Tune In, Turn On
About six months after moving back to the Jersey Shore from Southern California, I got to attend my first Atlantic City St. Patrick’s Day Parade, which I learned had been paused from 2020 to 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In March 2023 we experienced the fun and excitement of walking in the parade – which stretches from Ocean Casino at 500 Boardwalk, all the way to Albany Avenue near Stockton University’s Atlantic City campus. We picked the Anchor Rock Club float to march alongside because at that point, still being very new to A.C., Greg and the crew at the Anchor were the people I knew the best.
What a spectacle it was.
Several dozen people marched on either side of the ARC float down the Boardwalk, many wearing black-and-white cow “onesies” in tribute to the band Red Meat Conspiracy, who were rocking out live on top of the float, themselves adorned in cow costumes.
Was there a little bit of alcohol consumed along the route? Let’s just say a good time was had by all, followed by an after-party at the Anchor.
Fast-forward to this coming Saturday, March 7, 2026. Anchor Rock Club still has a float participating in the Atlantic City St. Patrick’s Day Parade, with Red Meat Conspiracy again providing live music atop the float.
The past two years have also included a free post-parade concert (doors open at 1 p.m. at the New York Avenue nightclub) by a band collective called Bar Dust, composed of members of both The Menzingers, and Modern Baseball – both nationally-touring acts hailing from Philadelphia.
Bar Dust performs a rousing, rocking tribute to The Pogues, a Celtic punk band formed in London in 1982 renowned for playing Irish traditional music with a punk edge.
The Menzingers record for the indie punk label Epitaph Records and have released four albums on the Los Angeles-based label, including their most recent, “Some of It Was True” (2023), and have performed on the storied Warped Tour.
Modern Baseball (also known as MoBo) is an emo band that formed in 2011 at Drexel University. They released their debut album, “Sports,” on Lame-O Records in 2012.
In between sets, Irish-flavored rock music will be spun by one of the Shore’s most well-loved DJs – Joey Sparkles, who’s been spinning for Anchor’s St. Patrick’s Party every year since its inception. Did I mention that this great event is totally free to the public?
Bar Dust, who also performed at the Anchor’s Customer Appreciation Party this past December, will play a free noontime concert this Friday, March 6, at Philadelphia’s famed World Cafe Live. The performance will be broadcast live over WXPN (88.5 FM) as part of the station’s “Free at Noon” concert series, which has been taking place for two decades.
So if you want to hear just how talented this group is, tune in to WXPN this Friday. Then, come on down to the Anchor Rock Club at 247 New York Ave., Atlantic City, immediately following the Atlantic City St. Patrick’s Day Parade for what will be one of the coolest local shows so far in 2026. Anchorrockclub.com for additional information.
Tune-Up
See Sheena Easton at The Music Box, Borgata, Friday, March 6 at 8 p.m. Sheena Easton is a Grammy Award-winning singer whose career has spanned nearly five decades. Her recording career includes gold and platinum albums across the United States, Europe and Asia, with more than 20 million records sold worldwide.
Tickets/info: eventticketscenter.com/sheena-easton-atlantic-city-03-06-2026/7410741/t.
Doug is the owner/operator of Doug Deutsch Publicity Services, which since 1995 has been servicing nationally touring acts, and working record release campaigns for clients. Doug can be reached at ShoreLocalDoug@gmail.com
