REVIEW: Jerry Cantrell, Filter at Irving Plaza | 02.05.2025

Grunge legend Jerry Cantrell’s 'I Want Blood' Tour, in support of his album of the same namesake, stopped in New York City last week for a sold-out show at Irving Plaza. And when I say the show was sold out, I mean sold out; absolutely packed to the gills, and why not? It’s Jerry fucking Cantrell.

Joining Cantrell on the 26-date trek are fellow grunge outfit Filter. As someone whose foundation of existence and personality was tightly wound in 90’s alternative rock, this show was destined to be a special one, and special it was.

FILTER

Before the days of Shazam or the internet at large, if you heard a song and didn’t know the name of it or who sang it, you often really had to put in some work to figure it out. An investigative journey that’s success was usually relative to how much you really liked the song. The discovery if you were fortunate enough to make it was often a dopamine rush that a Shazam search result could only dream of triggering.

Here’s a good example: I was watching MTV one day in 1996, and a fashion show called “Fashionably Loud” came on. I was half paying attention when a band I’d never seen before started playing a song I’d never heard before. I was transfixed by its intensity - the chorus, in particular. I sang it for days so I wouldn’t forget it.

That weekend I made my way to my local record shop, Ernie’s Music, with a chorus and a cultural reference, as well as my weekly allowance. “It was on this fashion show on MTV,” 10-year-old me told the guy behind the register. “Heeyyyyyy mannnnnn” I repeated a few times, noticing his confusion growing faster than his recognition. He had no idea what I was talking about.

Somehow, someway the record store cashier eventually connected the dots of my juvenile explanation and suddenly said “‘Hey Man, Nice Shot’ by Filter!” And just like that, my allowance was turned over in exchange for a cassette copy of Short Bus, which I proceeded to listen to incessantly.

Now, 29(!) years later, I found myself in the photo pit at Irving, anticipating the very first time I’d see Filter perform. The band opened with “You Walk Away” from their 2002 album, The Amalgamut. Frontman Richard Patrick’s unmistakable vocals rang through the speakers, and I felt the metaphorical check on my bucket list happen in real time.

The band’s nine-song setlist covered the range of their discography, including fan favorites like “Take a Picture,” “Jurassitol,” and, of course, “Hey Man Nice Shot.” The crowd, packed like sardines as they were, still found a way to make room for plenty of head-banging.

JERRY CANTRELL

If you’ve been following Dangit Bee! for a while, you might recall my coverage of Jerry Cantrell’s performance at the Wellmont Theater a couple years back. In that review I briefly noted my love for Alice In Chains and deep respect for Cantrell’s journey as a musician. I’ll spare you my snappiness as to not be redundant, but honestly an artist like Cantrell doesn’t even need my personal backstory to outline his significance. His history speaks for itself. An undeniable legend, whose story began with Alice In Chains and now runs parallel to a successful solo career that gets better with every release. 

The new album, I Want Blood, is excellent proof of that fact, and includes a plethora of songs destined to be played on repeat. A handful of those songs, such as “Vilified,” “Afterglow,” and “Off The Rails,” graced the setlist of Cantrell’s performance at Irving Plaza.

Jerry Cantrell opened with “Psychotic Break” from his sophomore solo album, Degradation Trip, and was joined for the set by multi-band frontman Greg Puciato. Puciato is the perfect vocal counterpart for Cantrell, which was particularly evident during their revisiting of Alice in Chains classics.

Cantrell’s set struck a good balance of material old and new; he leans into Alice in Chains just enough to satisfy the crowd while still putting his solo material front and center, as well he should. Still, the power and passion with which the crowd belted out the chorus to Cantrell’s encore performance of “Man in the Box” was a sight to behold.