Homecoming. If you’re an American, the term immediately conjures images of football games on crisp autumn nights and awkward high school dances. Strip away the cultural connotations, however, and you’re left with the simple idea of returning home. For fans of Celtic-rockers, Flogging Molly, the band’s latest homecoming to Los Angeles, Calif., has been immortalized in a two-disc, one-DVD multimedia experience known as Live at the Greek Theatre.
The old chestnut about being “the hardest-working band in show business” takes on new meaning when applied to Flogging Molly, and Live at the Greek Theatre seems a triumph for them in that, and many other, respects. By choosing to present the entire concert on the DVD and then replicating it again on the two CDs, Flogging Molly and their record label, SideOneDummy, have created a kind of instant nostalgia piece. A Flogging Molly concert is the type of show that anyone, even someone utterly unfamiliar with the band or its songs, can enjoy, and Live at the Greek Theatre illustrates this fact brilliantly.
For fans new to Flogging Molly, Live at the Greek Theatre is an excellent introduction as it contains a broad cross-section of the band’s work. Where other bands would lean overmuch on their most recent material, Flogging Molly filled this show with multiple songs from every one of their albums. If you’ve never had the privilege of attending a Flogging Molly concert, Live at the Greek Theatre approximates, as best as CD and DVD can, the joyous experience, and it certainly makes for a great psych-up to the band’s next show in Denver on May 6.
Longtime fans of the band get all-new versions of classic tunes out of this CD/DVD combo pack. Not only that, but Live at the Greek Theatre features more of band leader, Dave King’s, patented banter as well as numerous music videos and an interview segment. And whether you’ve been listening to them since they first started playing at Molly Malone’s or have never heard a note of their music before, Live at the Greek Theatre will confirm for you instantly that this is a band made up of grounded, kind people who can rock out with the best of ‘em. They’ve worked their arses off for more than a decade to get where they are and, as successful as they’ve become, they remain humble to a fault.
