Over the past decade and a half, I’ve been lucky enough to meet the band several times. Each moment was unique and will be remembered – especially the time that Adam showed his incredible generosity and gave the HQ team sets of drumsticks used on AFI (The Blood Album), and let me have the sticks from “Dark Snow”.

But as much as that evening will forever stick in my mind, my absolute favorite moment wasn’t one where I even met the band. It was May 28th, 2010, and 3 of my New England DF friends made the trek to Providence, RI, to see AFI play an outdoor skating rink.

Not only was AFI playing, but so were Violent Soho (another favorite of mine) and an unknown band – at the time – called New Politics. Both support acts were great, but in the end it was the atmosphere of this show that set it apart.

AFI absolutely killed it that night. As the springtime heat faded into a cool, damp evening, the band tore through a set that included the first time I got to see “I Am Trying Very Hard To Be Here” and the last time I saw them play “Death of Seasons”. Something about experiencing that song out in the open was truly amazing.

It was also my first time seeing any major show outside rather than in a stuffy venue, and 11 years later is still one of my favorite shows of all time. I doubt it will ever leave my top 3. That is one show I could relive over and over and never get bored of.