Last night, AFI made me fall in love with music all over again.
Not that I was ever “out of love,” of course. I first discovered AFI when I was 15, and they’ve been one of my favorite bands ever since. And obviously, I devote plenty of my free time to listening to music and discussing it. But lately, I’ve become too old and lazy and boring at concerts. I’ve started missing the opening bands and recently, I skipped a show when I heard the headliner wouldn’t go on until 11 pm. Many times, I’ve caught myself feeling tired after a long day and wishing I could just go home instead of out to see a band. Part of me feels this is justifiable, as I’m no longer a college student who can sleep until noon. But deep down, I know 16-year-old me would be disgusted to know about this.
(For the record, I am always happy once I actually make it to the show. It’s just the effort of getting there and standing around waiting that seems to be the problem).
So, on to last night. I actually was extremely excited to see AFI again, as it has been many years and the guys are my musical gods. But wow, I did not know what I was in for. Davey Havok stepped onstage and I lost my mind like I was 15 and at my first concert again. (It was okay though, because all the hardcore dudes around me did the exact same thing). The music sounded incredible and Davey was strutting his stuff like the world’s most fabulous rock star. He even did a flip into the crowd. They blasted through a ton of my favorite songs, and I shouted along with all the lyrics that used to fill my AIM away messages. It’s probably a little odd to sing “I Hope You Suffer” while grinning giddily, but that’s what I did.
It’s not that I’m less passionate about music now than I was back in high school. It’s just that lately, I’ve been acting like a mature adult and focusing on my career, the future, etc. That’s all well and good, but I needed a jolt to help me out of my rut and to help me recapture those angsty teenage emotions again. Today, I feel like I’m carrying a little bit of last night’s show with me, and I feel lighter and bouncier because of it. So thank you to Davey, Jade, Adam and Hunter for being the best ever. There’s nothing like a truly great concert to make me feel alive again.
Yesterday marked ten years since the release of one of the most influential albums in my life. I was just a baby freshman in high school when Sing the Sorrow came out, and I was beginning to figure out what kind of music I was really interested in. After finally switching from listening to the local pop station ("New Hampshire's #1 hit music station") in favor of rock radio, I caught the tail end of "Girl's Not Grey"and immediately fell in love. Obviously, I quickly scrounged up some hard-earned babysitting cash and bought the CD. And when I posted about the "experience" on my DeadJournal (seriously, I miss angsty 2003 so much), my AFI-loving friend immediately burnt me a mix CD of a bunch of their older stuff. And just like that, I became a devout member of the "Church of Havok."
So happy birthday, Sing the Sorrow. Thanks for being my gateway drug into the wonderful world of AFI (and rock music in general). Also for making me feel like such a 14-year-old badass. I can't thank you enough.
Today, someone hacked into the AFI message board and posted a fake break-up announcement. AFI was one of the first bands I ever got into
and as a result, they will always have an extremely special place in my
heart. I never truly believed the post as it was no way near eloquent
enough to have come from the band. But still. Let’s not do that
again.
So in honor of this all turning out to be a big hoax, here’s my AFI jam from 9th grade computer class.
Last night, I had the honor of being at Davey Havok's Broadway debut in American Idiot. I could get into all the reasons why I adore and respect this man so much, but that'll have to be a post for another time. Just suffice it to say that he is a real hero of mine, despite the oh-so-witty title of this post. I'd already been to see the show back in September, but when I heard Davey would be taking over a role for two weeks, I obviously had to go back.
And as if that wasn't enough to persuade me, I heard that Justin Guarini, that guy with the crazy hair from the first season of American Idol, was going to be there too.
Remember this? Solid gold.
In fairness to Justin, he really did a great job. I just wish he hadn't cut his hair, because that 'fro was pretty much the only thing I knew about him.
Seeing this picture in the Playbill was so surreal and bizarre, but awesome.
So anyway, back to the guy I really went to see. Davey was utterly fabulous. I felt like a proud mother when he made his grand entrance and started belting out the lyrics to "Saint Jimmy." (I even got super nervous, complete with butterflies in my stomach, before he came out on stage, like I was on the one who had to perform in front of all these people. There may be something wrong with me). But Davey was so into the role, and if he was nervous, no one could tell. His death scene was particularly powerful, and my mom, who came with me to the show, was blown away by his voice.
But the most rewarding moment was during the end performance of "Good Riddance." He looked like he was having the time of his life (har har har), beaming and laughing and strumming his guitar.
You can also see Justin Guarini behind Davey. I hope they become BFFs for life.
Apparently performing on Broadway has been a dream of Davey's for years, so I am blessed that I was able to see him accomplish his goal. I wish him the best of luck during the next two weeks of performances.
OK, it’s been a week now since this show and I NEED to write about it. To be honest, before I even arrived at the venue, I knew I would be writing a stellar review of this concert. I’d seen both bands before, so I already knew Green Day is hands down the best live band I’ve ever seen, and opener AFI is quite exceptional as well. (Plus these are two of my favorite bands, and two of the groups most responsible for making me fall in love with rock ‘n roll back in the day). Needless to say, I was psyched for the show. I actually got butterflies in my stomach on the way to the Comcast Center.
Not a stupendous picture, but here's Davey Havok.
AFI is well known in today’s alternative music scene, but many of Green Day’s fans these days are more mainstream listeners, so AFI actually had to work to win them over. The band has been playing headlining shows almost exclusively for the last decade, so it must be a challenge for them to adjust to opening again. AFI is my second favorite band of ALL TIME and lead singer Davey Havok is pretty much my hero, so it was even difficult for me to handle the fact that not everyone around me loved them immediately. Nevertheless, all four members gave the set as much enthusiasm as they do to a headlining performance, and soon the crowd of both devoted AFI fans and new recruits was whooping it up at the end of every song. It's no wonder Spin Magazine named them one of the “25 Greatest Live Bands Now” back in 2006. (Green Day was on the list too, in case you were wondering).
After a traditional appearance from the Drunken Bunny (a costumed member of the crew who entertains before the set), “Song of the Century” began to blare over the speakers, and the crowd sang along among cheers and shouts of excitement. The three members of Green Day ran onstage and immediately launched into “21st Century Breakdown.” They ended up playing a ridiculous 34-song set that lasted for three hours (!!) The songs included singles, plenty of tracks off of American Idiot and 21st Century Breakdown, along with a few old gems, such as “Scattered,” “One For the Razorbacks” and “2000 Light Years Away.” For the full set list, go here.
If you’ve never been to a Green Day show, you don’t know what you’re missing. I don’t care whether you like their music or not. I don’t care if you only go to tiny indie shows. I don’t care if you won’t listen to anything they recorded after Dookie (actually I do care, because that makes you an idiot, but that’s besides the point). The point is, you absolutely need to see them someday. Even my boyfriend’s mother (who, according to the CDs in her car, listens to Celtic Woman and not much else) couldn’t stop raving about the show, even though she did not know a single word of a single song.
Again, not the best picture I've ever taken, but I'm just proud of how close I was.
A large portion of Green Day’s greatness has to do with front man Billie Joe Armstrong, who has more energy than any other lead singer I’ve ever seen. He sprints around stage so much that after just a few songs, he is literally dripping with sweat; after he laid down on stage mid-set, several crew members had to come wipe the sweat off the floor. He screams at the audience, whipping them into a frenzy. He pulls kids onstage to sing, dance and stage dive (and even gives out a free guitar to a lucky fan). He sprays the pit with squirt guns, and even blasts t-shirts into the audience with a t-shirt gun. Green Day has been around for 22 years now, but Armstrong still seems to have an absolute blast at every show.
Let me just take a minute here to brag. I worked my way up to the front row, right in the center. This means I got to witness Armstrong’s drooling while singing throughout the entire show, and I had basically the best view in the house when he mooned the audience. Yeah I know, you guys are jealous.
Let’s not forget about the rest of the band though, because drummer Tre Cool and bassist Mike Dirnt are crucial to the performance as well. Between their crazy faces and musical skills, they kept the crowd both laughing and rocking, often at the same time. Cool, Dirnt and backing musician Jason Freese even took turns singing during the cover of the Isley Brothers’ “Shout.”
Photo courtesy of GreenDay.com
As if the exceptional music and goofy stage banter weren’t enough, explosions and fireworks also lit up the stage over and over throughout the night. This means I literally had my face melted off, because I could feel the heat from the flames. During the double encore, confetti rained down on the audience and got plastered to sticky, sweaty bodies in the pit. (It sounds gross but it was beautiful in person). The perfect end to a fabulous evening. Green Day has perfected the perfect live show, transforming it into a masterpiece. It’s the kind of show that reminds me why I love music and why I spend so much money on concert tickets.
Now, I have done the best I can to convey just how incredible Green Day is live, but there’s just no way to do it justice completely through writing. Do yourself a favor and the next time Green Day (or AFI!) comes through your city, buy yourself a ticket. I can promise you won’t regret it.
I've been busy this week. My review of AFI's new album, "Crash Love," is up on AmpedReviews.net. Check out the site, and if you still haven't heard the album, what are you waiting for? It's easily one of my favorite albums of 2009.
On Monday night, I saw one of my favorite people in the entire world: Alison Sudol. She's a singer-songwriter-pianist who performs under the name A Fine Frenzy. Honestly, she is one of the sweetest, most genuine people in the music business today. I wrote a review praising the show for Blast Magazine. (I know, I've just been writing a storm this week).
This is someone else's video of one of my favorite moments of the show:
Anyway, I just wanted to post some of my new material, and this video. Isn't she adorable?
Someday soon I will have more original content for the blog, I promise.
I saw AFI again last night at the House of Blues. It was definitely one of the best shows I'd been to in a long, long time (excluding AFI at Hampton Beach a week ago, of course). I got to hold Davey Havok up while he walked on the crowd. He also did a flip into the audience and I helped catch him then too. Now my left arm is sore, but I can't think of a better reason to be in pain.
In honor of these two absolutely incredible shows, here's a list of my top 10 most memorable concerts, in no particular order. (NOTE: None of the videos belong to me, except for the Sugarcult one).
1. Third Eye Blind (Babson College, 4/21/07 AND Bamboozle 2009). Honestly, I have seen this band so many times that it's hard to narrow it down to one show. But Babson was the first time I was in the front row, and the first time I met the band afterwards. (It was completely accidental too. We were lost and managed to end up right behind the guys in some parking lot). And Bamboozle was just plain awesome.
(Not the best quality, and possibly one of the band's worst songs, but this video really captures the fun of Bamboozle
2. AFI (Hampton Beach, 10/17/09 and House of Blues Boston, 10/25/09). See my last entry and the paragraph above. AFI is seriously one of the best live bands around.
3. A Fine Frenzy (The Paradise, March 2008). I adore Alison Sudol, the voice and mastermind behind A Fine Frenzy. She is one of the sweetest, most talented individuals in music today. She is so grateful and appreciative of her fans. She's on tour right now, so go see her if you get a chance. (www.afinefrenzy.com)
4. The Airborne Toxic Event (The Paradise, 3/7/09). Well first of all, during the encore, they threw out cheap tamborines into the audience. I got to go up onstage with my tamborine and a handful of other fans to dance around during "Missy." This band is so tight live, and they sound awesome every time I see them. It's also refreshing to see a group of musicians who can play so many instruments well. This isn't just a bunch of guys who decided they wanted to be rockstars so they picked up guitars. Rather, The Airborne Toxic Event are trained many instruments including the viola and the cello. Another must-see live band.
5. Good Charlotte with Something Corporate and Mest, (UMass Amherst, October 10, 2003) Yes, this was my first concert. I went with one of my best friends, Veronika, and we had an absolute ball. At the time, I was completely obsessed with Good Charlotte (and even now, I will defend them, so don't mess with me!). I counted down to this concert for months. It feels like a dream now, it was so long ago, but I was always treasure the memories from this show.
6. Sugarcult (Framingham, MA Community Center, sometime in winter or spring of 2008, I think). This was the most punk-rock show I have ever been to. I know, SUGARCULT?!? Punk rock? They were label-less and playing at this deserted community center full of local high school kids. The atmosphere was so laidback and intimate though. Sugarcult interacts with the crowd anyway, but at a show that size, lead singer Tim Pagnotta spent half his time joking with fans. Then, at 11 pm, the cops showed up and said it was curfew time. Sugarcult was not even half way done their set, and they refused to stop. They kept playing until the sound was cut off, and afterwards, they hung out in the lobby to talk to fans and apologize for the short set.
7. Green Day (Verizon Wireless Arenain Manchester, NH. Spring 2004). Green Day is without a doubt the greatest live band I have ever seen. It's not a "show," it's a masterpiece. There is no way to put into words just how mindblowing a Green Day show is. I know several people who don't even care about the band's new songs, but will still go to see them just for the epic performance. So seriously, drop what you're doing and go see them right now.
(This video is from their Bullet in a Bible DVD, not my show. But it really captures how completely awesome Green Day is live).
8. Blaqk Audio (The Roxy, 9/10/07) The first time I got to see and meet my idol, Davey Havok. He and fellow AFI member Jade Puget were on tour promoting their side project. I shook Davey's hand after the show and was in shock for the next week.
9. Jimmy Eat World (The Orpheum, October 2007, I think). Yet another one of the best live bands I've ever seen. The music is even more perfect and beautiful live. And the fans are pretty chill and normal, so it's nice not to have to deal with screaming teenyboppers all night. 10. Fiona Apple (Bank of America Pavilion, July 21, 2006). Fiona is a little kooky to begin with, and when you put her on stage, she becomes even more insane. She flails around like she's possessed, but boy, has she got some pipes. Her music sounds amazing live. 'Nuff said.
So there are my top 10 concerts. What are yours? What bands do I need to see still?
Last night I saw AFI at the Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom in NH. They have been one of my absolute favorite bands since I was in middle school, yet I have never been fortunate enough to see them live. (I know, I suck. I don't want to talk about it).
The show was absolutely phenomenal, completely worth the 7 year wait. From the opening strains of "Torch Song" to the mind blowing encore performance of "Silver and Cold," it was all perfect. True, they only played for an hour and 15 minutes, and there's no excuse for that when you have 8 studio albums. And yes, they only played songs from the latest three (with just one exception). But the band sounded so tight, so epic and so badass. It's no wonder Spin Magazine named them one of the 25 Greatest Live Bands Now.
Afterwards, I had the honor of meeting three of the four band members. Jade, you escaped me this time, but I'll be hunting you down in Boston. I can hardly wait for this next week to go by so I can see them again.
Wow. I have really neglected this blog, huh? It's been a busy summer of working, traipsing around the globe and catching up with old friends. Over the next couple of days, I'm going to post some old features I've written and some reviews.
But until then, I leave you with some great music I've really been into lately:
Third Eye Blind-Ursa Major (Yes it FINALLY came out!) AFI-Crash Love (Just came out on Tuesday and I LOVE it). Midnight Youth-The Brave Don't Run (A really great New Zealand band) A Fine Frenzy-Bomb in a Birdcage fun.-Aim and Ignite
