Bad Religion set cut short due to storm, allows for Dropkick Murphys late-night

Thunderstorms swept through Asbury Park on Wednesday, disrupting the Summer of Discontent tour.

The tour, headlined by Dropkick Murphys and Bad Religion with support from The Mainliners, stopped by the Stone Pony Summer Stage in Asbury Park for one of two shows in the state this month.

Due to weather, The Mainliners’ set was cancelled. The band instead played a late-night show across the street at Low Dive at 10:30 p.m., extending the night for some fans.

On the Summer Stage, Bad Religion was forced to go on early, at 6 p.m. While the band was scheduled to perform for 75 minutes, they only got through 35 minutes of material when lightning was detected during “True North.” The venue was quickly and safely evacuated, with patrons directed to their cars or to Convention Hall.

Bad Religion performing at the Stone Pony Summer Stage on Aug. 13, 2025 // Photo by Zander Karalewich for NJ Music Festivals

Despite the shortened time, Bad Religion managed to pack in several hits like “You Are the Government” and “I Want to Conquer the World.” Light rain fell throughout their set, dampening the crowd size and energy, though it didn’t stop a few fans from trying to crowd surf.

While the rest of the night was uncertain, many fans either stayed on line or packed one of Asbury’s many bars and restaurants on the boardwalk. It ended up being a great, rainy night for small businesses.

Shortly after 8 p.m., fans were told they could reenter the venue at 8:30. Doors reopened smoothly, and by 9:10 p.m. Dropkick Murphys stormed the stage with “The State of Massachusetts.” The crowd, reenergized after the two-and-a-half-hour delay, was rowdier than ever.

Early in the set, lead singer Ken Casey completely shut off the show to make sure a fan wasn’t kicked out for being rowdy.

“If you’re standing down here, you can’t get upset if someone bumps into you. You’re in the f—ing front row at a punk show!” Casey said. “Look, he even has a big smile on his face! I’d trust you with the key to my house.”

Dropkick Murphys performing at the Stone Pony Summer Stage on Aug. 13, 2025 // Photo by Zander Karalewich for NJ Music Festivals

“Every time I defend someone like that, later on in the show it comes back to bite me,” he later joked.

Despite being limited on time, that wasn’t Casey’s only word that he got out. Ken laid down the two rules of punk rock:

“We’re gonna teach you two important lessons: 1) when you’re crowd surfing, it is not punk rock to video yourself,” Casey started. “2) it was never punk rock to be some right-wing bootlicker for an authoritarian regime.”

Although Asbury Park’s noise ordinance set a 10 p.m. curfew on weekdays, the band was granted an extension until 10:30. Both Dropkick and the crowd showed their gratitude.

“We told [Asbury Park], ‘if you don’t allow it, these animals are going to tear this city apart!’” Casey joked, before clarifying: “We didn’t say that.”

It’s probably true though.

He also teased a special guest appearance from The Boss himself, before playing a rendition of “American Land” in a very punk and Celtic style.

“We were going to have a special guest for you, but you don’t ask guests to come out in the rain. We told him to stay home,” Casey said.

The band finished their set with hits like “Rose Tattoo,” with help from kids in the front row, “I’m Shipping Up to Boston,” and a new song, “The Big Man,” where the band requested extra-large circle pits for their music video, which was being filmed on tour.