So, with all the emphasis on collecting, I thought I would bring us back to basics- the music and guys themselves.
What has been your fave AFI moment as a fan? Meeting them? A specific show? Listening to one of their albums for the first time? Road tripping it to a concert?
I have a few, but I’ll start with a small one.
When Decemberunderground came out, I had just had quite possibly the WORST year of my life- socially and physically. It wasn’t a good time (it got worse after that, but, whatever; life’s tough; get a helmet). Anyway, back to the story at hand: I knew I NEEDED to see them live on the Summer Shudder Tour. That album connected with me, and it became this sort of bright spot for me.
I got to see them on June 23 at the Roseland Ballroom. My mom willingly took my friend and me, sat online with us for five hours, and then quietly hid herself away while we meandered through the pit.
Through sheer dumb luck, I made barricade at Jade’s side. They opened with Miseria Cantare, which was a usual riot causing my friend to abandon ship. A few songs later they played Summer Shudder.
I don’t know what it is about that song, but it’s incredibly uplifting for me.
This dude next to me- so nice, wore the coolest denim vest replete with spikes and old school patch- must have seen me practically crying and singing along with all I had and wrapped his arm around my shoulders and sang just as hard. He became my buddy for the night, and the two of us lost our shit when they played God Called in Sick Today.
That year had been such an alienating year for me, yet that dude chilling with me, not judging me for being an absolute mess, at least made me feel less like a pariah, at least for a bit.
And I think that’s why I have always loved AFI. At any of the shows, you are bound to find someone who connects with you over the music and who will be just as enthusiastic and welcoming.
That moment is one of my fave AFI ones- the way Davey got the crowd moving during Summer Shudder, Jade and Davey’s incredibly ostentatious looks during that period, the absolute energy of that room, and the super nice dude who was probably a good 15 years older than me but who was willing to chill was a disaster of a 16 year old in the pit- that’s all something I never really experienced again.
So, now that I have given one of my fave moments, what have been yours? Doesn’t have to be big, but it can be earth shattering.