The Pogues

Profile

Irish folk-punk veterans the Pogues have been reunited with magnificently shattered singer Shane MacGowan since 2004; MacGowan somehow survived decades of egregious self-abuse to growl his lovely, degenerate hymns in New York City for the first time last year. His return to the stage and a degree of coherence counts as a Lazarus-like comeback, with a string of performances in the cast of a legendary songwriter, if not a legendary drunk, but need we go on when what we’re telling you is that the Pogues are playing on St. Patrick’s Day? Billy Bragg, meanwhile, will bring his vault of catchy protest songs, literary torch songs, and Guthrie odes, on St. Pat's Eve. The Sunday-night show will be for many a historic binge, but the concert also has a historic tinge, matching one great sinner and one musical saint.  — Sam Howard