Images: AFI, Touché Amoré, Coming October 26, 2013 at the House of Blues

In 2003, AFI had just signed to Dreamworks and the single for “Girls Not Grey” had become something a 40 minute wait on Bearshare could provide. The band played a special show at The Huntridge that I was lucky enough to snag a ticket to (thanks to Frank at Balcony Lights). This was to be the their last “small show” before launching into the stratosphere, becoming one of the biggest names in rock. For a variety of reasons I was just never able to catch them live again and was willing to let one of the best shows I’ve ever seen be my memory of the band. But as fate would have it, I had the fortunate opportunity 10 years later to witness them do their thing once more, this time at the House of Blues for the Burials tour.

One thing I’ve always admired about AFI is their continued interest in discovering new bands. A lot of bands, just like most other people, start to fall out of the general music scene and end up with stagnant tastes. AFI brought out a young Ceremony on their last tour, and this time around the first band of the night was the relatively unknown Coming from Los Angeles, who AFI vocalist Davey Havoc discovered on a fluke at their first show.

I didn’t know what to expect from Coming – their name clearly isn’t the most Googleable – but what I got was a solid set of new wave punk. Much of the audience was clearly unimpressed with the trio, who seemed to have been raised on a steady diet of Fugazi and Hot Water Music, though unfortunately lacking the innovation of those bands. I was surprised that their Joy Division cover was met with little fanfare as I’d think the Joy Division influence on later AFI releases would have endeared the band to their fans more. While Coming didn’t completely blow me away, I appreciate the fact that AFI brought along someone who would challenge their fan’s musical preconceptions and hopefully help expand a few tastes.

My excitement for the night’s show was pretty evenly split between AFI and Touche Amore. Touche’s mix of discordant post-hardcore and heavy metalcore have helped them rise to the top of a scene that includes other great bands like La Dispute and Pianos Become the Teeth, along with locals Caravels. They consistently put on amazing live shows, but that’s seeing them in a small pool hall or restaurant where the floor is packed with kids jumping over each other to get closer to vocalist and noted Raising Caine’s fan Jeremy Bolm. It was great to hear Bolm give an appreciative shout out to Yayo Taco (where they played in 2011), telling the HOB crowd how much they appreciate AFI giving them the chance to play to a bigger audience. Looking out into the crowd, it was nice to see a few pockets of Touche fans scattered across the floor, shouting out the words to fan favorite “Tilde” and new track “Just Exist.” Bolm dove into that crowd during set ender “Honest Sleep” from their debut LP …To the Beat of a Dead Horse. I’m hoping they earned a few new fans so their next headlining show in Vegas will draw a big crowd.

After what seemed like an unusally long wait, AFI was finally up and I was pleasantly surprised that the crowd still chants “Through Our Bleeding, We Are One” from Black Sails opener “Strength Through Wounding.” Through a haze of mist and a sprinkle of green light, Davey Havoc, looking more like a young Morrissey than the long haired Danzig look he sported for so many years, came out with the rest of the band and launched right into “Leaving Song Part 2” from their major label debut Sing the Sorrow. The crowd went bonkers, with everyone on the sold out HOB floor fighting to get close enough to sing along with Havoc. Davey decided to make it easier for them with Burials single, “I Hope You Suffer” by jumping off the stage, climbing the barrier and letting the fans hold him up as he sang the repeated chorus of “I hope you do: I hope you suffer.”

Like many bands of AFI’s size, the foursome had risers on stage for jumping off, with bassist Hunter Burgan and guitarist Jade Puget taking full advantage by leaping and spinning all night. These guys are 7 and 9 years older than me, respectively, and my knees were hurting just watching, so props to them for keeping in good shape. In fact, that was one thing that really stood out to me during the show. These guys actually seemed to have more energy than when I last saw them, something that I can’t say for most bands at this stage in their career. Outside of physical prowess, Havoc’s voice sounded perfect, whether on tracks like the Cure-influenced “Love Like Winter” and the poppy “Girls Not Grey” or screaming on deep cut “File 13.” While played at a slightly slower speed than found on Very Proud of Ya, the song still got a huge response, showing that the fans appreciate the older stuff as much as the new. Similarly, the back to back pair of songs from the band’s Nitro Records days – “The Days of the Phoenix” and “God Called in Sick Today,” had the biggest sing-alongs of the night and made me wonder why that era isn’t visited more in their setlist.

With two decades under their belt and more success than most bands from the punk scene can ever hope to achieve, AFI remains one of the most dynamic live acts out there. A cover of The Cure’s “Just Like Heaven” and a pair of Sing the Sorrow tracks ended their set, and left me already eager to see them again.

-Emily Matview | https://www.flickr.com/photos/holdfastnow/

AFI setlist:
The Leaving Song Pt. II
Girl’s Not Grey
I Hope You Suffer
Wester
Love Like Winter
Ever and a Day
17 Crimes
File 13
The Leaving Song
A Deep Slow Panic
Kill Caustic
Bleed Black
Miss Murder
The Days of the Phoenix
God Called in Sick Today

Encore:
Just Like Heaven (The Cure cover)
Dancing Through Sunday
Silver and Cold

Touce Amore setlist:
Just Exist
Pathfinder
Art Official
The Great Repetition
Adieux
Method Act
Sesame
DNA
History Reshits Itself
Nine
Harbor
Home Away From Here
Blue Angels
~
Praise/Love
Anyone/Anything
And Now It’s Happening in Mine
Uppers/Downers
Amends
Gravity, Metaphorically
Is Survived By
Honest Sleep