All I can say is that I cannot wait for the dad hat trend to pass. I received a Beartooth dad hat in a bundle, and I had all my friends try to wear it and not look like a dork. It didnāt work. Thenā¦I let my dad try it and he now wears it.
Iām not really sure where to cast my vote here, I bought this with limited āhesitationā but took the plunge and went for it more so more because of its exclusivity. I wouldnāt go as far to say that I ālove itā, neither did I buy it just because I am a already a āDF Memberā (which I am). My understanding is that existing memberships are still valid so presumably if you are buying this as an existing member itās solely because you want the more recent merchandise/membership pack ā you obviously donāt have to buy it just because you are a āDF Memberā.
For me, itās just about the love for AFI and my constant obsession with building my collection, less so about anything to do with the DF or the benefits that may then come on the back of any membership. As many others have eluded to on the other thread - Iām not really sure what benefits I, as a fan based in the UK, will even see by being a DF member when they donāt play over here for 7 years then all we get are 3 shows supporting Deftones and an equally short set at Download Festival. None of which appeared to have any exclusive DF perks.
I personally think the latest pack is alright, its nothing special and in my opinion there are better things on offer and better designs etc. in the conventional websiteās store. The hat looks awful, Iām undecided about the shirt but I quite like the flag. I was just keen to get the new DF Membership Card as I missed out on the bundles it came with on the release of the Blood Album. I was channelling all my efforts at the time towards getting the 4 different coloured vinylās, I didnāt realise then that the card wouldnāt be available after that, until now.
That said, what with the discount code and free postage to the UK it was a bit of a no brainer!
You and I are on the same boat here. The perks are a bit of a mystery other than the true TWO perks being getting the DF card for shows and getting discounts on merch. The other perk is getting the DF exclusive emails and newsletters.
Other than that, and granted the email perk is probably the biggest, there are no other real perks that Iām away of. Thereās no secret that Iām a forum guy, or community guy, so another perk would be gracing the DF forums with a Q&A every now and again. I remember in the old forums, the members would occasionally reply to DF member questions. Itās amazing how that simply acknowledgment of āThank youā or simply answering a question literally means the world to us fans.
Theoretically, I could offer that on here if it came down to it, but thatās me being optimistic about THESE forums. I already kinda discussed this briefly with @_tonibell
EDIT: Granted, so far weāve only pulled 13 votes, but itās a voice of 13 voters.
I wish there was a community feel again. At least we have one here, but, yeah, the DF package thing just seems a little trite. But whatever. I still bought it.