AFI Brings "Bodies Tour 2022" to Orlando at House of Blues on December 3rd, 2022

Written and Photographed by Dylan Duncan

ORLANDO, FL -- Punk legends AFI concluded their Bodies Tour 2022 in Orlando, FL on December 3rd, 2022.

For nearly 30 years this band has put on one of the most consistent live shows you could ever see. This tour was especially unique because they seemingly played a different setlist every night.

Few bands have a catalogue as diverse as AFI. From their early hardcore offerings like 1997’s Shut Your Mouth and Open Your Eyes, to 2003’s emo classic Sing The Sorrow, and 2006’s electronic/goth influenced
DECEMBERUNDERGROUND.

This tour would see them promoting their 2021 release, Bodies, which saw the band lean heavily into their new-wave influences. This show was one of the first dates of the tour to sell-out and the House of Blues Orlando would see members of the Despair Faction (the bands fan club, equally as diverse as their discography) come out in droves to support their favorite band.

Every AFI show I’ve been opens with the band taking the stage to chants of “Through our bleeding... we are one!,” the opening lyric to "Strength Through Wounding" from the band's seminal classic 1999’s Black Sails In The Sunset.

The band would play for nearly 90 minutes, dusting off classics from their catalogue, including a personal favorite “The Boy Who Destroyed The World” from the 1999 "All Hallow’s EP", which I discovered when it was featured on the soundtrack for Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3.

A few other standouts from the set:

• "Aurelia," from the 2017 self-titled album has always been a killer B-side
• Along with "Endlessly, She Said" from 2003’s Sing The Sorrow, showed that the band is a well-oiled machine that has truly mastered their craft and catalog of music.
• Additionally, the band would kick into their chart-topping single "Miss Murder." While this song may not be one of my favorites, it goes to show the true power of a radio single/MTV hit. I believe the true gatekeeping test for AFI fans is whether they discovered the band before or after this song was released.

The show would wrap up with two of the band's biggest hits. First, "Silver and Cold" from 2003’s Sing The Sorrow. This song would be one of the first hints at this band experiment with a more emo/radio friendly influence, and it still hits hard today nearly 20 years later.

Lastly, the band would seemingly pay tribute to their lifelong dedicated fans with a performance of "Days of The Phoenix" from 2000’s The Art of Drowning.

Next up for the band is a Sing The Sorrow 20th anniversary next spring.