The Voice - Student Newspaper

Tempe Beach Park may have the luck of the Irish but it'll always be the "Devil's Dance Floor"

By Michelle Tabatabai-Shahab
Editor-in-Chief, The VOICE

Tempe Beach Park, AZ hosted 103.9 FM radio station's Fall Frenzy 2009 music festival Sept. 18-20, where, student favored band, Flogging Molly announced that Tempe Beach Park will be the host of their sixth annual Green 17 Tour on March 17 for the Saint Patrick's Day celebration.

If you missed Flogging Molly perform this time around at Fall Frenzy, don't sweat it because you'll have your chance to see them soon enough, tickets go on sale for the Green 17 Tour on Oct. 17.

If you don't know who Flogging Molly is, then it almost goes without saying that you're missing out on a sound that, "can't be bothered being labeled," as lead guitarist, Dave Kings, explains about the music they create. "We're not a traditional band, we are influenced by traditional music and inspired by it, and we put our own little twist on it."

Flogging Molly isn't just a band you like to listen to; they offer an experience you wish would never end.

The thing that makes this band truly extraordinary, besides their brilliant melodies, is the fact that their charismatic energy is so infectious that they can get their devoted fans staggering in sheer anticipation of witnessing a Flogging Molly performance.

A bar band at heart, dedicated to their fans just as much as their fans are dedicated to them, Flogging Molly shook Fall Frenzy 2009 with their 'seven member nuclear family'.

With morale and spirits at peak heights dancing was underway before King strummed the first chord as the setting sun bestowed the settling rays of the burning day across the crowd in deep oranges and reds.

With beers raised to the sky nothing could ruin the moment between Flogging Molly and loyal fans; leave it to Flogging Molly to bring the family together as they always do, time and again.

Sending the crowd into an Irish jig, both sides of the alcohol barricade kept it moving nonstop through the classic fast-paced songs "Drunken Lullabies", "Swagger", "Devil's Dance Floor", "Seven Deadly Sins", and "Salty Dog".

When it came to the slower paced melodies like "Worst Day Since Yesterday" and "If I ever Leave This World Alive" Flogging Molly had the crowd hooking arms over one another's shoulders like the best of friends at a pub; staggering, drunk, and sprightly.

It might as well have been Saint Patrick's Day the way the crowd worshiped every word of every song preformed.

Please send comments to michelle@gccvoice.com