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Among the few veterans on this year's Warped Tour, the Dropkick Murphys are the only band on the tour to mix punk rock with Irish folk music. Formed in 1996 as a guitar/bass/drums/vocals quartet, the group later expanded its lineup to include bagpipes, accordion, mandolin and a mess of Irish pride. The sound took off, and not just among people whose hearts pump green blood.

The Dropkick Murphys' fan base exploded in 2001 with the release of Sing Loud, Sing Proud!, the first album to feature the seven-piece lineup. Soon, the band members found themselves playing for fans in Asia, Europe and Australia. Not even a language barrier could stifle the adoration these guys receive.

"[Japan] is always kind of funny," guitarist James Lynch says in a heavy Boston accent. "Kids who can't speak a word of English are right in the front row singing along with everything. They go absolutely ape-shit during the songs. But then the second you're done, it's silent, because they're so respectful. They're waiting to hear what you have to say."

Whether for St. Patrick's Day events or the Warped Tour, the Dropkick Murphys' fans arrive equipped with kilts, paint and flags, making every show an extravaganza that resembles an Irish-punk Renaissance fair. Unfortunately, jousting isn't included in the festivities, but the spectacle still boasts an exclusivity that no other band enjoys on the Warped Tour. "You can walk through this thing and think you're hearing the same band on every stage," Lynch says. "Our fans come down here waving flags on poles."

Without a doubt, though, the city that welcomes the band with the warmest reception is Boston. Big supporters of their hometown, the Murphys have worked with the Red Sox and the Bruins. They remade the Red Sox anthem "Tessie" and wrote "Time To Go," a song celebrating the Bruins on the band's 2003 release Blackout. On Sing Loud, Sing Proud! they paid tribute to Boston Celtics broadcaster Johnny Most. So it is fitting that the Dropkick Murphys' annual St. Patrick's Day show would take place there. "We think that rather than play there like it's part of a regular tour," Lynch explains, "we'd have it be like an event."

This past March, the band performed six sold-out shows over five days, packing the 2,000-capacity Avalon nightclub and making the event the Murphys' biggest St. Patrick's Day so far. In 2004, the band broke the venue's record for ticket sales, which was previously held by the Ramones. This year, the Murphys broke their own record. "It's becoming something that is way bigger than it was intended to be," Lynch says. "People come from all over the world to see the show. And I feel like even if we wanted to, we couldn't stop it now. It just keeps growing."

Even with his band's devoted fan base and worldwide success, Lynch confesses to having terrible stage fright. But he doesn't allow his nerves to dictate his performance or distract him from his responsibility to fans. Instead, Lynch adheres to Johnny Ramone's philosophy. "Johnny always said, 'Play to the back of the room.' And I'm more in my own world than anything else," Lynch reveals. "I'm kind of a stand-in-the-back kind of guy."

Although Lynch has played on the Warped Tour only twice, the Dropkick Murphys have participated five times. In previous years, the band has witnessed it develop from a club show to a full-day sports and music festival. This change, however, has been to the chagrin of many aging punkers who claim the tour has developed into an MTV showcase. This year's lineup seems to verify that charge with the lack of fellow heavyweights such as Pennywise, NOFX and Rancid.

"I feel like this year, the dynamic has shifted in that there used to be a lot more bands like us, and now, it seems like we're the black sheep," Lynch admits. "This year, it's My Chemical Romance and these three-word band names."

Despite the shift, Lynch says the newer bands have the same attitude and treat the older bands with respect, thus sustaining the tour's punk hierarchy and credo. "No one gets special treatment just because they're selling more records," he explains. Lynch believes the tour remains a constructive force in kids' lives.

"We're in Boise, Idaho, today, and how many kids do you think went to school with a Mohawk and got shit from someone?" he asks. "And to be able to come to a thing like this and be with a bunch of other kids just like you and realize that you're not a freak like everyone told you you were, I think it's always going to be a positive thing."

The Dropkick Murphys will perform Saturday at the Warped Tour. See details.