For all practical purposes, The Pogues imploded in a wave of alcohol and drug abuse after a fateful tour of Japan in 1991. After a string of horrible shows, the band agreed to sack their infamously wasted singer-songwriter-poet Shane Macgowan. They continued on for a few more years without him to some critical acclaim and a couple of worthwhile albums and tours, but the fans missed their front man and the band finally called it a day.

Amidst a wave of 80s band comeback tours in the early 2000s, The Pogues resisted a healthy payday awaiting them in the states to play a couple of short Christmas tours in the UK. The buzz, however, wouldn't die and when the band announced a short string of East Coast dates in March of 2006, their followers were ecstatic. For the first time in over 15 years Macgowan and the rest of The (more or less sober) Pogues - James Fearnley, Spider Stacy, Jem Finer, Terry Woods, Andrew Rainken, Philip Chevron and Darryl Hunt were taking the stage in America. The Friday night crowd at the legendary 930 Club was pumped. The venue was perfect - an old warehouse in a less than desirable neighborhood outside of downtown DC - overpacked, smoke filled and booze soaked. The short tour began the day before at the same venue and the near-by taverns were abuzz with the early reviews. The crowd was surprised and elated as Macgowan took the stage - more or less on time!

For the next 2 hours they soared through energetic versions of songs spanning their 7-year run with Macgowan. The set consisted primarily of material from their peak - 1986's Rum, Sodomy & the Lash and 1987's If I Should Fall From Grace With God. Terry Woods (Young Ned of the Hill) and Phil Chevron (Thousands Are Sailing) each took a turn at lead vocals and Spider Stacy even offered an energetic rendition of Tuesday Morning from the underrated Macgowan-less Waiting For Herb record. And Macgowan didn't disappoint either. Still a bit loaded and rough around the edges, but looking leagues better than he has in well over a decade, Shane danced around, balanced a wine bottle on his head, and sang brilliantly on great London-Irish-Punk anthems like Sally Maclenanne, Streams of Whiskey, Sunny Side of the Street, and Body of an American to name a few. A highlight to many was seeing Shane joined onstage by Finer's daughter Ella for the band's biggest hit - the duet A Fairytale of New York. They proved to the easily persuaded crowd that they could still pull it off - and better than most bands half their age.

After suffering through an intolerable hangover for the 4-hour trek to Atlantic City, it was quickly obvious that this would be quite a different show. The Borgata is an impressive modern Vegas style casino a mile inland from the famous Atlantic City Boardwalk. If you're looking for a glitzy, clean, bright, loud place to loose $15 or more on a hand of Black Jack, the Borgata is great. If you're looking for a couple pints of Guinness before seeing a legendary London-Irish Punk band, you couldn't be further from the ideal locale. The Pogues were set up in what amounted to a huge hotel conference room. The carpet was only days old - a sure sign that the Borgata was clueless when it came to hosting a concert. The beer was gone before the show was half over, and a trip to the only open restroom meant missing up to 3 songs.

All that said, The Pogues were still brilliant. The set was identical to the night before. The energy level of the show was intense despite the sterile environment and the crowd was moshing, dancing, singing and drinking like it was Saint Patrick's Day 1988. The conversations before and after were unanimous - "Why wasn't it in Phili?", "How did they run out of beer?" and "This is the worst venue I've ever been to for a show." Regardless, we still had DC and lucky crowds in Boston and New York City had another week of gigs to look forward to. Besides, we'll take The Pogues at The Borgata over most other bands at any venue in the country. Here's to a return trip state side lads!

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