Ahead of No Kings Rally, Dropkick Murphys' Ken Casey on resistance as celebration

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No Kings Rallies will take place at over 3,000 locations this weekend. In Boston, Dropkick Murphys will take the stage on the Common.

It might be a tradition in the making for the band. The Celtic punk rockers performed at Boston’s first No Kings Rally in April of last year.

The members have long spoken out against those in power, and last year they received increased attention for criticising the Trump administration. In March 2025, Dropkick Murphys made national headlines after a viral moment between lead singer Ken Casey and a concert-goer in MAGA attire. Over the summer, the band dropped out of a punk rock festival due to the owner’s previous support of the Trump campaign. They released an album entitled “For The People” that followed in the punk rock tradition of protest songs. In December, the band won three Boston Music Awards, including artist of the year.

Saturday’s protest will run from 1 to 5 p.m., with the rally on the Common from 2 to 4 p.m. Dropkick Murphys is one of four listed performers in addition to two art installations and a number of speakers. I spoke with Casey by phone on Wednesday in the lead-up to the event.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity and length.

Solon Kelleher: How did you get involved in the upcoming No Kings Rally in Boston? 

Ken Casey: We did the first one in April of last year, and we're ready and willing to be involved in anything that's speaking up against this regime that's so un-American against everything we stand for and believe in. So we'll take part in anything that can help change the trajectory of the way the country's going right now.

Speaking of trajectory, 2026 is the 250th anniversary of the United States. You're the headlining musical act for the No Kings Rally in Boston. What does that mean to you personally?

Even though we're playing music, I don't think of these protests as a show, as much as it is just taking part in resistance. It's a completely different level of importance than what a job normally entails.

So it means a lot that we have the opportunity to have a microphone to speak into. If you have a microphone, you better be using it right now. We don't want to be a band that has looked back and says, “Oh, we didn't do our part.”

You were quoted in a recent press release saying, “We're happy to take part in anything that offers resistance to the horrible things that are happening in America today.” For those who haven't heard you articulate your thoughts on current events, can you expand on that?

Holy crap. Where do you start? You know what I mean? From electing a rapist, potential pedophile, insurrectionist traitor who only cares about lining his own pockets and his own family and taking care of the other billionaire 1% people. The tariffs that have wrecked the economy, starting unjust wars — thinking he's a wartime, action hero president, believing these AI images that show him looking like Rambo. The guy is insane. He's unleashed his own private army, executing citizens in the street.

Dropkick Murphys have always sung about the immigrant struggle. Just a few generations ago, people in our families came to America and were able to ascend to the middle class here, and suddenly everyone's supposed to forget about that. And now we’ve villainized hardworking immigrant populations. Do I think that there doesn't need to be some sensible immigration policy? Sure. But that's not what's happening in America now. Nothing even close. They’re abducting people who are taking part in the immigration process, snatching them when they're showing up for their hearings at court.

Geez, I could keep going forever. So I'll just stop there.

Can you tell me about the difference between performing for a rally versus performing for a regular concert?

That's a good question. With this particular rally, we're playing acoustics. A lot of times on the rally side of things, we are playing acoustic just from logistical perspectives and expenses.

All the protest songs and songs of ours that naturally translate to the acoustic setting. Whether it's Irish folk and rebel music or Woody Guthrie-esque protest music, some of the best protest music is just acoustic. And it lends more to the focus on the words, which is what's really important: the message in these songs.

But might there be some extra fire in us when we do those things? Yeah. Because we're angry, you know?

What purpose do you think a big draw like Dropkick Murphys serves at a rally like this?

Well, I don't necessarily think people are coming out that aren't sympathetic to the cause just to see Dropkick Murphy's like, “Hey, I could give a crap about politics, but I'm going to a concert.” I think that there's a lot of people that may not have changed their schedule and their day to go get on the train and go in town and stand outside on what might be a cold day. I think the purpose we serve is to add enticement to come.

It’s a protest, but it's also at the same time a celebration in the sense that we're showing that America is not satisfied with the way our country is going, and that we can bring this many people together and we can be a voice that people take notice. The world is watching.

We traveled around the world in the first [Trump] term, and even maybe the beginning of this term, they looked at us like “You poor hostages. We know that America's not really like this and we feel bad for you.” Well, I got to tell you, that's changing to, “Hey, now you're screwing up the whole world.”

There's this criticism when people like artists or athletes speak out about politics. What's your response to that critique? 

Well, all I'll speak on is when it comes to Dropkick Murphys. We've been about this for 30 years. We've never changed our message. The very first line on our very first album was speaking about what Reagan did starting the process harming unions. So if that's where you started, our voice very much belongs in the mix.

And for anybody else, whether they're an athlete or an artist, they're human beings, and they have a microphone. I don't think that human beings are supposed to be just slaves.

An artist sings about what inspires them. And unfortunately, sometimes what inspires them is the negative things they see around them in the world. We wrote plenty of songs that are positive and happy about family and friends and celebrating life and community, and we will continue to do that.

But when we also see horrible things happen around us, we're damn well going to speak up about it as well.