Nobody really knows exactly what happened on that fateful day in 1994 when Black 47 played a street fair in Hoboken.
Then Hoboken Police Chief Carmen LaBruno, apparently alarmed by the unexpectedly large crowd, feared there might be a riot of some sort. The police chief eventually closed down bars throughout the city. But Larry Kirwan, founding member of Black 47, dispelled the myth that the band had been forced to stop.
“The odd thing about that gig in Hoboken – which I think was the summer of ‘94 – is that the huge crowd was having a great time and unaware of what was happening backstage – including me, for the most part,” said Kirwan. “Joan Osborne was on before us, and the crowd was fired up. At some point during our set, our road manager let me know that we should finish up well before our allotted time. I looked out at that crowd and said, ‘No way.’”
“I have no idea what songs we’ll play, as in over 2,300 gigs we’ve never repeated a set.” — Larry Kirwan
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Now, 17 years later, the band is back – not playing the streets of Hoboken, but rather the 16th Street Park in Bayonne on July 13. He said he would welcome LaBruno or any of the Hoboken police to attend the band’s upcoming performance.
Black 47 will join the Mickey Perry Band to kick off the Summer Sounds Concert series.
The concert site is the amphitheater on the lower level of DiDomenico-16th Street Park. The concert will start at 7 p.m., and audience members are asked to bring their own chairs.
In the event of rain, the City of Bayonne will attempt to reschedule concerts for later dates that will be announced. On concert days, in the event of inclement weather, call (201) 858-6330 after 4 p.m., or visit www.bayonnerec.com to check on the status of that night’s concert.
A band with a history
Known for championing social and political issues, Black 47 is also famous as a Celtic party band, and over its more than 20-year career has released 14 albums on both major and independent labels.
For years, Black 47 was a mainstay of New York City music, playing rock, reggae, hip-hop, folk, Irish traditional, downtown noise, jazz, and blues at local venues.
The band, which takes its name from the worst year of the Irish Potato Famine, called “Black 47,” exploded on the music scene in 1993 with a single called “Funky Céilí” from the CD, Fire of Freedom. The band’s signature eclectic sound, socio-political lyrics, and off-the-wall live shows paved the way for other Irish influenced bands such as Flogging Molly and Dropkick Murphys. The band’s songs have long been used in political science and history courses in hundreds of high schools and colleges throughout the U.S.
Kirwan has also written 10 plays and musicals, produced in the U.S. and Europe. His memoir, Green Suede Shoes, was published in both the U.S. and UK. He has recorded two solo albums, Kilroy Was Here and Keltic Kids. He hosts the popular Celtic Crush for SiriusXM Satellite Radio, and writes a controversial weekly column for the nationally distributed Irish Echo newspaper.
Other members included seasoned musicians Geoffrey Blythe, a founding member of Dexy’s Midnight Runners; Fred Parcells, who has worked extensively in Latin/jazz and big bands; Thomas Hamlin, a veteran of the Max’s/CBGB’s scene; Joseph Mulvanerty, a founding member of The Ruffians; and Joseph “Bearclaw” Burcaw.
“I have no idea what songs we’ll play, as in over 2,300 gigs we’ve never repeated a set,” Kirwan said. “We do try to play songs from across our 13 CD career so that anyone who has an album will likely hear a song they know. I make up a set right before we go on, but often discard it early on. Each show is special and we react to how both band and audience are feeling on the night. I love playing these free outdoor events, as you tend to get a multi-generational audience. One way or another, the show will be a party with songs about losers on the verge of redemption, winners about to fall on their faces, soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan, political heroes who transcend time, and immortalized chiefs of police as in one of our more popular songs, “Green Suede Shoes.’”