The boys are back at the New York State Fair. And this time, they brought more than 30,000 friends with them.

The Dropkick Murphys returned to Chevy Court on Sunday night almost exactly one year after they played as a last-minute replacement for Dickey Betts when the Allman Brothers Band co-founder suffered a mild stroke. That 2018 show marked the Celtic punk rock band’s first-ever state fair show, drawing more than 13,000 fans to the free concert stage, and they doubled the crowd Sunday with an estimated 30,200 in attendance.

Singers Ken Casey and Al Barr traded vocals throughout the night, raising their fists in the air as they criss-crossed the stage and encouraged everyone to sing along. They were backed by an equally energetic six-piece band that played a wide range of instruments, including bagpipes, an accordion, banjo, keyboards and a flute in addition to the traditional, drums, bass and guitar.

The band seamlessly mixed fan favorites like “The Fighting 69th” and “First Class Loser” with hits like “The Boys are Back” and “Rose Tattoo.” In fact, they only took a few brief moments to pause the music and address the crowd -- many of whom admitted they’d never seen Dropkick Murphys like before.

Even the most casual Dropkick fan knows the band has long been associated with the Boston Red Sox, but Casey also let everyone know they were cool with the home state of the rival New York Yankees. I mean, how else can they honestly play songs like “The State of Massachusetts” at the NYS Fair?

Other highlights included covers of “I Fought the Law (And the Law Won)" and “Black Velvet Band,” and a three-song encore ending with “I’m Shipping Up to Boston.” Casey and Barr closed the 90-minute show by running out into the crowd, singing the finale with fans young and old, and high-fiving people in the handicapped and deaf/hard-of-hearing sections.

The boys are welcome back anytime.

Dropkick Murphys at the NYS Fair

The Dropkick Murphys set list

Sunday, Aug. 25, 2019 at Chevy Court, New York State Fair, Syracuse NY

Foggy Dew (intro song)

The Boys Are Back

The State of Massachusetts

Famous for Nothing

Johnny I Hardly Knew Ya

Blood

The Fighting 69th

Wheel of Misfortune

Sunshine Highway

First Class Loser

Black Velvet Band

Caught in a Jar

Don’t Tear Us Apart

Cruel

I Fought the Law (cover)

The Walking Dead

Which Side Are You On?

Rocky Road to Dublin

Going Out in Style

Out of Our Heads

Worker’s Song

ENCORE:

Rose Tattoo

Until the Next Time

I’m Shipping Up to Boston