The music industry is at it again. It seems like every week there’s another COVID-related fundraiser. This time it’s Celtic-American punk rockers Dropkick Murphys, who will perform at Fenway Park in Boston, Mass., this Friday, May 29.
The show will be streamed live worldwide on the band’s Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and Twitch pages at 6:00 p.m., Eastern time, free of charge. A special guest remote appearance is expected from Bruce Springsteen, who has performed in the past with Dropkick Murphys and is featured on their hit “Rose Tattoo.”
“After the incredible response to our March 17 live stream concert, we wanted to do another one where we could actually take time to plan it, launch it and promote it,” explains Jeff Castelaz, Cast Management. “The March 17 stream was the biggest concert live stream ever, and the guys had a great time doing it. We knew we were going to do another one. The question was: How do we top what we already did? The answer that fell out of the sky was: Fenway Park!”
Streaming Outta Fenway will be presented by Boston-area tech company Pega®, and will raise funds via a text-to-donate campaign for three nonprofit organizations: Boston Resiliency Fund, Feeding America, and Habitat for Humanity, Greater Boston.
Dropkick Murphys will perform a full electric set, the first ever to feature a band playing on the Fenway Park infield, the first music event to be streamed live from Fenway, and the first full show in the United States in an empty sports stadium. Not only will the venue be empty of fans, but band members plan to observe social distancing during the performance, with the musicians stationed at various parts of the infield diamond. The band is no stranger to Fenway Park, having headlined there in 2011, as well as rallying Red Sox fans for four World Series championships in the past 20 years.
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Streaming Outta Fenway continues Dropkick Murphys’ history of support for the Greater Boston area. Several months ago, on St. Patrick’s Day, the band held a live stream concert called Streaming Up From Boston, an event that has been viewed more than 13 million times and has raised more than $60,000 for the Boston Resiliency Fund through the band’s charity, The Claddagh Fund.
Founded in 2009 by band frontman Ken Casey, The Claddagh Fund grants money to charitable organizations supporting the needs of children, veterans and individuals suffering from alcohol and drug addiction. In November 2019, Dropkick Murphys held a fundraiser benefit for the family of fallen Worcester, Mass., firefighter Lt. Jason Menard.
Event production will be limited, given constraints on the amount of production personnel that will be allowed to work the event—which very well could be the only concert held at the stadium this year. One thing is certain: Fenway Park groundskeepers won’t have to worry about the infield being torn up!
