I construed a nice little review for you all
The Venue:Having attended multiple shows at Camden, New Jersey’s Susquehanna Bank Center, it was of little surprise to me that the venue experience (Read: the
venue experience,
not the AFI experience) was less than sub par. Arriving some time between five and six a.m., I quickly found myself (amongst the company of 12 other people - all Green Day fans), confined to a small park bordering the venue after an extremely militant event staff employee cast us from the premises, claiming that our presence was considered a “liability” for the venue.
Decidedly limiting our interactions with the event staff from that point on, we were, again, nonplussed to discovered that entry to the event would prove more difficult than expected. Required to form multiple (and unnecessary) single-file lines, each organized alphabetically, we were led into the pit, accompanied by an overabundance of event staff members.
That said, the size of the pit was relatively small, catering to about 300 attendees. Additionally, the sound from within the pit area was decent, although I’m convinced that the same could not be said for those whom possessed lawn tickets.
The Fans:A nine year AFI veteran, I’ve become acquainted (as many of you have) with countless AFI-related nuances; including the notorious (and preposterous) rivalry that has developed between AFI and Green Day fans within recent years. Having just returned from a Green Day show, I can stay with great confidence that the vast majority of Green Day fans are, inversely, quite cool.
Despite the frustrating circumstances that we encountered regarding the venue’s early arrival “policy,” my fellow (Green Day) attendees salvaged the situation to the best of their ability. How so, you might ask? With numbers. Developing a first-come-first-serve number system, we labeled concertgoer’s hands - via Sharpie - as they arrived.
Now, you may be questioning yourself as to
how effective such a system would be. Well, Dear Reader, it was, indeed, quite successful. The majority of fans were very compliant throughout the entire process, although naturally the tables turned come show time.
In spite of the mostly favorable outcome, I will say, however, with great disappointment, that the Green Day fans were much more agreeable and tolerable than the few AFI enthusiasts that I encountered. Without delving into great detail, I will note that many, if not all, of the AFI fans that I communicated with were very adamant about abandoning all common decency, ignoring the unspoken first-come-first-serve rule. I was personally quite taken aback by this, considering how amiable the majority of AFI fans are, in addition to how unbearable the weather was - But alas, humans will be humans.
That said, the Green Day fans were seemingly grateful for the fact that I made known my intentions of relinquishing my spot on the barricade post-(AFI) performance.
AFI/Crew (Performance, Mood, etc.):The band and crew appeared to be in very high spirits throughout the day. Smith, Fritch, Reno, etc. were all seemingly upbeat, with Smith flashing us a few great big smiles when we greeted him.
Equally as chipper were the boys. Davey was quite chatty, as comparable to the beginning of the Crash Love Tour. Jade, Adam, and Hunter also exuded great energy, beaming - The vibe was pretty playful during the entire set.
Just as well, they sounded and looked amazing and well-rested. Davey sported a shorter ‘do, as well as Jade; likely freshly coiffed for tour. Additionally, Davey donned some new, much roomier-looking black pants, while Jade, Hunter, and Adam stuck to their typical garb.
Furthermore, Davey did goof on a few of the lyrics, appearing slightly frustrated with himself, but he bounced right back, utilizing his signature dramatic hand gestures (and “Oh’s”), as well as outfitting himself in a crowd member’s fuschia feather boa during their performance of “I Am Trying…” It was undoubtedly the most memorable aspect of the performance.
Set List:Medicate
Girl's Not Grey
Leaving Song Pt. II
I Am Trying Very Hard to be Here
The Missing Frame
End Transmission
Beautiful Thieves
Dancing Through Sunday
Miss Murder
Silver and Cold
Love Like Winter
Having only been provided with a 40 minute time slot, the boys mastered their hits. Despite the fact that not all AFI fans left feeling satiated, the band very likely chose these songs for a number of reasons. For starters, the set list went relatively unchanged from the headlining tour, which is obviously more convenient. Just as well, they’re attempting to garner new fans with this tour - They’re not catering specifically to us because 1.) we’re already familiar with their work and 2.) the majority of concertgoers are Green Day fans.
When attending these shows, it’s important to keep in mind that AFI is not headlining. If not, our expectations will be shot.
Merchandise: Having only glanced at the merchandise, I noticed but one or two new shirts containing a list of tour dates on the back. Fritch was not manning any of the merch tables - The event staff was.
Pictures: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]Videos:-
"I Am Trying..."/Davey Sporting a Fuschia Boa [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]-
"Girl's Not Grey"[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]-
"Beautiful Thieves"[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Fri Aug 06, 2010 9:54 am
