The mandatory AFI post
I just got back from AFI and need something to help me get through my study so I thought I'd write a big rant about the show. For starters, I'm not a huge fan of Decemberunderground. I've been listening to it a lot lately and it is no doubt a good album, though it is definitely not an album I want to hear from AFI. The songs where they are trying to be like the cure are alright, and the more aggressive songs are okay until they go all metalcore with Davey screaming. Anyhow whenever I listen to Decemberunderground I usually listen to Answer That and Stay Fashionable afterwards. Talk about completely different bands. So anyway I figured that most of the set would consist of DU and Sing the Sorrow, hence the listening to DU. I havent listened to Sing the Sorrow in over a year and I'm glad I havent because it meant that I wasnt sick of the songs they played off it tonight. I love that song... "Don't Make Me I'll" off Answer that and Stay Fashionable... as if they don't play that anymore!!! :p
So I don't know where to start but I might as well write about the Bleeders. I enjoyed their set and I really like them! The only thing was though that they are a good punk rock band and really aren't suited to playing in such a big venue. I've seen them in the past at the Underground and Fowlers and both shows had a great atmosphere and energy that really suited the band. Thebarton Theatre on the other hand was not a venue that they are suited to playing - the stage is too big and the crowd was not really their sort of crowd. With that said, they put on a really good show and I was heaps happy when they played 'All That Glitters' off their first EP. I love that song! I really wish they were doing a sideshow in Adelaide because that would be awesome!! One thing that annoyed me about the Bleeders is their singer has normal hair - he used to have it all slicked back and it was the best hair EVER!!!
Okay so they played a half hour set and then it was time for AFI. I think I'll start by getting the bitching about the crowd part of this post out of the way. The crowd was TERRIBLE!! Where do all these people come from?? It's weird, you NEVER see any of those people at local shows, and then all of a sudden they come out of nowhere for one international show a year. The majority of the crowd was 14 year old girls, metro guys and emo/goth/whatever people. Some people just cracked me up - I saw this dude with a tear painted on his face haha it was hilarious! Idiot! Something that is really starting to piss me off about big shows is when the sound techs come out to start setting stuff up everyone cheers and starts chanting for the band to come out. Okay clearly the gear on stage is not set up - if the band come out they wont be able to play as the sound is not set up. Also, the band will come out when THEY want to come out. They're not gonna be like "oooh the crowd are chanting for us, let's come out 5 minutes early". Yay I just spilt my cup of tea everywhere! Haha that was pretty cool - the tea went over absolutely everything, EXCEPT my new Star Wars tie, which was right next to it! Anyway, I digress. The crowd. It was actually really funny - people obviously lined up early and stuff to get on the barrier. I kid you not, out of the first like 8 rows there was not anyone who was very much taller then the barrier! That was pretty funny, but yeah as soon as the band came out EVERYONE tried to get to the front. That was pretty much the case for the whole set - people didnt even mosh, it was really lame. Of course when Davey came into the crowd then everyone tried to get near him or crowdsurf to him. Lame.
They came out all in white and started with that Prelude whatever song off the new CD. Davey was wearing green glittery eye shadow which looked bad, although it was nothing compared to Jade's hair - MAN what was he thinking when he went to the hairdresser!! So yeah then they played Girls Not Grey and the Leaving Song Pt2 which was really cool. Then I dunno what happened but people were getting really crushed at the front and I think the barrier got manged or something and the band had to stop. They couldnt play for 10-15 minutes til it was all fixed and stuff. In that time the band went off except Davey stayed out the front and told stories and then let the crowd to ask questions which was soooo good. It's a pity the people that got to ask questions are fucking IDIOTS!! "Why don't you drink?" "Why did you cut your hair?" "Can you say happy birthday to my friend?" IDIOTS!! Then when Davey was telling a story people kept on yelling out for him to shutup and play a song. For fuck's sake!! He is DAVEY HAVOK and he trying to let the crowd participate in conversation!! As if you'd want him to shutup! Seriously if Davey just stood there and talked for the whole set that would have been amazing - he should so do a spoken word tour hahaha!! So yeah they eventually played more songs - all off STS and DU. I was heaps surprised at the amount of songs they played off Sing The Sorrow. They also played Days of the Phoenix which was good and they covered Just Like Heaven by the Cure. I dont really like the newer songs, although it was really good hearing the STS songs again after so long and I really enjoyed them. In terms of on stage action, they are freaking AWESOME!!! They put on a really good show and Davey was very entertaining. Hunter is the MAN haha he was in his own little world the whole time, it was sweet! They did an encore of God Called In Sick Today and Miss Murder. It was weird - noone went really crazy to anything except Miss Murder and Love Like Winter (which I'm guessing is their new single). So yeah that was it. The set probly went for a little over an hour - before the show I was heaps sketchy about the idea of them playing a 50 min set or whatever but it actually seemed to go for a lot longer.
So yeah now I dont really know what to think. Like I know it was good, but imagine if the setlist was good??? What if they played Total Immortal?? Like... man they only played 3 songs that werent off the last 2 albums and one of the was a cover! It really makes me sad - I want to see them play songs like Brownie Bottom Sunday or Malleus Maleficarum or the Prayer Postion - infact all of Black Sails in the Sunset! Like yeah I know they are touring to promote a new album and they want to play songs off it, but they have 10 albums (including AFI, Black Sails and All Hallows EPS) and yet 95% of their set was from 2 of those. Isnt that a bit of a waste? I mean obviously those CDs all had their time and you cant expect the band to play the majority of their set off of those, but they could have played at least a few songs! Their first like 7 albums were very punk and they became big in the punk scene, which allowed them to become even bigger in the mainstreme scene that they play in now, so I think it really sucks that they cant hold on to any of their roots and play some of the older punk songs. Sure they aren't a punk band anymore, but they were a freakin amazing punk band and obviously have a huge following in the punk scene. That's the problem - when I think of how good tonight was I end up thinking of how it would have been if I could have written the setlist! Seriously, if they came in like 2001 that would have been the best show EVER without a doubt!! Agh dammit! If only I had a time machine! See clearly the majority of people going to AFI shows these days are there because they are into the new album, so as if AFI dont just play a set of entirely old songs! If I were them I'd hell do it - instead of playing all the songs that everyone knows, play the ones that noone knows! Haha well I think that'd be funny! If I was one of those people who used to diss 'alternative people' who liked bands like AFI cos they were 'goth' or 'punk' or whatever and then jumped on the AFI bandwagon as soon as they became popular with Sing the Sorrow and DecemberUnderground, the show probably would have been the most incredible thing ever as I would not know any better and not have even known that AFI were actually a band before STS came out. Then again that would just make me suck.
I dunno where AFI are gonna go next... imagine what the band would be like if they stayed with Geoff and didnt get Jade to play guitar... that would rule!! But yeah with all that said, I still love AFI even though I'm not a fan of Decemberunderground or Jade's hair, but albums like Shut Your Mouth and Open Your Eyes and Black Sails in the Sunset are some of the greatest albums EVER!! I definitely got my moneys worth, I'm really glad I went because it was a great experience. Plus I really got a kick out of finally getting to see Davey Havok in the flesh cos I used to worship him back when I was in year 10/11. It was also nice to see that Davey had his feet stuck on the ground - he wasnt all rockstar and wanky which was cool.
I think this is pretty much the longest rant I have ever written and I doubt anyone will read it but meh I enjoyed re-living my AFI experience. Although it was nowhere near as good as Raised Fist, it COULD have been the best thing ever. Speaking of which, I am sooooooooo excited about Stolen Youth this saturday. Plus exams will be over then!!! Hmm... study...
Listen to Blackmarket Radio tomorrow night (10.30pm, 101.5FM) for an interview with Angelo from the Bleeders!!
So I don't know where to start but I might as well write about the Bleeders. I enjoyed their set and I really like them! The only thing was though that they are a good punk rock band and really aren't suited to playing in such a big venue. I've seen them in the past at the Underground and Fowlers and both shows had a great atmosphere and energy that really suited the band. Thebarton Theatre on the other hand was not a venue that they are suited to playing - the stage is too big and the crowd was not really their sort of crowd. With that said, they put on a really good show and I was heaps happy when they played 'All That Glitters' off their first EP. I love that song! I really wish they were doing a sideshow in Adelaide because that would be awesome!! One thing that annoyed me about the Bleeders is their singer has normal hair - he used to have it all slicked back and it was the best hair EVER!!!
Okay so they played a half hour set and then it was time for AFI. I think I'll start by getting the bitching about the crowd part of this post out of the way. The crowd was TERRIBLE!! Where do all these people come from?? It's weird, you NEVER see any of those people at local shows, and then all of a sudden they come out of nowhere for one international show a year. The majority of the crowd was 14 year old girls, metro guys and emo/goth/whatever people. Some people just cracked me up - I saw this dude with a tear painted on his face haha it was hilarious! Idiot! Something that is really starting to piss me off about big shows is when the sound techs come out to start setting stuff up everyone cheers and starts chanting for the band to come out. Okay clearly the gear on stage is not set up - if the band come out they wont be able to play as the sound is not set up. Also, the band will come out when THEY want to come out. They're not gonna be like "oooh the crowd are chanting for us, let's come out 5 minutes early". Yay I just spilt my cup of tea everywhere! Haha that was pretty cool - the tea went over absolutely everything, EXCEPT my new Star Wars tie, which was right next to it! Anyway, I digress. The crowd. It was actually really funny - people obviously lined up early and stuff to get on the barrier. I kid you not, out of the first like 8 rows there was not anyone who was very much taller then the barrier! That was pretty funny, but yeah as soon as the band came out EVERYONE tried to get to the front. That was pretty much the case for the whole set - people didnt even mosh, it was really lame. Of course when Davey came into the crowd then everyone tried to get near him or crowdsurf to him. Lame.
They came out all in white and started with that Prelude whatever song off the new CD. Davey was wearing green glittery eye shadow which looked bad, although it was nothing compared to Jade's hair - MAN what was he thinking when he went to the hairdresser!! So yeah then they played Girls Not Grey and the Leaving Song Pt2 which was really cool. Then I dunno what happened but people were getting really crushed at the front and I think the barrier got manged or something and the band had to stop. They couldnt play for 10-15 minutes til it was all fixed and stuff. In that time the band went off except Davey stayed out the front and told stories and then let the crowd to ask questions which was soooo good. It's a pity the people that got to ask questions are fucking IDIOTS!! "Why don't you drink?" "Why did you cut your hair?" "Can you say happy birthday to my friend?" IDIOTS!! Then when Davey was telling a story people kept on yelling out for him to shutup and play a song. For fuck's sake!! He is DAVEY HAVOK and he trying to let the crowd participate in conversation!! As if you'd want him to shutup! Seriously if Davey just stood there and talked for the whole set that would have been amazing - he should so do a spoken word tour hahaha!! So yeah they eventually played more songs - all off STS and DU. I was heaps surprised at the amount of songs they played off Sing The Sorrow. They also played Days of the Phoenix which was good and they covered Just Like Heaven by the Cure. I dont really like the newer songs, although it was really good hearing the STS songs again after so long and I really enjoyed them. In terms of on stage action, they are freaking AWESOME!!! They put on a really good show and Davey was very entertaining. Hunter is the MAN haha he was in his own little world the whole time, it was sweet! They did an encore of God Called In Sick Today and Miss Murder. It was weird - noone went really crazy to anything except Miss Murder and Love Like Winter (which I'm guessing is their new single). So yeah that was it. The set probly went for a little over an hour - before the show I was heaps sketchy about the idea of them playing a 50 min set or whatever but it actually seemed to go for a lot longer.
So yeah now I dont really know what to think. Like I know it was good, but imagine if the setlist was good??? What if they played Total Immortal?? Like... man they only played 3 songs that werent off the last 2 albums and one of the was a cover! It really makes me sad - I want to see them play songs like Brownie Bottom Sunday or Malleus Maleficarum or the Prayer Postion - infact all of Black Sails in the Sunset! Like yeah I know they are touring to promote a new album and they want to play songs off it, but they have 10 albums (including AFI, Black Sails and All Hallows EPS) and yet 95% of their set was from 2 of those. Isnt that a bit of a waste? I mean obviously those CDs all had their time and you cant expect the band to play the majority of their set off of those, but they could have played at least a few songs! Their first like 7 albums were very punk and they became big in the punk scene, which allowed them to become even bigger in the mainstreme scene that they play in now, so I think it really sucks that they cant hold on to any of their roots and play some of the older punk songs. Sure they aren't a punk band anymore, but they were a freakin amazing punk band and obviously have a huge following in the punk scene. That's the problem - when I think of how good tonight was I end up thinking of how it would have been if I could have written the setlist! Seriously, if they came in like 2001 that would have been the best show EVER without a doubt!! Agh dammit! If only I had a time machine! See clearly the majority of people going to AFI shows these days are there because they are into the new album, so as if AFI dont just play a set of entirely old songs! If I were them I'd hell do it - instead of playing all the songs that everyone knows, play the ones that noone knows! Haha well I think that'd be funny! If I was one of those people who used to diss 'alternative people' who liked bands like AFI cos they were 'goth' or 'punk' or whatever and then jumped on the AFI bandwagon as soon as they became popular with Sing the Sorrow and DecemberUnderground, the show probably would have been the most incredible thing ever as I would not know any better and not have even known that AFI were actually a band before STS came out. Then again that would just make me suck.
I dunno where AFI are gonna go next... imagine what the band would be like if they stayed with Geoff and didnt get Jade to play guitar... that would rule!! But yeah with all that said, I still love AFI even though I'm not a fan of Decemberunderground or Jade's hair, but albums like Shut Your Mouth and Open Your Eyes and Black Sails in the Sunset are some of the greatest albums EVER!! I definitely got my moneys worth, I'm really glad I went because it was a great experience. Plus I really got a kick out of finally getting to see Davey Havok in the flesh cos I used to worship him back when I was in year 10/11. It was also nice to see that Davey had his feet stuck on the ground - he wasnt all rockstar and wanky which was cool.
I think this is pretty much the longest rant I have ever written and I doubt anyone will read it but meh I enjoyed re-living my AFI experience. Although it was nowhere near as good as Raised Fist, it COULD have been the best thing ever. Speaking of which, I am sooooooooo excited about Stolen Youth this saturday. Plus exams will be over then!!! Hmm... study...
Listen to Blackmarket Radio tomorrow night (10.30pm, 101.5FM) for an interview with Angelo from the Bleeders!!