The Pogues in Florida

With The Pogues, who gave their only Florida performance Saturday night at the Pompano Beach Amphitheater, there is always a bit a magic to be found amidst the spilled beer and cigarette butts.

In years past, that magic grew out of the boisterous and intoxicating mix of Irish folk music and beer-spitting punk. More often than not, that allure comes from the misty brilliance of the Pogues' frontman, Shane McGowan.

However, to talk about The Pogues, you have to get past McGowan's alcoholism. Despite the clear record of his decline, the sight of McGowan's stumble onto stage was still shocking. Carrying a drink in one hand and a lit cigarette in the other, McGowan, using a wide gait, walked up the mic and shouted something very unintelligible. The crowd responded with gusto. McGowan looked and acted like one of those wild-eyed, old men harassing the tourists along Fort Lauderdale's Strip, which is just a stone's throw a way from his performance. He appeared at least a decade older than his 51 years.

But is was quickly evident that McGowan is embraced by his fans and bandmates as the affable, old soul he is. My wife wondered if the band should be known as "Shane McGowan and the Enablers." It was kinda funny, kinda cynical and kinda true.

After getting over the initial shock of McGowan's condition, it was easy to see why the Pogues drew fans from all over the state. The band was originally scheduled for the dearly departed Langerado festival in Miami. After the festival was cancelled, they booked a replacement gig at the Pompano Amphitheater. However, the publicity was late-coming and that is the probable reason for the half-filled amphitheater.

The band, which was tight and exceptional, played through an hour and 45 minute set, featuring many of the songs from the band's classic "Rum, Sodomy and the Lash." On songs like "Dirty Old Town," McGowan would pour himself into that gritty ballad - spitting out the lines about love in a dying town.

It was on "A Rainy Night In Soho" that McGowan found that magic. An older man singing a love song written nearly 25 years ago, drawing out emotions that were never evident in the first recording. When McGowan's ends the beautiful song with the following lines, he transcended the place and time and disease.

Now the song is nearly over

We may never find out what it means

Still there's a light I hold before me

You're the measure of my dreams

The measure of my dreams

With that, the beauty and tragedy of Shane McGowan rose into the warm, cloudless Florida night.

“Dirty Old Town” by The Pogues (mp3)(iTunes)(Amazon)

“A Rainy Night In Soho” by The Pogues (mp3)(iTunes)(Amazon)