Dropkick Murphys behead Canadiens doll at Montreal heavy metal festival (Video)
A lesson from Concerts 101: People want to be pandered to. They want to hear that their city in the best in the world, that you couldn't be happier to visit, and that, while you're there, you're a fan of their local sports team.
It's why, when Snoop Dogg performed at British Columbia's Pemberton Music Festival last month, he did so in a Henrik Sedin sweater (albeit one of the horrible Black Ice jerseys). It's why, at the Bell Centre last summer, One Direction performed in Montreal Canadiens jerseys (and told the screaming crowd they were the loudest one ever... swoon).
This is just how it's done.
Unless you're the Dropkick Murphys, diehard Boston Bruins fans to the end. For them, there will be no pandering, especially to Canadiens fans, their mortal enemies. Which is why, at this weekend's Heavy Montreal festival, surrounded by Molson Canadian banners and Canadiens, singer and bassist Ken Casey declared his love for the Bruins, then had his son Liam bring out a doll wearing a Canadiens sweater, hung by his feet.
The poor doll was thrashed about the stage, then beheaded.
Yeah, so Boston fans might still be kind of upset about the playoffs.
This takes some serious cajones, I must admit. There are about 50,000 people out there, and they're not just Habs fans. They're heavy metal fans. I wouldn't antagonize 50,000 metalhead Habs fans for all the money in the world.
The Dropkicks Murphys, however, are braver men than I (and so are their kids, apparently). Mind you, they're also no strangers to antagonizing hockey fans. In Vancouver after the 2011 Cup Final, they came onstage to Queen’s “We are the Champions”. And that's post-riot, when people knew what Vancouverites were capable of.
After this ritual doll murder, they reiterated their love for the town from which they hail, performing "I'm Shipping Up to Boston".
Your move, Corey Hart. I don't care that you're retired. Someone needs to go to Boston and let 'em have it, and it's either you or Malajube.
