The air inside the Fillmore on Tuesday night was thick with vapor and the palpable energy of a band that hasn't just endured, it has conquered. AFI arrived in Philadelphia not just as rock veterans, but as chart kings, riding high on the undeniable success of their latest masterstroke, Silver Bleeds The Black Sun, which currently sits atop the Billboard Top 200 as the reigning number one rock album.
From the first discordant, glorious notes of “Strength Through Wounding,” the show was less a concert and more a furious, controlled demolition. Lead Singer Davey Havok, dressed in a shimmering, dark silhouette, immediately became a blur of kinetic energy. He didn't just sing the lyrics of the classic "Girl's Not Grey," he vaulted them into the audience, turning the stage into a vertical playground. His signature acrobatics, the rapid mic spins, the dizzying back-and-forth sprints proved that decades into their career, AFI still operates with the visceral, unrestrained urgency of a band playing its first arena.
The evening was a perfectly curated journey through the band’s deep catalog, proving why their new material hits just as hard as their platinum anthems. The gothic, icy pulse of “Love Like Winter” shimmered under dark blue lights before the band pivoted sharply into the jagged, triumphant roar of new tracks like “Voidward, I Bend Back.” The success of the new album felt less like a resurgence and more like a coronation, confirming that the Bay Area quartet’s unique blend of punk aggression and elegant despair remains unmatched.
It was during the mid-set dive into the intense "The Face Beneath The Waves" that Havok pulled off his most iconic, fan-uniting move. After pushing the mic stand dangerously close to the precipice of the stage, he launched himself over the barrier, balancing precariously on the rail while delivering the next verse, locking eyes with the frenzied crowd. The sheer intimacy of that moment. Havok, a living legend, reaching out to the chaos, was a lightning rod.
The momentum peaked with a genuinely stunning moment: a rare performance of “Brownie Bottom Sundae,” the deep cut that hasn’t been seen on a setlist since 2013. But it was the dramatic finale of the main set, the chilling, gorgeous wall of sound built around “Silver and Cold,” that left the Fillmore breathless.
The band returned for an encore that cemented their legendary status, tearing through "Beautiful Thieves" before closing, fittingly, with the soaring, untouchable energy of “The Days of the Phoenix.” AFI didn’t just play a concert; they delivered a powerful statement: The kings of the dark arts are back on their throne, and they’ve never sounded better.
Set List:
Strength Through Wounding
Girl's Not Grey
Love Like Winter
Behind the Clock
Malleus Maleficarum
Ash Speck in a Green Eye
Paper Airplanes (Makeshift Wings)
The Face Beneath the Waves
Of Greetings and Goodbyes
Holy Visions
I Hope You Suffer
VOIDWARD, I BEND BACK
17 Crimes
Brownie Bottom Sundae
Silver and Cold
Encore:
Beautiful Thieves
The Days of the Phoenix
Next Tour Stops:
Oct 17 Atlanta, GA
Oct 18 Nashville, TN
Oct 20 Asheville, NC
Oct 21 North Myrtle Beach, SC
Oct 23 Orlando, FL
Review and Photography by: Craig Eidell