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| Filter, with singer Richard Patrick in silhouette at left and bassist Ashley Dzerigian at right. (iPhone photos by Christopher Windle) |
Industrial-tinged metal was on display in Nebraska as Filter and Orgy played the Bourbon Theatre on May 14.
In the mid-1990s, Orgy came onto the scene as somewhat of a nu metal version of Duran Duran. The band members wore makeup and were MTV darlings, and their best known hit just happened to be a new wave cover song. The NME even likened Orgy to Duran Duran – "after being chewed on by giant robots." The band's crowning achievement remains the platinum album "Candyass," which it relied heavily upon for its opening set list.
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| Orgy performs, with singer Jay Gordon at right. |
Orgy closed things out with "Candyass" singles "Stitches" and, of course, "Blue Monday." Orgy's version of the iconic New Order song replaced all of the original version's detachment with aggression. Remaking '80s classics was something other nu metal bands would try, mostly with less success.
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| Orgy was joined on stage by members of third-billed band Vampires Everywhere. |
Like Filter's Richard Patrick, Jay Gordon is the only original member of his band left standing. He seemed to take a cue from Patrick, surrounding himself with energetic players, and putting on an amazing show in the process.
Filter opened with aggression but still managed a slow build to an even more combative finish. Patrick, dressed in a militaristic jacket and boots, began the set in silhouette behind a screen.
Patrick's targets for the night were mass shooters, purveyors of police brutality and Donald Trump. He teased "Welcome to the Fold" by singing the line "mama give me my medicine" repeatedly while images of the church shooting in Charleston, South Carolina, flashed on the screen.
While 1999's "Title of Record" remains Filter's bestselling album, the group's catalog is surprisingly deep. Patrick's voice got stronger throughout the show, though his vocals have always been able to swing from mellow to screaming, even in the course of a single song.
Instead of an encore, Filter just ended the show with a string of hits, "Take a Picture," "Welcome to the Fold" and "Hey Man, Nice Shot" among them.
