During the drive out to Charlestown, West Virginia, on Friday night, I passed along stretches of dark road that occasionally cut through small towns with a few scattered lights. It allowed time for some introspection and the questioning of my life choices. Eventually, on the far horizon, I saw the glow of the casino cutting through the darkness like a beacon.
It was March 20, and the Events Center at Hollywood Casino felt like a snow globe of early-2000’s alt-rock memory waiting to be shaken awake. The show featured a triple bill of Local H, Finger Eleven, and headliner Filter.
First up, Local H walked out and skipped the pleasantries. No warm-up, no easing in. Just a wall of sound from two people who’ve made a career out of proving they don’t need anything extra. Singer Scott Lucas stepped up to the mic, guitar slung low and without much buildup, they were off as he hit that first chord, that signature Local H sound with the guitar pulling double duty on bass frequencies. Thick, punchy, a little rough around the edges. It’s a sound that doesn’t pretend to be clean, it leans into the grit.
Ryan Harding drove it all forward, drums hitting with that slightly ahead-of-the-beat urgency that keeps everything on edge. It wasn’t chaos, but it flirted with it.
Watch the official music video for “Bound for the Floor” by Local H on YouTube:
Tight, aggressive, but never sloppy. The chemistry between the two is the whole show. No filler and no safety net, just two guys making a sound that somehow expands to fill the room. But it wasn’t just the obvious moments. The deeper cuts carried weight too, maybe more now than when they first came out. There’s a lived-in frustration in those songs that feels sharper with time, not softer.
Their set moved fast. Not rushed but relentless with songs stacked on top of each other with barely a pause and Lucas tossing out a quick comment here and there, dry and unpolished. This isn’t a band that thrives on long speeches.
They don’t use gimmicks and there are no attempts to smooth things out for a broader crowd. Just two musicians doing exactly what they’ve always done, maybe a little tighter, maybe a little louder.
Setlist
1. Back in the Day
2. Eddie Vedder
3. Hands on the Bible
4. Bound for the Floor
5. John the Baptist Blues
6. High-Fiving MF
As second act on the bill, Finger Eleven hit the stage and got right to it, guitars chiming and then crunching, that familiar balance they’ve always handled well. It’s easy to forget how many lanes this band can occupy until you hear them live. One minute it’s tight, riff-driven rock, the next it opens into something more melodic, almost reflective.
Scott Anderson’s voice held up strong, maybe stronger than expected if you haven’t seen them in a while. There’s a lived-in quality now, a little more texture around the edges. It fits the songs better than a polished studio tone ever could.
The Events Center isn’t a massive arena, and that worked in the band’s favor. Their sound stayed tight. You could feel the kick drum in your chest without it turning muddy. Guitars cut through clean, layered but distinct.
The crowd energy built gradually. People warmed up, song by song, until the room felt fully engaged. By the midpoint of the set, you had clusters of fans singing along, even a few pockets of full-on jumping and the overall, steady hum of recognition that makes a show feel connected. Everyone has a Finger Eleven song that stuck with them at some point. Maybe it was blasting through their car speakers in 2003, maybe it popped up on a playlist years later.
The deeper cuts in the set were where things got interesting. The band leaned into some of their heavier material, letting the guitars stretch out and breathe. Those moments reminded you their career wasn’t built on a single hit.
Watch the official music video for “First Time” by Finger Eleven on YouTube:
Anderson took a few moments between songs to talk, nothing overly rehearsed. Quick reflections, a bit of humor about how long some of these songs have been around.
That’s not nothing. A lot of bands from that era burned bright and faded fast. Finger Eleven found a way to evolve without losing their core. You could hear that in how the set flowed, with older tracks sitting comfortably next to newer ones.
By the final stretch, the room had fully shaken off the outside world. No one was thinking about the drive home yet. The band locked into their groove, confident and unhurried, letting songs flow without rushing to the next moment.
Song after song, Finger Eleven took the crowd on a journey through their back catalog and they mixed in new songs along the way.
Crowd favorite “Paralyzer” was tight, funky and impossible to ignore. The groove locked in and suddenly the whole room was moving, even the folks who had been hanging back near the bar. It’s one of those songs that doesn’t age.
Their whole set was fun and enjoyable and you really should check out Finger Eleven the next time they come around.
Setlist
1. Above
2. First Time
3. Adrenaline
4. Quicksand
5. Slow Chemical
6. One Thing
7. The Mountain
8. Together Right
9. Good Times
10. Paralyzer
The lights went down and Filter hit the stage. Guitars came in jagged and immediate, drums punching through hard and loud. That industrial edge they’ve carried since the ‘90s still bites. It hasn’t dulled; if anything, it’s aged into something leaner.
Richard Patrick’s voice cut through the mix with familiar urgency. There’s still grit there but also control. He knows when to push and when to pull back, and that balance kept the set from turning into a wall of noise. On record, the songs can feel precise, almost mechanical in their construction. Live, they loosen up and the riffs stretch a little longer and the drums land heavier. The edges get rougher, in a good way.
As the night moved along, the band leaned into their heavier catalog and the sound stayed focused, clean without turning harsh, and the low end hit just enough to rattle your chest without muddying up everything else.
In the middle of their set came “Take a Picture,” and the mood shifted without losing momentum. It’s lighter on the surface, sure, but there’s a fragility underneath that shows more in a live setting. The crowd sang along, not loudly, but collectively.
People who had been hanging back started edging closer. Heads nodded harder and a few fists went up.
Watch the official music video for “Take a Picture” by Filter on YouTube:
Patrick took moments between tracks to speak, briefly but sincerely with a few comments about the tour, a nod to the crowd, a quick reflection here and there.
There’s always a question with how do bands from that era carry their sound forward without getting stuck in it? Filter seems to have found a balance. Their newer material sat comfortably alongside the older songs.
When the finale of “Hey Man Nice Shot” kicked in, the reaction was instant. You could feel the recognition ripple through the crowd before the first chorus even hit. There’s tension baked into it, and live, that tension feels immediate.
What made the night stick wasn’t any single performance. It was the way the sets connected. Local H lit the fuse with something raw and immediate. Finger Eleven stretched things out, added melody and space. Filter came in and pulled everything tight again, sharpening the edges until the room felt fully locked in.
The Events Center held up well under it. Sound stayed clear even as the volume climbed, which isn’t always a given in a room like that. You could feel the low end without losing the detail, and that matters when each band brings a different texture to the table.
Walking back out into the casino lights, there was that familiar post-show buzz. It lingered, that mix of memory and momentum, like the night hadn’t quite decided to end yet.
Setlist
1. You Walk Away
2. The Drowning
3. (Can’t You) Trip Like I Do
4. Face Down
5. All The Good
6. Take A Picture
7. No Love
8. Obliteration
9. Jurassitol
10. Thoughts and Prayers
11. Dose
12. Be Careful What You Wish For
13. Drug Boy
14. Welcome To The Fold
15. Hey Man, Nice Shot
Here are some photos of Filter performing live at Hollywood Casino on March 20, 2026. All pictures copyright and courtesy of Michael Sprouse/ Odd Rocker Photography.
Here are some photos of Finger Eleven performing live at Hollywood Casino on March 20, 2026. All pictures copyright and courtesy of Michael Sprouse/ Odd Rocker Photography.
Here are some photos of Local H performing live at Hollywood Casino on March 20, 2026. All pictures copyright and courtesy of Michael Sprouse/ Odd Rocker Photography.
