Filter
Irving Plaza, New York, NY
March 8th, 2012

It’s often been said that you can’t truly appreciate a band until you’ve seen them live. Truth be told, I’ve never been a huge fan of Filter. It’s not that I particularly disliked them or had anything against them, my feeling toward their music was more of indifference. They had enjoyed some successful singles in the late 1990′s, which proved to be a literal catapult for them in terms of more prominent positioning on festival bills and headlining gigs at larger venues. But to my recollection, not once had I ever met a straight up ‘Filter’ fan. That was, until Thursday night’s performance at the Gramercy Theatre, when the band seemed larger than life inside of an intimate venue that years ago would have been an immediate sellout.

To their credit, Filter certainly packed in a sizable and anxious crowd on this night. The excitement could be felt from the photo pit mere moments before the house lights went down, as fans clamored to reach the front barricade and get as close to the stage as possible. Filter’s 75 minute set was a nonstop pounding rock surge, with nary a ballad in the bunch and little time for anyone, band included, to catch a breath.

The bass and lead guitarists often paced in circles on opposite sides of the stage like a pair of caged tigers with excess energy to exert, while frontman Richard Patrick grasped the mic hard enough between both of his hands, to obliterate it. Crouched down, bent at the waist between them, the strain on his face paled in comparison to the intensity in his voice, as he managed to successfully reach every note at will. Several lineup changes over the years have sapped Filter of the consistency enjoyed by other bands, but in terms of their live performance, they are remarkably cohesive.

With a rumored new album slated for release sometime in 2012, the band paced their set with plenty of their early material, a majority of which came from 1999’s “Title of Record” and 1995’s “Short Bus.” As the fans were in the midst of their strongest ovation following third song, “The Take,” Patrick looked out into the elated crowd and mused, “Jesus Christ- has it been that long,” before launching into “No Love,” the repetitively melodic “Jurassitol,” and the familiar “Trip Like I Do.” For the first time in the show, he then grabbed a guitar of his own for the band’s decidedly unintentional ‘summertime hit,’ “Take a Picture.”

The onstage antics and supporting lightshow behind them was minimal, leaving just a stripped down, no frills hard rock show. Said Patrick, “This is all we do. We play rock and roll music,” as the initial chords of “I’m Not the Only One” began. The flat out, hook laden “Skinny” was a rocking tune which brought Patrick’s guitar back out and the frontman then leaped into the crowd during “Best Things,” proclaiming, “I’m in your hands NYC” as he continued to sing. Bass player Phil Buckman stole the spotlight during the encore, playing the first verse of Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs,” only amping the crowd into a further frenzy for Filter’s closer “Hey Man, Nice Shot,” bringing on the evenings sole mosh pit.

Watching Filter perform was a revelation- you definitely have more of an appreciation for their live act after witnessing the band in person. Genuinely appreciative of the praise from NYC’s Filter faithful, Patrick and company delivered a solid rock show, coming off as a band that could have played to a larger audience and reciprocating their love back to the crowd both on and off mic. A little older in 2012, the band still seems to be in their performing prime, and after our first experience of Filter live, their next album of new material can’t come soon enough. They’ve made a believer of us.

- Jane Van Arsdale

Filter – Live at the Gramercy Theatre

New York, NY

March 8th, 2012

1. Welcome to the Fold
2. Drug Boy
3. The Take
4. It’s So Easy
5. No Love
6. Jurassitol
7. Trip Like I Do
8. Take a Picture
9. Dose
10. Under
11. I’m Not the Only One
12. Skinny
13. Best Things
14. So I Quit
15. Hey Man, Nice Shot