Seeing Filligar Live

by Eliza Varner in Album Reviews, Concert Reviews, Musician Reviews, Reviews, bands to watch

Last Friday I had the opportunity to go to a Live Campus show here at Dartmouth. Held in the commonground of Collis (our student activities center), with a minimal donation, we could go see several live bands as well as get pizza, soda, and free beer (21+ with ID). What a perfect way to spend the first Friday night of Spring Term. 

The first band on the set was Filligar. Filligar is a band that is notorious at Dartmouth, because not only are they big deals in the indie rock music world, the band members (minus the keyboard guy who’s from Hamilton) are brothers who attend Dartmouth. Though they have regular shows here, this was my first time seeing them, and it was one of the most fun concert experiences I’ve had. 

The concert was great because the music (mostly unfamiliar to me) was clearly beloved by the crowd. Everywhere I looked, fans and fellow students were singing along and between songs, people just shouted out whatever songs they wanted to hear on the set list. The floor was turned into an energetic dance floor with friends of the Mathias brothers front and center, dancing with an infectious enthusiasm. The band was getting a lot of its energy from the adoring crowd, clearly enjoying playing for such a receptive audience of their peers. Collis Commonground, which is a small, cozy, oak paneled venue, created an intimate setting in which there was a tangible connection between the band and it’s audience, in that these were guys that could be found in the FoCo grill line or next to you in your history class.

Since the show, I can’t stop listening to their CD, The City Tree. I really like “Cherry Stone Creek” and “Ghost Town.” Not only do these guys write intelligent lyrics, but they also hook you with their keyboard melodies and their innovative song structure. And I’m definitely going to the next Filligar show….