Discontent Works for Dropkick Murphys and Bad Religion!

Dropkick Murphys and Bad Religion
Fox Theatre, Oakland
July 29, 2025

Photos by Raymond Ahner

Seminal American Celtic punk rockers Dropkick Murphys are currently out on the road on the Summer of Discontent Tour along with punk icons Bad Religion and SoCal upstarts The Mainliners, hitting 16 cities across the US before wrapping up in mid- August. The tour recently pulled up to the Fox Theater in Oakland, playing to a packed venue of die-hard fans who sang along to every word.

As the house lights dimmed while the punk rock classic “If the Kids Are United” by Sham 69 was played over the PA, the Dropkick Murphys hit the stage and immediately launched into “Who’ll Stand With Us,” perhaps referencing their most admiral decision to no longer play any Punk in the Park festival dates, due to festival founder Cameron Collins being a known Trump supporter.

From there, the band tore through a 20-song setlist that didn’t slow them down in the slightest. Vocalist/bassist and now turned just vocalist Ken Casey took advantage of the platform in front of the stage from the word go, interacting with fans throughout the course of the evening. Highlights from the set included “ The Boys Are Back,” “Johnny, I Hardly Knew Ya,”and both “Chesterfields and Aftershave” and “Bury the Bones” from their latest record, For the People, the later of which Casey introduced by saying “Here’s a new one where we tell you how we really feel.”

The band wrapped up their set with “Workers Song,” but after a brief huddle on stage they launched right back into it for a two-song encore, highlighted by “I’m Shipping Up to Boston,” which had the entire crowd singing along. As the evening came to a close, it was clear that the fans had gotten their money’s worth.

Direct support for Dropkick Murphys on the tour comes from punk rock icons Bad Religion, who put on an impressive set of their own, with highlights including “New Dark Ages,” “We’re Only Gonna Die,” and “American Jesus.”

Here’s a slideshow with more photos of Dropkick Murphys and Bad Religion by Raymond Ahner: