CONCERT REVIEW; AFI WITH NIGHTMARE OF YOU/DILLENGER ESCAPE PLAN

A Birthday for a Puget, But the Present Went to the Crowd
4/5

Strategy was the name of the game at Roseland Ballroom on Friday, June 23, 2006. Carefully selected openers Nightmare of You and Dillenger Escape Plan appealed to each side of the fan base, and headliners AFI blew them away from the middle. Nightmare of You features a light 80’s pop sensibility which appealed more to the younger audience. Next was the sonic assault of Dillenger Escape Plan, a heavy, math-rock noise machine. Each band played to a niche fan base, and was largely successful.

After a 40 minute break between acts, the lights went down and four icons dressed all in white took to the stage. The religious enchantment began. The band looked like deities coming down to Earth to perform for the believers. Lead vocalist Davey Havok, muscular as a gym-rat, wore a wifebeater with suspenders holding up his white jeans; mascara and makeup could not hide his masculinity, however much we wanted it to do so. Opening with “Miseria Cantare: The Beginning,” the intro to the platinum album Sing The Sorrow, AFI took to the stage with a force I have never seen before. Using the song’s chanting lyrics (Love your hate, your faith lost/You are now one of us) the band instantly had the entire crowd involved. Often, Havok would hold the mic out to the crowd, which sang every word with more emotion than any lone vocalist could.

The performance was positively cinematic. AFI has an unparalleled stage presence, which they used to their full advantage. Running around the stage, Havok appealed to all audience members, who hung on every note played by guitarist Jade Puget, and bassist Hunter--both did their own share of running around the stage, presenting their instrumental prowess to the AFI faithful. The setlist leaned heavily on their masterpiece Sing The Sorrow, and sometimes bounced between new material from Decemberunderground, and older material from their transition piece The Art of Drowning. The setlist was balanced between all out rockers and more somber moments, but the crowd was constantly active with large mosh pits, many crowdsurfers, and cult-like singing.

During the middle of the set, the band suddenly stopped. There was an extra body on stage. He was dressed in a white AFI jumpsuit, but the crowd appeared mystified by the presence of an unknown on stage. Havok brought it to everyone’s attention, however: “This is Smith Puget, and he is our tour manager. Without him, we wouldn’t exist. It is his birthday today, so let’s sing him happy birthday!!” Thus a sincerely charming version of “Happy Birthday” came from the Roseland faithful. After the birthday gift (a large cake and a song from devoted fans), AFI jumped back into its performance. It never let up. The band had its fans hypnotized. Then, suddenly it was over; they closed with new single “Miss Murder,” but it seemed too soon.

AFI came back out for an encore, reaching back into its catalogue. First was the mystifying and ‘Bic-friendly’ ballad “God Called in Sick Today”-which allowed the crowd to catch its breath for the last song. AFI closed the encore with their most bombastic track they ever recorded-“Totalimmortal,” off their underrated All Hallows EP. Havok jumped off the stage, and walked on the crowd’s hands, before falling back onto the outstretched arms of his more than faithful fans. It may have been Smith’s birthday, but the crowd was the true beneficiary.