Concert Review: AFI (10/18/13)

Last night (October 18, 2013), hardcore gone alternative rock outfit AFI was in Austin playing at The Mohawk to a completely sold out crowd. About half way through their US tour and on the heels of their newest studio album, Burials, being released on October 22nd, the group were in high spirits and looking and sounding better than ever.

AFI. Left to right: Hunter Burgan (bass guitar), Jade Puget (guitar), Adam Carson (drums), and Davey Havok (vocals). Promo photo

The night began with Coming (Los Angeles, CA, formed 2012) as the first opening act. Sounding a bit like The Birthday Party with a little more of a hardcore and funk edge to their songs, Coming got the crowd engaged from the beginning putting on a nice and energetic show. While perhaps only a couple people in the audience had heard of them before, Coming were able to get some heads bopping and get fans set for what would be a packed night of excitement.

Coming. Left to right: Dustin (guitar and vocals), Billy (bass guitar), and AJ (drums). Photo from their website.

Things continued with Touche Amore (Los Angeles, CA, formed 2007) taking the stage. As the first song began, immediately the crowd pulled in very tight, with a good half of the audience singing loudly to each song. Plenty of crowd surfers and stage divers set the tone for the show. If there were doubts about whether this was a punk/hardcore show, they were quickly answered then. The group surveyed songs throughout their career and kept the audience immensely engaged throughout. For those who had never heard of Touche Amore before, many came out new fans of this hardcore group.

Touche Amore. Left to right: Elliot Babin (drums), Clayton Stevens (guitar), Jeremy Bolm (vocals), Tyler Kirby (bass guitar), and Nick Steinhardt (guitar). Image from MetalInjection.

However, the night was to be won by AFI. Entering the stage in total darkness, Adam Carson went to his drum set, followed by Jade Puget carrying in a specially designed Gibson Les Paul Studio with the new Burials artwork on it, followed by Hunter Burgan carrying a black bass guitar (possibly a Fender?), and lastly with frontman Davey Havok donning his new signature jacket which prominently features on upside down cross made of pyramid studs on the back.

The group opened with "The Leaving Song, Pt. II" from 2003's Sing the Sorrow, immediately lighting the crowd on fire. Unlike more recent shows from AFI, Havok seemed to welcome the audience interaction, himself jumping into the audience during their opening number. The set went on to include the first song revealed from the forthcoming album Burials, "I Hope You Suffer," (which we reviewed previously here and you can watch a live performance of below) which was met with loud singing from the entire audience and a certain pride from the band at seeing their fans singing along to a song that has not been out for very long.

As the night continued on, fans did not relent on singing along even as AFI pulled out songs from their older material that haven't been played more recently, including "Ever and a Day" from 200's The Art of Drowning and "Over Exposure" from 1998's A Fire Inside EP. Peculiarly, the set only featured one song from their previous album, 2009's Crash Love, "Beautiful Thieves." (Video of this one from the show is featured below.) The night was rounded out with a three song encore that included their tribute cover of The Cure's "Just Like Heaven" followed by "Dancing Through Sunday" and "Silver and Cold," both from Sing the Sorrow.

Overall, the performances from all three groups were great, though AFI being the main attraction certainly did not disappoint and even stole the show in the end. There were some slight sound issues for all three groups, but with how loud the audience sang the entire time, that didn't change the intimate feel the show had. AFI's tour with Touche Amore continues, stopping in Tempe, Arizona, at the Marquee Theater on Sunday. Check them out on the remaining tour and catch their new album, Burials, due out on October 22nd. Also, be on the lookout as Adam Carson and Hunter Burgan hinted after the show to us that a bigger tour is in the works to bring them back on the road supporting Burials in early 2014.


Ratings:

Coming: 4 out of 5

Touche Amore: 4 out of 5

AFI: 5 out of 5

More Information: Official Site of Coming Official Site of Touche Amore Official Site of AFI