By Mary Whitfill, News Staff

The countdown to St. Patrick’s Day officially began as Flogging Molly took to the stage at the House of Blues last Friday for their ninth annual Green 17 tour. Accompanied by guests Dave Hause and Skinny Lister, Flogging Molly delivered their trademark Celtic sound to hundreds of die-hard fans. 
The restless crowd waited almost four hours from when the doors opened until Flogging Molly finally took the stage. Seemingly unimpressed by artist Hause, who is the frontman of the band The Loved Ones, the crowd was much more interested in Skinny Lister, a five-piece English band with sounds similar to that of the headliner.

Fans were greeted first with some of Flogging Molly’s famous and energetic numbers including “Drunken Lullabies” before playing a number of tracks like “Requiem for a Dying Song” from its 2008 CD “Float,” an album called “one of the most important CDs of the year, if not the decade” by Alternative Press. Additionally, the band promoted its newest album “Speed of Darkness” (2011) and one of the CD’s most popular songs “Revolution.”

Within the first few seconds of “Drunken Lullabies,” the place exploded into jumping, screaming and moshing, and the craziness didn’t end until the band’s final notes rang out. Unlike the horror stories of violence that usually accompany Flogging Molly shows, it was obvious that that the collection of moshers, dancers and head-bangers were in great spirits and among the group’s biggest fans. Front man David King worked the crowd in a way that few know how, telling stories and engaging the audience between songs.

While the flawless guitar riffs and reverberating bass pumped up the crowd, the most loved member of the band at tonight’s show was obviously Bridget Regan, electric fiddle player and King’s wife. With a following of her own, Regan was the soul of the show, stealing solos and sharing vocals with King in almost every song.

Toward the middle of the set, Flogging Molly channeled some of the more somber songs in their repertoire such as “Float,” before returning to the most popular singles to wrap up the night.

Flogging Molly, formed in 1997, is a seven-piece Irish punk band with a sound inspired by artists such as Joe Strummer, The Dubliners and Johnny Cash. Their lyrics usually touch on subjects such as Ireland and its history, drinking and politics, with several references to the Irish Catholic Church.

The band released its first album with Borstal Beats Records “Swagger” in 2000 and the immensely popular follow up album “Drunken Lullabies” in 2002. Their most popular songs include “Salty Dog,” “The Worst Day Since Yesterday,” “What’s Left Of The Flag” and “If I Ever Leave This World Alive.”

Band members include King and Regan, Dennis Casey (guitar), Matt Hensley (accordion), Nathen Maxwell (bass guitar), Bob Schmidt (mandolin, banjo) and George Schwindt (drums).

The Green 17 tour is the band’s salute to St. Patrick’s Day. Beginning in late January annually, the series of stops comes to a close on March 17 with a huge celebration, this year in Phoenix.