Live Review – Filligar (at Cafe Du Nord 1/26/12)
Two months after my move to San Francisco, I was given the opportunity to host a phenomenal show at Cafe Du Nord, a venue in the heart of the city. The bill for the night included young LA band Warm Weather, Terraplane Sun, and Filligar, a group of four young men from Chicago who proved to me that they can put on one hell of a show. I’ve been a fan of Filligar for a couple years now, but had yet to see them perform live. Was I well aware that they were listed in the top 8 for best live acts in America? Yes. Did I believe it before the show? Sure. Did I leave the show thinking they were one of the top 3 live acts I’ve ever seen? Yes.
Let’s start by mentioning how friendly every single member of Filligar is. I showed up early to get my booth set up and make sure everything was good to go, and the boys all came up and reintroduced (or in some cases, introduced) themselves to me, making me feel right at home. Polite, funny, engaging, you name it. They cover it. Before their set, they were hanging around the bar, mingling with all of their fans, with not an ounce of egoism in the air.
When Filligar took the stage, the room erupted. Sure, it makes sense that the large portion of the crowd who went to college with the band were jamming, but I also saw people above the age of 60 rocking out. The room was having a ball watching bass guitarist Teddy go from a poised and upright plucking pose to a full out foot-stomping, leg-kicking, head-banging jam and seeing keys player Casey be able to close his eyes and navigate his hands across two keyboards as though it aint a thang. The crowd was jumping. Screaming. Clapping. Dancing. Cheering. Singing. Having the time of our lives.
Perhaps my favorite moment was when lead singer Johnny started dancing and crashing around all corners of the stage while playing his guitar, banging his head around and bumping into his fellow band mates. It was clear to anybody in the room that these men were playing their hearts out. And they were having a fucking blast. And you know what? I can say with candor that everybody in the room was having a fucking blast.
What’s obvious thus far is that the energy these four men reflected on stage was not only contagious, it was breathtaking. What I haven’t touched on enough yet is that the musical talent these guys have. Guitars, keys, harmonicas, drums. Lead singer Johnny tends to stand at the front microphone and jam away on his guitar while stomping his feet around, keeping the beat, and dancing along with the crowd a bit. Teddy plays the bass guitar like a beast; he pulls at the strings with all of his might and shakes the guitar with his whole body while managing to harmonize vocals at the same time. Pete mans the drums and keeps the whole band in tact as he defines the tempo of each song. And Casey? This guy can play the piano sitting down, standing up, eyes open, eyes closed, and even while standing up on top of the bench. Oh, and to add to that? He plays the harmonica all the while, too.
If you can’t tell, I was wild about Filligar’s performance last night. But I wasn’t the only one. The crowd added to the fun. People were dancing their hearts out. People dancing in groups, dancing in pairs, dancing by themselves, dancing with Johnny as he walked into the crowd while performing, it didn’t matter. They were dancing, and they weren’t willing to stop after Filligar left the stage. Filligar came back to the stage after the crowd demanded an encore that, again, blew my mind. It was a cover of Bruce Springsteen’s “Atlantic City.” It was a more acoustic tune than their pre-encore finisher, which was an enormous performance of “Trepador,” my favorite song of the night. For that one, we got to see Casey’s hands dance across the keys (managing to pull several full-keyboard slides here and there) for what seemed to be a 10-minute performance, Johnny unable to wipe the smile from his face while singing and playing guitar, and Pete and Teddy giving their instruments a solid beating. It all added up to one of the best original closers I’ve ever seen.
Lastly, I just want to urge all of you guys to check out Filligar’s touring schedule and buy a ticket immediately if they’re going to be in your neighborhood. The experience is incredible, and even if you’re not typically into rock music, I guarantee you will be. Trust me. It will be a night to remember forever and you will begin to see live shows in a whole new light.
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