I’m not offended by anything Adam said. I just think it made him come off pretentious to me and I didn’t find it as funny as some have.
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Oh i don’t think they mind at all that people like black sails and AoD, which is why they played so many of those songs on the last two tours in 2017 and 2018, and at the December missing man shows. And they’ll probably play even more from that era on their next headlining tour, when they get to play a full setlist, and they actually get to play for their fans and not SP fans
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I don’t know if you’re ever seen one of the shows from RKCNDY in Seattle back in '99, but in it there is a part between songs when someone shouts “you suck!” from the crowd (turns out it was a joke but Davey thought he was being serious at first). Davey sort of just shrugged and said something like “okay…you don’t have to be here if you don’t want to listen to us”. It was genuinely funny because he was so not bothered and very nonchalant about it. He wasn’t being sarcastic or anything to this guy. He didn’t seem to care either way.
Fast forward 20 years, and any time AFI gets wind of some fans not hero worshipping everything they do and praising them for how wonderful and perfect they are, they seem to feel the need to call them out in a way that makes me think of catty high school girls.That’s what I have a problem with. It’s like nowadays they believe they are infallible and if anyone says anything that reminds them that a portion of the fanbase prefers the old stuff over their most recent albums, or were disappointed with the show, they seem to feel the need to take to twitter (or make a bitchy comment in an interview) and it is very egotistical to the point I sometimes don’t really want to know what they have to say anymore.
Because look, speaking as someone who hated the blood album, and hasn’t been too impressed with anything they’ve done in the last decade, that raises some distressing questions for me. I would never tell AFI they suck just because I don’t want to hear stuff from their last three albums, but when they bitch about fans who share some of the same sentiments as myself, I begin to think things like, do I not belong in this fanbase anymore? Am I not a “real” fan according to them (this is everywhere among the newer generation of fans as well: “ReAL faNs LiKe aLL tHeiR aLbUms”)? Do they perceive me as being immature or stupid because I don’t like their more recent albums? Am I and so many other fans who went above and beyond for them, worthless to them now? Because honestly, that’s how it feels sometimes when they talk like this. It makes me want to distance myself from them, because it seems now they put their egos first, and it’s sort of tarnished my perception of them, you know?
Not only that but twitter-ranting is unprofessional at best and it pains me to see them stoop to nearly the same level as Donald Trump at times in that regard.
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For me…Adam is not being agressive or anything…he’s being sarcastic at most…honestly…being a 40-some years old me…I would sound way more pissed than him…
These are not setlists for an AFI concert…this is a Smashing Pumpkins were AFI is a guest…maybe they’re not playing some old shit because most likely most of the people attending the concert are doing because of SP…and might not dig the old AFI style…
Who knows…in the end…we’re all human beings…and we can sometimes get pissed and annoyed for some stupid things and maybe act childish…but…as long as is not something recurrent…who cares?
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He wasn’t really being aggressive, but it was certainly sarcastic and backhanded to a portion of the fanbase. And over the years those types of sarcastic backhanded remarks have really added up.
You mean he has been like that before and in multiple occasions? I don’t really know that…as I haven’t been an AFI fan for long…still kind of newbie into the AFI area…
This is the first time I’ve seen it from Adam and it’s a little surprising to me, but the other guys in the band have done this on multiple occasions. Especially Davey.
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There’s a difference though between saying ‘I kinda wished they’ played x instead of y as I preferred that era’ and ‘that’s such a shit Setlist, what is even the point’ . Adam is directing any frustrations he may have at the latter, not the former, at least that’s what I took from it.
Black sails through to Sing the Sorrow is where it’s at for me. There have been the odd glimpses of greatness since then, but nothing that holds up to that era for me personally. I’ve skipped seeing them in the past because I knew what the Setlist was likely to be and thought ‘nah’, and I have no regrets doing that. But i’ll never actively post a response on social media to something going ‘that’s shit, they aren’t what they used to be etc etc’ because it’s not constructive and is totally condescending to people who may well enjoy the newer stuff and have every right to do so. I do think they could stick one song pre sts song in the current 8 song sets and it wouldn’t kill the Setlist or make the entire crowd walk out, but I’m not gonna call them out on it because it achieves nothing at all, and also, I can totally understand where the band are coming from and would probably be equally frustrated at times reading and listening to some of the stuff they have to.
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Well…being fair…I can see Davey doing that…Adam seems to be more reserved…but maybe…as they say…you sometimes behave like the people around you so maybe Adam just picked up the frustration from the rest of the band…
While it sucks that a band trash it’s own fanbase…at the end of the day…we all have problems and sometimes we discharge our anger and frustation against innocent people…
Anyways…they should probably just keep it to themselves…as it’s better to keep quiet instead of bashing out…
It’s hard to satisfy all kind of fans…some will want the old stuff…some will want the new stuff…you can give to everybody…that’s for certain…
And that’s why I love the Sex Pistols…they only releases two damn albums…so anything that they play is going to be old shit 
Not that they play anymore of course 
But I have listened to them for the last 27 years…
And reading your comments in more detail…totally agree…including one “old school” song wouldn’t hurt anybody…and might keep old fans happy…so…bad decision from the band not to include at least one song from TAOD or BSITS…
I think we’re reading too much into this, but I understand it both ways.
If we would’ve been with Adam “in person” and he said this, we’d be laughing because it would’ve likely not have been taken out of context. Just my thoughts.
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Adam popped off at the RKCNDY show you mentioned…
How so… ? Do you have any details?
Right after Davey said what he said, Adam quipped “Too bad you paid to see us!”
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I honestly do understand the frustration, it must be irritating to have people bitching at you on the internet constantly. It would indeed be more professional to just ignore it, but like…if I were in the band and I was inundated with “PLAY THE OLD SHIT” at all hours of the day, especially on a tour where you only have 30 minutes as an opening act, I’d probably want to scream.
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Coming off of a low turnout or just based on the setlist, or both?
The dude who told them they sucked? He was only fucking with them.
I relate to this. And I actually got a laugh at Adams comment. I mean its weird to me what AFi fans think the band owes them. But at the same time it does seem that they try to distance themselves from their older albums. In many interviews Davey especially seems to not even like the older material. The thing that disheartens me as an AFI fan the past few years has been this seeming need to be mainstream popular again. DU came out in a different era where even somewhat obscure hardcore bands were getting major exposure. I’ve only skipped seeing AFI twice since 98. First was opening for Green Day after CL. Second time was this tour. I just wasn’t a fan of those headliners so it wasn’t worth paying those ticket prices to see what i already knew would be a shortened set of more well known songs. But nowadays I’m listening to a lot of Daughters and I’m kinda wishing AFI could follow their lead a bit. In the sense that after years of playing hardcore, they returned with new inspiration and full of vigor and released arguably the best album of their career. And they’re doing on their terms. Playing sold out shows in great smaller venues. Which AFI could totally do. I mean I get these opening tours. Its surely a huge payday. And exposure to different audiences. But do most Smashing Pumpkins fans even care? I guess it just feels like a step back to me. AFi should be out blowing people away in venues where fans are super excited to see them. Anyway that’s just my opinion.
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I don’t know, I thought it was kind of funny. Fans can be a bit demanding. Yes we do pay money for the tickets and the merch… and yes I bet even the band gets tired of playing the same songs over and over again. Give Adam a break, they aren’t even headlining and have to play songs from the newest albums and eps. For us it’s a treat to see them and for them it’s a job. 
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