East Bay rockers AFI (A Fire Inside) performed hit after hit to a sold out house at the Bren Center at UC Irvine Tuesday night. AFI is on tour to support the band’s seventh full length album “Decemberundergroound.”
The opening bands on the tour were Orange County natives Saosin and AFI long-time friends, Tiger Army.
Tiger Army pumped up the crowd with the band’s fast-paced psycho-billy rock and intense bass riffs from stand-up bassist Jeff Roffredo. Nick 13 sang most of the crowd favorites from the self-titled first album, like “Moonlight Dreams” and “Never Die.” The band also played a good mix from the group’s other two released albums “Tiger Army II: Power of Moonlite” and “III: Ghost Tigers Rise.”
The audience really got his or her arms pumping during “F.T.W.” and danced with that special someone during “In the Orchard.” Tiger Army never disappoints live and the band promises to go back in the studio soon and record the group’s fourth album.
The entire tour is being filmed for an upcoming AFI DVD, so the band’s set was more elaborate than the groups past tours. The set was all in white, with large trees set up in the corners of the stage and lit up with Christmas lights through out the set.
Front man Davey Havok opened the set, hidden behind a large black sheet, which closed off the entire stage and began singing the first song off the album “Prelude 12/21.”
Half way through the song the curtain feel to dramatic effect and the rest of AFI, Jade Puget (guitar), Adam Carson (drums) and Hunter (bass) joined Havok on the stage.
The entire band was dressed head-to-toe in white and gave off an energy that shook the crowd.
The next two songs were “Girls not Grey” and “The Leaving Song Part II,” off the 2003 release “Sing the Sorrow.” The audience reacted well to these songs; since the music videos for these songs had heavy rotation on MTV.
Havok gave a great show as front man and danced around the stage with endless energy and countless “vogue” poses. He looked tough in his cutoff white shirt, which showed his heavily tattooed arms, until you saw his lacy white gloves and glittery pink eye shadow.
AFI is known for their equally mixed shows, playing songs from most of their seven albums, but that was missing from this tour. Playing only one song from their occult classic “Black Sails” and the band’s break thru album “The Art of Drowning,” a lot of the emotion that is usually shown at their shows, seemed to be missing.
The only time Havok seemed to break thru was during the encore, when he sang “God Called in Sick Today,” and walked into the crowd, only being supported by the hundreds of hands of his adoring fans.
AFI still delivers a great show and puts a 110 percent into everything they do.
AFI will be playing a sold-out show at 7:30 Sept. 15 at the Long Beach Arena.