FILTER: Iraq Scene Of The Crime - Part 3

FILTER recently returned from Iraq after playing five consecutive shows. This was the band's second trip to perform for the troops, with one show in Kuwait and appearances at four other military bases.

An excerpt from FILTER mainman Richard Patrick's diary of the experience: "As the shows continue, our gear begins to fall apart, the days get longer and yes our voices get rougher.

"In Baghdad, the fires that they light every evening to burn all their garbage, plus the hot desert air, can seriously mess up someone's voice… but it didn't bug me that night. I really let it all hang out up there on stage. We almost started complaining one early morning when our call time was 4 a.m., but stopped quickly when we realized the troops that were helping us set up the stage and being our personal security all day had been up for two days straight to lend us a helping hand. They were so gracious and pleasant, I could hardly believe that one female soldier had been up for almost three days in preparation for our show.

"In order to work with a visiting artist, they have to first finish all their normal work then do what's needed to get our show going. All of us were shocked but that's the kind of people they are. They said, 'I bet you guys work that hard making a record,' and none of us answered because we knew even on our worst day making albums, it's still better than their best day in a war zone. Our military men and women are amazing. They work so hard for their country and put their lives on the line for us. And have been since the birth of our nation.

"I remember on our last trip in '09, we were signing autographs after a show and we heard this huge digital alarm kick off with a prerecorded voice coming over the loud speaker saying, 'INCOMING INCOMING!!!' The two thousand folks on the line got very serious, and began yelling at us, 'GET THE FUCK DOWN! ROCKET ATTACK! GET DOWN THERE'S INCOMING ROUNDS HEADED THIS WAY!'

"When you hear that alert it means radar has picked up incoming missiles and they're headed right at you. To me that meant right at my face. FILTER's bass player at the time, John Spiker, and I 'hit the deck,' as they say, and started laughing, mostly out of unfamiliarity. We quickly stopped when we realized the severity of what was going on and that very likely someone was going to get hurt or maybe even killed. John started crawling away towards one of those aluminum trailers you see out there. I yelled at him, 'you're just making the rescue harder' if the mortar or missile hits us, that trailer's not going to do anything but make the rescuers have to dig through the debris just to find us. Right then we hear another crazy-ass alarm saying, 'TAKE COVER TAKE COVER!' The troops got up and yelled, 'Have to go find a shelter. FILTER THIS WAY!' The major issue was that it felt like all of them were calling us. So imagine two thousand people screaming FILTER over here and running off into a now darkened military base in Iraq. I just chose to run left for no apparent reason. As we were running, I asked the guy who seemed in charge where we were going and he said, 'There's gotta be a shelter around here somewhere,' so we just followed him. The next thing I know we're in what could have been a drainage ditch. Once we settled down, I asked him how long he had been there at the base he said, I just got in this morning. A flashlight kicked on and we soon realized the ditch we had taken cover in was underneath a huge diesel fuel tanker. He laughed and said, 'Dude, just stay down here for a minute nothings going to happen.' It was right then and there, at that moment, I do believe, Mitchell Marlow quit FILTER.

"The last show: Playing for the troops isn't just about bringing the rock. I know that we made a difference. I looked out every night and saw the faces of a tired but happy bunch of people. The best part of the show is really after it ends. When you get to meet all of the soldiers. Some come into the military as a part of a family tradition. Others believe it's their duty as Americans. For some, it's just a way to stay out of trouble. Others, a way to get even.

"I would like to think that these fine people I meet with won't get hurt but that's not the case. I went to Walter Reed Hospital in Washington D.C. a few months after we played Operation MySpace to meet some wounded warriors and met a man named Louis. A triple amputee who lost both his legs and one arm, Louis loudly told me how much he enjoyed FILTER at Operation MySpace. 'We met at the show, Richard, remember?' he said. 'You probably don't recognize me because I had legs then.' The reason why he was speaking so loudly was because he was also temporarily deaf. 'An IED went off right next to me but I lived,' he said. He had a great attitude. He said he now knows that every day is precious.

"There are stories like that all over the Middle East. You just have to see it to believe.

"Will FILTER head back, if given the opportunity? Damn right we would."