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Filter drummer refused entry to restaurant over neck tattoos

Filter drummer Jeff Fabb was denied entry to a Denver restaurant on Wednesday night because of his neck tattoos.Following an Oct. 9 performance at The Summit, the band members went to join fans at Brothers Bar & Grill, a national chain based in LaCrosse, Wis., and Fabb was not allowed in because of his visible neck tattoos.Filter frontman Richard Patrick, upon hearing that Fabb was turned away,
Jeff Fabb, and his neck tattoos.
Jeff Fabb, and his neck tattoos.Photo by Jamie R. Miller - www.jrmpix.com / Today

Filter drummer Jeff Fabb was denied entry to a Denver restaurant on Wednesday night because of his neck tattoos.

Following an Oct. 9 performance at The Summit, the band members went to join fans at Brothers Bar & Grill, a national chain based in LaCrosse, Wis., and Fabb was not allowed in because of his visible neck tattoos.

Filter frontman Richard Patrick, upon hearing that Fabb was turned away, turned his cell phone on the establishment and tried to gain entry.

The band had visited the restaurant during the day, as it was around the corner from the venue, and Fabb had no problem getting in. As the drummer tells The Hollywood Reporter: “I had eaten in the restaurant twice, and after the show, we walked back there. The door guy was about to let Amir, our merch guy, in, but he wouldn’t let me in. I went to speak with the manager and he was confrontational from the moment he saw me. He really didn’t care that we’d been there earlier. I was kind of hurt, since most of the people who were in there at the time were from our show and we wanted to join them. I was calm the whole time, though, and when we were walking out, he yelled at the door guy not to let us in."

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Filter's Richard Patrick, whose vocals can be heard on such hits as "Hey Man, Nice Shot" and "Take A Picture," was upset, and used some colorful language in his outrage while filming. “I got a little heated, but this is ridiculous. I had wings at noon over there — they were good wings, too! The crew was there all day, eating. This is prejudice pure and simple.”

Patrick called for a boycott of the restaurant until it changes its policies.

THR attempted to reach a representative of Brothers for comment as well as the manager of the Denver branch but calls were not returned.

Filter posted the video about the incident on Thursday and it has generated more than 700 comments in support of the band of Facebook. Later that afternoon, the Denver location of Brothers published a response on Facebook. It reads, part: “We are NOT against tattoos. We are NOT against visible tattoos. Our employees have and display tattoos. Our guests have and display tattoos. That has always been the case. What the tattoo represents or symbolizes and where the tattoo is located is a criteria to entering our location.”

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The post, however, failed to illustrate the criteria for denying entry for patrons with visible tattoos.

Brothers Bar & Grill has 17 locations in the U.S., and during calls placed to all branches asking about dress codes, only the Denver location maintained that “above-the-neck tattoos” were not allowed and would not specify why. Most locations seemed more concerned with plain white tees and sports jerseys. The Minneapolis, Minn. location tells THR that their dress code consists of “no saggy pants, no tank tops, no wife beaters, no plain white T-shirts, no sports jerseys, that’s kinda touchy — like no Vikings jerseys — and no hats.”

Filter is currently headlining the Self-Inflicted Tour, with Red, Otherwise, We As Human, and supporting its new album, "The Sun Comes Out Tonight" (Wind-Up). A new single, “Surprise” goes to radio next week. Check out remaining dates on the band's website.

Watch the band's self-shot video here (warning: explicit language).