“He’s not gonna make it through the whole set.”
“Waddle Waddle Waddle, Stumble Stumble Stumble.”

“He makes Bob Dylan look like a linguist.”

Say what you want about Pogues fans, but after overhearing those comments, we can say that they definitely aren’t deluded. Admittedly, Pogues’ lead singer Shane MacGowan wasn’t in the piss poor form of legend (no chair was needed to hold him up this time), but he still looked lost as he staggered haggardly onstage in his sunglasses, trench coat and Mardi Gras beads, as if forward movement was an epic struggle. However, one fan’s comment of “As long as he’s standing and singing, we’re fine,” seemed to be the prevailing sentiment amongst the audience.

Pogues fans don’t pay 55 bucks a pop because it’s fun to watch MacGowan mumble lyrics almost unintelligibly for four or five songs before being helped offstage to take a break. Yes, the other musicians have songs like “Tuesday Morning” where they can take over the lead vocal duties, but truth be told, it’s still pretty sad. However, the experience of seeing a Pogues show around St. Patrick’s Day comes with the ability to say “I was there!” Pogues fans come for the experience. It isn’t quite the booze-fest of decades past for either the band or the audience, but it was a night of loud cheers and louder sing-a-longs: a clear celebration of the camaraderie embodied by such drunken nights.