Dropkick Murphys frontman Ken Casey made a friendly wager at a recent show with a fan standing among concertgoers who was sporting a MAGA shirt.
The Celtic punk band from Quincy, Massachusetts, are vocal critics of Republican President Donald Trump. The pro-union musicians support the working class and proudly hawk 100% union-made T-shirts to support American laborers.
Over the weekend at a concert in Clearwater, Florida, Casey stopped the show after seeing the man in a MAGA shirt in the crowd and told him, "I'd like to propose a friendly wager."
Casey emphasized that the fan couldn't lose this wager and asked again if he would participate "in the name of dialogue and discourse."
When the singled-out fan agreed to the challenge, Casey called him a "good sport" and asked him if he supported American workers, to which the fan favorably responded.
The musician held up a Dropkick Murphys concert tee and reiterated that the band sells "proudly made in America merchandise only," and elicited cheers from the crowd.
The singer then proposed that if the fan's shirt wasn't made in America, he would lose the bet and would consequently have to switch shirts with Casey.
But if the fan's MAGA shirt was American made, he would receive $100 and a Dropkick Murphys shirt as a bonus prize for supporting domestic businesses, regardless of what the product symbolized.
When a crew member checked the label of the man's shirt, he verified to Casey that the MAGA tee was made in Nicaragua.
"It's made in Nicaragua! Ohhh!" yelled Casey, and he was immediately impressed with the fan who held up his end of the bargain by removing his shirt in exchange for the band's tee.
"He's a good sport! He's taking the shirt off!" Casey informed the audience, adding, "We're taking crime off the streets!"
As the two men were swapping shirts by tossing them to each other, Casey shouted, "God bless your f'king heart. That's a good sport! You get a proudly made in America Dropkick Murphys shirt."
The crowd went wild.
You can watch an onstage perspective from the Dropkick Murphys' YouTube page here.
- YouTubeyoutu.be
Fans were here for this.
Casey later recalled the fan interaction with Newsweek and said:
"They were longtime fans who wanted to let us know they disagree with our politics, but they were respectful, and after the concert the gentleman actually said, 'Dropkicks are family and I don't let politics come between family,' which I was pleasantly surprised by."
The viral YouTube video ended with a closeup photo of the label on a red MAGA hat indicating it was made in China, a glaring example of the hypocrisy surrounding Trump's "America First" mantra, founded on an alleged support of bringing jobs back to America.
It was not confirmed if the fan's MAGA shirt was official Trump merchandise or an off-brand item.
Before the wager, Casey told the crowd, "We don't care if we lose fans, because when history is said and done, we want it known the Dropkick Murphys stood with the people, we stood with the workers."
That fan wasn't the only pro-Trumper at the show.
Other concertgoers spotted fellow audience members wearing memorabilia emblematic of the MAGA movement, including pro-police thin blue line pins and confederate flag pins.
When rumors began swirling that the fan Casey interacted with was kicked out from the show, the singer confirmed it was false.
He stated:
"I spoke with both of them afterwards while greeting fans in front of stage post show. I say wear what you like, it's still somewhat of a free country for now...wear a MAGA shirt, dye your hair purple...whatever makes you happy."
In September 2024, Dropkick Humphreys released their latest single, "Sirens."
Casey explained that the song targeted billionaires as "the real enemy" who were profiting from increasing hostilities among Americans.
“For nearly a decade, the division between red and blue, right and left, has grown deeper, darker and uglier—dividing families, and ending friendships," he explained.
"Nobody enjoys this more than the billionaires, who are making record profits off the blood, sweat, and tears of the working class."
"They love it when we fight amongst ourselves because their biggest fear is us joining together to come after them…THE REAL ENEMY," Casey added.
The track is part of the band's upcoming album, which will be released sometime early this year.
In honor of “halfway to St. Patrick’s Day, the band announced the Boston dates for their annual hometown Boston St. Patrick's Day Weekend celebration shows, which will take place on March 14, 15, 16, and 17.
As frontman for the Dropkick Murphys, Casey is joined by bandmates Tim Brennan (guitars, tin whistle, accordion, piano, vocals), Jeff DaRosa (guitars, banjo, mandolin, vocals), Matt Kelly (drums, percussion, and vocals), James Lynch (guitars and vocals), and Kevin Rheault (bass).
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