Central Florida had some good luck with tours ending in our area. A few weeks ago I got to review one ending tour and on Saturday, September 30th I was fortunate enough to cover another ending tour. Flogging Molly was on a Summer run since mid-August and was wrapping up in Lake Buena Vista at House of Blues Orlando. Along with them were The Bronx and Vandoliers. And it was such an amazing night of music and a fantastic crowd.
Vandoliers kicked off the show that night. The band is listed as an alternative country music group that formed in 2015. They released Ameri-Kinda one year later and followed up with three more albums. Their most recent album was self-titled back in 2022. Vandoliers consist of Joshua “Hollywood” Fleming (vocals, acoustic guitar), Cory “Round Up” Graves (keyboard, trumpet, bass, harmonica), Dustin Fleming (guitar), Trey Alfaro (drums), Travis “McFiddlesticks” Curry (fiddle), and Mark Moncrieff (bass).
Coming into the show I knew absolutely nothing about Vandoliers. After their set, it would be absolutely impossible to forget them. I wasn’t quite sure what to make with the mix of instruments the band presented on stage. But, the moment they got rolling it was this solid mix of punk and country. I’m definitely not a country music fan and I really enjoyed this band’s performance. Mark’s solid bass riffs flowed through the songs. Cory played trumpet and keyboards well and I loved how he and Mark constantly interacted on stage. Trey performed well and was having fun behind the drums. He’s one of those drummers who doesn’t have to strike hard to make it sound strong. Dustin’s riffs were so smooth and literally sang to the crowd as he played. Travis was right beside Dustin and matched Dustin note for note at times. I also enjoyed how the two of them interacted with each other. Joshua is so charismatic on stage with an amazing voice and such passion for his music.
Even though they played a short set, it was so fun and energetic. From the opening song of “16 Years” you immediately knew you were in for a fun time. If you were at the show and not clapping along to “Troublemaker” you must have been dead as that tune was so catchy to sing along with the band. Vandoliers absolutely had the crowd eating out of their hands when they performed “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)” from The Proclaimers. This was a great way to kick off the night and that sold-out crowd absolutely loved them. Go check out their music and merch over at http://vandoliers.com/.
Next up was the punk rock band The Bronx. The band celebrated their 20th anniversary in 2022 and are still going strong. They released their first self-titled album in 2003. I say first because they ended up releasing three more self-titled albums during their career. Intermixed in their discography are three albums of mariachi music all titled Mariachi El Bronx. The last album they released was in 2021 titled VI. The Bronx is Matt Caughthran (vocals), Joby J. Ford (guitar), Ken Horne (guitar), Brad Magers (bass), and Joey Castillo (drums).
I’ve been looking forward to seeing The Bronx perform and they delivered as expected. This punk rock band brings it at full speed from the opening note and doesn’t stop until they say so. Ken was making his guitar deliver some truly beautiful sounds with every move of his fingers, every slide, and every strum. And you could see through his expressions how much he loved playing on that stage. Brad drops heavy bass notes giving those songs that punk punch you’d expect. Joey behind the drums was truly insane. I’ve photographed plenty of drummers and he was by far one of the fastest and seriously so precise with his playing. I loved his energy and vibe. Matt is a vocal beast with his guttural screams and belting those vocals. The Bronx was throwing down and taking no prisoners.
The punk masters did what they do best, throw down and entertain the crowd. With songs like “Heart Attack American”, “False Alarm”, and “Knifeman”, The Bronx was absolutely killing it on stage. And they did something I hadn’t seen myself at a Flogging Molly show; get a mosh pit running. The middle of the House of Blues Orlando floor was going hard for The Bronx. Circle pit running about so much that even Matt jumped down to the floor and got in on the action. And you could see he was having an absolute blast being in there with the fans. And while Matt was in the pit, the Vandoliers came out to mosh with rest of the band on stage. Great fun and music by The Bronx that night. Check out their music and merch over at https://thebronxxx.com/.
And now it was time for our headliners Flogging Molly. The Celtic punk band has been around since 1994. In 2000 they released their debut album Swagger and immediately connected with their fans. From there they released six more albums with Anthem being the last released in 2022. But, what they truly love is performing in front of the crowds. They enjoy that so much they started their own Flogging Molly cruises in 2015 and host them annually. Flogging Molly is Dave King (vocals, acoustic guitar), Bridget Regan (violin), Dennis Casey (guitar), Matt Hensley (accordion), Nathen Maxwell (bass), Spencer Swain (guitar, mandolin), and Mike Alonso (drums).
The key piece of why people love Flogging Molly so much is their connection with their fans. The moment they stepped out on stage you could immediately feel the crowd’s love for them. And in turn, that energizes the band to perform as best as they can every night. Mike is strong and steady on the drums and smiles out to the crowd letting them know he sees them. Spencer is very passionate when he plays and I truly love hearing him play the mandolin. To play an instrument like that in a heavy punk style is just fascinating. Dennis is a very animated guitarist and plays so well. His notes are beautifully crafted and he expresses that craft through his mannerisms on stage. Nathen’s bass playing is wonderful and he truly looks happy every time he’s on that stage. Matt on the accordion interweaves his music so well into those songs. He expresses his music with every push and pull on the accordion. And what more could you say about Bridget with her violin. She masters the instrument and every chord you hear will fill you with passion. Last, but never least, Dave’s vocals hit you in your soul hearing the passion in his voice, how he sings from his heart, and he uses that to get the crowd to feel it as well.
That night I saw a young boy holding a sign that said “This is my first concert”. I asked his Mom if I could get a photo of them because there’s something special about that first one and I wanted them to have a memory of it. That night every band handed Michael something from picks to setlists and drumsticks. But, after Flogging Molly performed “Drunken Lullabies” and “(No More) Paddy’s Lament”, Dave asked for the sign and spoke to the crowd. He explained the gathering that night was all about one thing; their love of music. And he held up the sign to the crowd reminding them that we should celebrate like Michael. It was a special night for him and that call out certainly made it unforgettable as he handed back the sign and one of his guitar picks.
Dave told the crowd this last night of the tour was going to be a very special one. Orlando has always treated Flogging Molly well and they had plenty of friends in the audience that evening. And he ensured they would re-visit songs they know and songs they haven’t performed in some time. In fact, it was a massive 20-song setlist that evening. “Swagger” had the crowd bouncing and singing along. They pulled out “The Croppy Boy ’98” and “Life Beings and Ends (but Never Fails), two songs that are rarely played live. And of course, played their popular songs “If I Ever Leave This World Alive” and “What’s Left of the Flag.” Flogging Molly gave the crowd a special send off finishing their show with “Black Friday Rule” and “Salty Dog”. Overall, it was a phenomenal performance by Flogging Molly as they closed out their tour for the Summer. You can find their music and merch at https://www.floggingmolly.com/.
Flogging Molly is always a pleasure to see perform and I look forward to the next time to come back to Orlando.
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