diff --git a/tools/perf/builtin-record.c b/tools/perf/builtin-record.c
index 5a2ff510b75b6186ce4ad612f94e15a6b8fd9df9..18aad239b401b1d0654bf38db51a4aa45e768f0b 100644
--- a/tools/perf/builtin-record.c
+++ b/tools/perf/builtin-record.c
@@ -161,8 +161,9 @@ static int record__open(struct record *rec)
 		}
 	}
 
-	if (perf_evlist__apply_filters(evlist)) {
-		error("failed to set filter with %d (%s)\n", errno,
+	if (perf_evlist__apply_filters(evlist, &pos)) {
+		error("failed to set filter \"%s\" on event %s with %d (%s)\n",
+			pos->filter, perf_evsel__name(pos), errno,
 			strerror_r(errno, msg, sizeof(msg)));
 		rc = -1;
 		goto out;
diff --git a/tools/perf/builtin-stat.c b/tools/perf/builtin-stat.c
index d4d1b77da0bdb569c18e42d35f2042452d460089..f7b8218785f6fa8911bc9c8544d7eb14ff9e2f2f 100644
--- a/tools/perf/builtin-stat.c
+++ b/tools/perf/builtin-stat.c
@@ -684,8 +684,9 @@ static int __run_perf_stat(int argc, const char **argv)
 			unit_width = l;
 	}
 
-	if (perf_evlist__apply_filters(evsel_list)) {
-		error("failed to set filter with %d (%s)\n", errno,
+	if (perf_evlist__apply_filters(evsel_list, &counter)) {
+		error("failed to set filter \"%s\" on event %s with %d (%s)\n",
+			counter->filter, perf_evsel__name(counter), errno,
 			strerror_r(errno, msg, sizeof(msg)));
 		return -1;
 	}
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/evlist.c b/tools/perf/util/evlist.c
index 8d0b6236112974ac6331694550bf064b50667b21..82bf224bbee934ef1ed9f09619acf985de9a26e9 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/evlist.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/evlist.c
@@ -1050,7 +1050,7 @@ int perf_evlist__create_maps(struct perf_evlist *evlist, struct target *target)
 	return -1;
 }
 
-int perf_evlist__apply_filters(struct perf_evlist *evlist)
+int perf_evlist__apply_filters(struct perf_evlist *evlist, struct perf_evsel **err_evsel)
 {
 	struct perf_evsel *evsel;
 	int err = 0;
@@ -1062,8 +1062,10 @@ int perf_evlist__apply_filters(struct perf_evlist *evlist)
 			continue;
 
 		err = perf_evsel__set_filter(evsel, ncpus, nthreads, evsel->filter);
-		if (err)
+		if (err) {
+			*err_evsel = evsel;
 			break;
+		}
 	}
 
 	return err;
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/evlist.h b/tools/perf/util/evlist.h
index f07c984465f0e39fdd59d2d4ec36ef54f9dbdeb5..fb19c47b8aac009ef25b5b52e6397cd2534d211f 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/evlist.h
+++ b/tools/perf/util/evlist.h
@@ -152,7 +152,7 @@ static inline void perf_evlist__set_maps(struct perf_evlist *evlist,
 }
 
 int perf_evlist__create_maps(struct perf_evlist *evlist, struct target *target);
-int perf_evlist__apply_filters(struct perf_evlist *evlist);
+int perf_evlist__apply_filters(struct perf_evlist *evlist, struct perf_evsel **err_evsel);
 
 void __perf_evlist__set_leader(struct list_head *list);
 void perf_evlist__set_leader(struct perf_evlist *evlist);