When the punk legends Dropkick Murphys hit the stage on the National Mall this afternoon, it won’t be just another gig—it’ll be a rallying cry. Backed by an electrified crowd of veterans, unionists, and allies, the Boston band will deliver the live debut of Who’ll Stand With Us?, a fierce anthem for a new generation of resistance.
The rally—organized by the grassroots coalition Unite for Veterans—is anything but your typical march-and-mic event. Instead, organizers are weaving together music, personal testimony, and hard truths to spotlight how budget cuts and mass layoffs are hitting America’s veterans—especially those working in the federal government.
“This wasn’t our fight—but it became our fight,” Dropkick Murphys frontman Ken Casey said on this week’s Labor Heritage Power Hour. “Veterans are being scapegoated and silenced. We’re here to turn up the volume.” And as veteran organizer William Attig, who helped spearhead the rally, said on the show, “Artists, workers, veterans—we’ve always led the way in fighting for justice. Today, we’re doing it together.” It’s a protest with power chords. A concert with conscience. And a promise that this is just the beginning.
Unite for Veterans. Unite for America. Concert & Rally
2p today on The National Mall, just north of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, where 6th Street crosses the Mall. Click here for the livestream.