If your teenage daughter was among the many young women on stage last night at First Avenue with the Dropkick Murphys rowdily singing along to "Kiss Me, I'm Sh--faced" ("I'm soaked, I'm soiled, I'm brown in the trousers"), have no fear. There was something weirdly wholesome and sweet about the whole affair, the highlight of the Boston Celtic-punk band's latest pre-Patty's Day tour stop -- the rare time you'll see tattooed dudes pumping their fists along to mandolin, accordion and even fife playing.

Those Murphy boys (and one woman) always kick up an incredible amount of camaraderie and cohesion in the crowd. Last night's sold-out, all-ages audience clearly had a ball singing along to such staples as "Worker's Song" and "The Dirty Glass" early in the show and "Captain Kelly's Kitchen" and "I'm Shipping Up to Boston" near the stormy end. Singer Al Barr coolly dedicated "Take 'Em Down" to Wisconsin's striking state employees mid-set. "Kiss Me" was saved for the encore, and I'm surprised the First Ave stage survived the pile-up.

What it lacked in gimmickry and green-tinted attire, middle-slot band Against Me! made up for in sheer ferocity and original songwriting. The Florida quartet is the best classic-styled punk band of the past half-decade in my book, and it proved its prowess again last night. With only about 50 minutes time for a set, it played literally nonstop. New drummer Jay Weinberg -- son of Max, Bruce's E Street Band member and Conan's old bandleader -- impressively performed one-handed at moments, which was the only way he could swig from a water bottle. Frontman Tom Gabel looked a little like a young, tattooed Peter Frampton with his moppy new 'do, but he was all roar at the mic, starting with the opener "Pints of Guiness Make You Strong" (cater to the crowd much??) and breathlessly followed by the Condoleeza Rice-bashing "From Her Lips to God's Ear." Highlights from there included the new anthem "I Was a Teenage Anarchist," "High Pressure Low," "New Wave" and "White People for Peace."

Locally reared openers Off With Their Heads -- who are on the entire Murphys/Against tour -- got gypped a bit by the early start time (6 p.m. on the nose), and they only had 30 minutes to play. Still, a good chunk of the crowd had spilled in by the time the quartet finished off mightily with its screw-it-all anthem "Drive," the riling opener on last year's Epitaph record, "In Desolation."