AFI (Secret Show) - The Henry Fonda Theater - 4/28/2006
Posted 04/30/2006 07:42PM by aaron as Show Review
AFI
Henry Fonda Theater
Hollywood, CA
April 28, 2006
Seeing AFI in any setting is always a treat, but like any intimate meal, the portions are way more satisfying when less people are served the main course. The Henry Fonda Theater is probably LA's best setting for an AFI show: large enough for a frenzy, small enough to call it your own.
In front of a sellout crowd comprised of fan club members, press, and executives from Interscope and KROQ, AFI took the stage for the first time in close to two years without any hesitation. After the first five seconds of fans noticing singer Davey Havok's new haircut (which this writer's wife loves way more than Havok's previous long-hair look), the band opened with "Miseria Cantare" from their 2003 release "Sing The Sorrow." Since this show was a warm-up to their upcoming album "Decemberundergound," fans couldn't help but wonder if AFI would christen then with a new opening song. Thankfully, the fans didn't seem too disappointed to kick things off with what was already familiar to them.
Despite a few signs of being rusty (random notes and lights missing their respective cues), fans were willing to give AFI the benefit of the doubt, thanks to their intense visible passion and interaction with the crowd, something that has made AFI one of the most fan-friendly bands today. Particular highlights of the night were "Ever and a Day," "This Secret Ninja," and of course the standard set-closer "Totalimmortal." The new radio hit "Miss Murder" was the night's best sing-along, and even old-school fans couldn't help but appreciate the hip-shaking that song creates. But nothing could top Tiger Army's Nick 13 coming out for harmony duty on "A Single Second."
Fans, new and old alike, can rejoice in knowing AFI will always be the same AFI they've come to know and love. Whether on disc, on stage, or on Behind The Music, AFI will always stay true to their foundation.
-Andrew J. Brawley
Comments
Cleveland, OH
Scene Point Blank / Escapist Records