Concert Recap: Filter in Jacksonville, NC (June 3, 2023)

At the conclusion of their spring tour, alt-rock veterans Filter made their way to Jacksonville, NC and rocked the roof off of Hooligans Live on June 3. For a short run of shows from festival appearances to headlining club shows, the hard rock outfit chose the right place to close out this leg of their 2023 touring schedule, as the crowd was composed of loyal fans that were as receptive to the openers as they were excited for the headliner.

As far as support goes, there were two local openers for this show – first was With Clarity, an alternative rock group from the Raleigh area. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to make it to the venue early enough to catch their set, however the biased fan in me will sing their praises regardless, surmise that their set was fantastic, and hope that they return to Hooligans soon.

I arrived at Hooligans just in time to see the homies in Echostone take the stage and have another triumphant performance – they had a favorable reception like they did at their last appearance at Hooligans, opening for From Ashes to New in April, and they immediately captured the intrigue of the audience. Opening with their brand-new single “Before I Fall,” it didn’t take long for the Carolina quartet to get the crowd moving – they probably had the biggest audience reaction during their cover of 10 Years’ “Wasteland,” but their original songs like “On My Own” and “Phase” also yielded enthusiastic responses. The only downside to their set was that it was cut short due to technical difficulties, leaving them with no time to play the planned final song of their set, “Overdue.” Nonetheless, the band sounded fantastic and if you missed them this time around, it’s not too late to get tickets to see them back at Hooligans opening for Trapt on August 12. 

Echostone Setlist:

1. Before I Fall
2. Waiting
3. On My Own
4. Wasteland (10 Years cover)
5. Phase

Direct support came from Uncured, a metalcore band from New Jersey. They’re a relatively new band with a modern sound from both sides of hard rock and metalcore, and they made a big impression at this show – personally, I had never heard of them before seeing them live but I instantly became a fan during their set, and I know for a fact I wasn’t the only one looking up their music as soon as they stepped off the stage. Songs like “Fight This War” and their cover of Linkin Park’s “One Step Closer” had the audience in the palm of their hands, and it was great to see a young band with so much energy getting that same liveliness being thrown back at them. They made themselves a band to remember for everyone at Hooligans that night, and I’m sure I’m not the only one that hopes to see them return to the area soon.

With Filter being the headliners, it felt like they didn’t even have to win the audience over because the crowd was all-in from the jump, singing along to the opening song “Drowning” all the way to the finale of their closing hit “Hey Man Nice Shot.” What was great about their performance was they played selections from all areas of their discography, which showcased how eclectic their sound truly is. From their early standouts like “Take a Picture” and “Welcome to the Fold” to the more recent cuts from their upcoming album, The Algorithm (releasing this August via Golden Robot Records) like “Face Down” and “For the Beaten,” just about every subgenre of hard rock music could be heard throughout the night, from post-grunge to punk to industrial to alternative, etc. Not only is it a big accomplishment to creatively be this prolific as far as writing and studio work goes, but it’s a whole other ball park to incorporate all those sonic elements into a setlist that feels seamlessly cohesive, and that’s exactly what Filter did that night.

To sum things up, this was a fantastic night of live rock music – not only was the support lineup solid and complimentary to the multi-faceted sound of Filter, but the headliners delivered a performance that was well worth the price of admission. Whether you’re a casual fan who only knows the hits or a hardcore fan who’s been following the band for years and knows just about every lyric to every track, you’ll have a great time at a Filter show. They did such a great job of catering to fans from each era of their career, and musically they sounded phenomenal.

Filter will be back on the road in August, doing some one-off headline shows with Canadian hard-rockers Dead Apples before supporting shock-rock legends Rob Zombie and Alice Cooper on the epic Freaks on Parade Tour through the end of September. For more information on their tour schedule, click here.

Filter Setlist:

1. Drowning
2. You Walk Away
3. For the Beaten
4. We Hate It When You Get What You Want
5. (Can’t You) Trip Like I Do
6. Jurassitol
7. Take a Picture
8. Thoughts and Prayers
9. So I Quit
10. American Cliché
11. Soldiers of Misfortune
12. Face Down
13. Welcome to the Fold
14. Hey Man Nice Shot

Support the bands by checking out the following links:

- With Clarity: https://linktr.ee/WithClarity

- Echostone: https://linktr.ee/echostoneband

- Uncured: https://www.uncuredband.com/

- Filter: https://officialfilter.com/

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