I know it's not a contest. But if it had been a contest, it would've been no contest. The Dropkick Murphys mopped the stage with The Offspring Tuesday, June 30, at CMAC. The crowd of about 5000 was probably mostly there for The Offspring, but there was a lot o' green in the pit. After a blaring bagpipe intro Boston's Murphys hit the stage the way ping-pong balls used to rain down on Mr. Moose. It was all gang vocals and fists in the air from that point on. The set was fast and tight and relentless. I always admire bands that can rock in the daylight with little or no stage lighting to punctuate the peaks and valleys. And the band's blue collar-Celtic punk-rock mash-up is unparalleled. Sure there's Flogging Molly, but the Dropkicks' anger and resolve is infectious. By the time the band is done beating you up you feel vindicated, validated, exhausted, and Irish.

The Offspring have a pile of hits that it could easily use to cruise for a while, and the band whipped 'em all out. The new stuff was good, too; loud and fast and in the pocket a la Bad Religion. On stage the band was a little corny in an "Aw shucks, we're old guys now" kind of way. But the music held up nicely. Lead singer Dexter Holland and The Dropkick Murphys' Al Barr both find the upper limit of their vocal range and nail it to the ceiling adding, a certain plausibility and urgency that those who merely scream - or just sing for that matter - don't have.

Back to CMAC Thursday night for The Doobie Brothers and Bad Company. Incidentally, I wasn't the youngest person there, as is the case for a lot of these so-called "heritage acts," as the industry calls them. I couldn't have cared less about hearing The Doobies. However, they knocked my socks off. Excellent harmonies and outstanding guitar work from all three guitarists made the tunes radio had shoved down our throats for more than 30 years sound fresh and exciting again. Viva los Doobies!

Without much warning Bad Company blasted out on stage with "I Can't Get Enough Of Your Love." Despite the volume it was an excellent mix. Mick Ralphs's guitar work was as brash and flashy as he wasn't as he walked about the stage casually. Guitarist No. 2 was Heart's Howard Lese, dressed in all black leather while dueling back and forth with Ralphs. And with one the most recognizable voices in rock, Paul Rodgers has obviously made a deal with the devil; he sounded incredible and looked and moved about as if he were a third of his 60 years.