Davey Havok’s unmatchable vocals, Jade Puget’s soaring guitars, Hunter Burgan’s rhythmic bass and Adam Carson’s speeding drums fulfilled a sold out crowd in Columbus, Ohio on Wednesday, Oct. 14 as part of legendary band AFI’s current Holy Visions Tour stop at Newport Music Hall.
With a catalogue spanning 12 albums since their first release in 1995, the setlists have varied from show to show, with a focus on their 2025 album Silver Bleeds The Black Sun…; however, popular hard rock hits and past punk rock crowd favorites were not left out—“Love Like Winter,” “Girl’s Not Grey,” “I Hope You Suffer,” “Endlessly, She Said,” “Silver And Cold,” “The Days Of The Phoenix,” “File 13,” “The Despair Factor,” “Strength Through Wounding,” “Beautiful Thieves.”
Each band member had youthful energy and never showed signs of exhaustion, making it a point to go from one side of the stage to the other while jumping, spinning, kicking, briefly posing, bouncing and head banging.
Fans knew every word to each song (including new songs: “Holy Water,” “Marguerite,” “Behind The Clock,” “The Bird Of Prey”) as Havok often stretched out his mic stand into the crowd—diehards have consistently stuck with AFI from the band’s impactful hardcore punk roots into eras of glam, emo, and goth alt rock.
Havok somehow seemed to make eye contact and greet each fan individually while performing. The 50 year old rock star only paused a couple times, complimenting the crowd, before going directly into another song, filling a 90-minute set with nearly 20 songs.
Davey “kissed our eyes and laid us to sleep.”
Choir Boy opened for a chill 45 minute set with phenomenally cryptic vocals reminiscent of Morrissey, backed by an outstanding dancey, dark wave shoegaze concoction that was slightly on the verge of Havok and Puget’s electronic side project, Blaqk Audio.
Keyboardist, saxophonist Jeff Kleinman paused to tell the crowd about his Columbus’ hometown origins and that he saw AFI at Newport when he was 16. Vocalist Adam Klopp also shared that he is from Cleveland.
The Holy Visions Tour, with some sold out dates, concludes later this month.
Tour Dates
AFI
CHOIR BOY
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