AFI has been a name that I have recognized almost as long as I can remember. I have listened to all of their CD’s and tried to keep up to date on their happenings. However, I have never seen them live. So when I got word that they were coming near me on their next tour, I was pretty excited that I would get to see them. I also enjoy the music of the supporting bands, Coheed & Cambria and A Static Lullaby. While I would see AFI no matter who they traveled with, it is always nice to see a couple other good acts with the main performer.

I knew the show would be a bit different from when I walked into the venue. The seating had a large pit area towards the front, then a barricade, then the seating for general admission; but the only people allowed on the floor were those who received special wrist bands. Well, the security for the floor was very loose and people were getting in and out with no problem, but hey, that’s what concerts are all about—just getting as close to the music as possible.

When A Static Lullaby came on, the crowd seemed somewhat excited, but the room felt pretty empty. I have never heard much about these guys live, but they really didn’t get my adrenaline going too much. I like their music, and they played very well, but their stage antics seemed to be lacking. There was not a lot of anything happening really…the screaming started to get scratchier with every belt, and the guitars started to sound redundant. This was one of the first shows I had been to that I just wanted to sit down and take a rest as opposed to jamming my way to the front and jumping around.

I was hoping that Coheed would bring a bit more energy to the show to liven it up a bit, and they did for a couple songs. Unfortunately, they began to fall into the same rut as the opening band. Once again, they were great musicians and seemed to perform the songs without many mistakes (outside of the lead singer tripping on a chord and falling over, which he took quite well, as did the crowd). I just was not picking up the energy that I was expecting at a show of this type. After I heard a few songs, I just sat in the seats and listened to the music without much participation in the show. There was a moment of excitement when the crowd decided they didn’t like the barricade anymore and rushed the stage to get onto the floor area; but that faded away and I was left to await the main event.

Redemption came however. The lights went out, and a red and black logo of leaves with the letters AFI appeared over the stage. Opening with “The Leaving Song Pt. 2” from their greatly successful major label release, Sing the Sorrow, the once empty feeling in the arena was transformed into an almost suffocating closet, as hundreds of people flooded the floor. Davey Havoc was everywhere on the stage. At one point he was standing on the speaker, and the next second was on the other side of the stage leaning into the crowd. The energy was like nothing I had ever felt before. The lights were perfectly synched for the energetic antics of the band, and the sound was beautiful. Everyone could have enjoyed some part of the show, whether they liked fast, upbeat punk songs, or slower ballad like anthems. Instead of fading out as their set went on, AFI seemed to get livelier as time passed. Just when you thought they were done, another song came over the speakers and everyone was on their feet again. AFI managed to take a show that I was very disappointed in, and turn it into one of the best shows I have ever seen. If anyone who even remotely enjoys AFI ever gets a chance to see them live, it is worth every penny. This was an experience I can almost not even place words on…simply amazing.