by SARAH WOLF

Daily Currents Editor

Moshing takes a lot out of you. Or, at least, it looks damn exhausting. A younger-and-more-sober-than-usual crowd at People’s Bar and Grill worked up enough sweat to fill Lake Laverne when MTV’s newest darlings, Filter, played an all-ages show Sunday night.

Ames’ own Grain USA, a three-piece pseudo-alternative group, took the stage oh-so casually in front of dozens of audience members who were sprawled out on the floor, which, by the way, never happens when the beer is flowing.

The band failed to bring anyone to life, save for a few girls in thigh-highs and mini-skirts, but they apparently didn’t know any better.

After a few songs that could’ve passed for anything from the late half of “120 Minutes,” guitarist/ vocalist Lee Bellon got down and dirty with a little break-dancing number on the floor. It turned out to be the high point of the half-hour set as Grain wailed and screeched to a halt.

Filter took their time getting on stage, preferring the comfort and seclusion of their bus parked at the curb to the mythical green room or the bar itself.

While waiting hungrily, throngs of crowd members, with more than their fair share of nose rings and thrift shop clothes, sprung to the stage in anticipation of the upcoming show.

Once Filter appeared, sans any sort of announcement or acknowledgment of the crowd, fans were not disappointed. The band cannon-balled into “Spent,” that both empathized with Generation X and asked, “Don’t you think that I ain’t one of them?”

Of course, only a small chunk of the crowd actually fits into the “X” category, seeing that a good portion of Ames High was represented. But by mid-song, everyone had recovered from the Grain-induced lethargy, and the floor was getting a good stomping.

Vocalist Richard Patrick, obviously an experienced mosher, came armed with a dozen or so cups of water on stage, from which he drank liberally and often and then threw into the crowd. After the first couple of songs, those in the eye of the pit emerged stumbling, saturated, shirtless (the guys) and smiling, their toenails broken, their feet filthy and their arms bruised.

Filter pummeled and punched their way through “Dose” before Patrick finally addressed the crowd of worshippers before him. “You guys are cool,” he said, indicating the panting moshers. “It’s you fuckers!” he yelled at those sitting down, as he chucked a cup of water toward the back of the bar.

A pattern definitely emerged after “Gerbil” and “White Like That”: cold, unadulterated anger. Lyrics that often ask questions that demand answers: “Who’s gonna lose?” and “How’d you screw us?” seemed to speak for a lot of the people there.

The guys on stage then broke into “Hey Man Nice Shot,” which MTV has pounced on like a hyper dog on a stranger’s leg. It’s definitely a song to experience live and in person, since the verses built into the chorus, which then exploded into a barrage of screams, all of which was punctuated by flickering spotlights and crowd-surfing fans.

Immediately after the chart-climber pulsed a throbbing, torrential bassline that seemed to be contagious to everyone’s hips. “Under” could easily be the next Buzz Clip, so if Filter hates publicity as much as they make out (that would be a whole hell of a lot), then they should stop playing that one live.

A couple of songs later, Filter discarded their instruments on stage and slinked off to the refuge of their bus. The crowd, thinking the band wanted a lot of encouragement and prodding for an encore, begged and pleaded for another few songs.

Alas, it was not to be, so Filter ended up gracing the stage for a grand total of 46 minutes, infuriating most of the people who skipped buying beer and shelled out ten or 12 bucks for a ticket