made the best of their holiday in Canada by roping off an area (which they named Kamp Krusty) and having a good ol' drunken barbecue - Americans only, of course.

One of the most entertaining parts of the DVD is the lengthy piece on the band's touring across the world. Cameras follow the band over Asia and Europe, where fans are just as rowdy as they are here in North America. We get to see a lot of concert footage, mainly in small venues, so we get a different feel than we do during the DVD's main concert section.

But even better are the backstage antics. The Murphys are a bunch of crazy mofos, and this DVD proves it. We see them getting drunk, playing pranks on each other, having some good natured street fights, and even building fruit sculptures to pass the time during a rainy day in Japan. This section is packed with laugh-out-loud material that will make you want to spend a few days on a DKM bus.

As if all the concert footage and backstage shenanigans weren't enough, they also cram all of their videos onto the DVD. We get vids from all four albums, most of which are nothing too special, but there are a couple standouts. Ten Years of Service is, in my opinion, the most well done. But the most memorable is The Spicy McHaggis Jig, which shows the former piper in a bar, hitting on some characters not nearly as attractive as the beautiful woman he sees with his drunken eyes.

We've been waiting a long time, but it was worth it. On the Road... is a stacked DVD showing us just how entertaining this band is on and off stage. I don't care if you own all their albums. Your collection is not complete until you get On the Road With the Dropkick Murphys.



Also from the Dropkick Murphys:

Do Or Die
The Gang's All Here
Sing Loud Sing Proud
Blackout
The Warrior’s Code
The Meanest of Times
Live On St. Patrick's Day
Tessie
The Singles Collection Vol. 2
Concert Review
Warped Tour



Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Good for Groups
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older