AFI Brings Every Era of the Band to The Observatory Festival Grounds

The Observatory Festival Grounds in Santa Ana have become a familiar home for the venue’s larger outdoor shows, and Saturday night brought AFI back to Orange County for a major headline performance with L.A. Witch, Kumo 99 and Mareux. With the show taking place in the parking lot outside the main venue, the grounds took on a festival atmosphere with food trucks, local businesses and an air conditioned space where fans could cool down between sets. It was a different setup from a regular night inside The Observatory, but it gave fans plenty of room to move around, grab something to eat and settle in for a full night of music.

I missed L.A. Witch’s first three songs after being dropped off at the venue’s usual entrance and not realizing the event had taken over the entire block, with the entrance moved to the opposite side. Thankfully, I still caught most of their set, and they were an absolute vibe. Their dark, hazy sound made the whole area feel less like a parking lot and like stepping into a goth club. There was something hypnotic about watching them play as the crowd settled into their atmosphere. It was a great way to ease into the darker side of the lineup.

Kumo 99 was another highlight for me, especially because I had been trying to see them for a while. The duo immediately made me a fan. Their beats were insane, and they turned the festival grounds into a party with electronic music, touches of hyperpop and Japanese vocals. I honestly did not expect the Japanese vocals, which made me laugh when I remembered that “kumo” means spider in Japanese. Sometimes finally seeing a band you have been trying to catch is worth the wait.

Mareux followed with a completely different atmosphere. Their synth heavy sound moved through darkwave, coldwave and gothic rock, creating an even darker mood as the sun set. Aryan Ashitiani known as “Mareaux” worked the keys while dancing along to the music, completely absorbed in the performance. It is always fun to watch an artist genuinely lose themselves onstage, and Mareux brought that kind of energy to the grounds.

By the time AFI was ready to take the stage, the crowd had been waiting for them all afternoon and night. The chants of “AFI! AFI! AFI!” grew louder until the band finally appeared, opening with “Strength Through Wounding” from Black Sails in the Sunset. The response was immediate. Thousands of voices shouted back, “Through our bleeding, we are one!” before AFI moved straight into “Girl’s Not Grey.”

That was a pretty incredible moment for me. “Girl’s Not Grey” is one of my favorite AFI songs, and I was standing right up front with my cameras while the band played it. It was honestly difficult to stay completely focused on taking photos when I wanted to head bob and sing along. There is something different about hearing a song you have known for years while standing only a few feet from the people performing it.

AFI’s set continued to move through different chapters of the band’s career, and that is where Davey Havok becomes such an important part of the experience. AFI has gone through numerous musical and visual phases, but Havok has always been the visual center of the band. Every era seems to bring a different version of Davey, from the early punk years to the darker and more theatrical periods that followed. The current AFI chapter feels especially connected to goth and darkwave aesthetics, and “Holy Visions” fits naturally into that world. The song took some time to grow on me, but hearing it live gave me a much better appreciation for what AFI is doing now.

Havok was constantly in motion, climbing onto platforms, jumping and working his way toward the audience. Jade Puget moved across the stage with his guitar, switching between heavier riffs and more melodic passages, while Hunter Burgan kept everything grounded on bass. Behind them, Adam Carson was a beast on drums. After more than two decades together, there is an ease to the way these four musicians play off one another.

The setlist felt like a tour through AFI’s evolution. “A Single Second” and “The Days of the Phoenix” represented the earlier years, while “Bleed Black,” “Silver and Cold,” “Love Like Winter” and “Miss Murder” brought back some of the songs that became defining moments for a much larger audience. Newer material such as “Snow Cats,” “I Hope You Suffer,” “Nooneunderground” and “Holy Visions” showed that the band is not simply living in its past.

Before “Beautiful Thieves,” Havok told the crowd that this was AFI’s biggest headline show since 2006. Considering how long the band has been part of the Southern California music scene, that made the moment feel even bigger. Yet the performance never felt like a victory lap. AFI played like a band still interested in moving forward.

The final stretch brought some of the biggest reactions of the night, with “The Days of the Phoenix” and “Miss Murder” turning the grounds into one giant sing along. The encore continued with “Silver and Cold,” which Havok dedicated in loving memory to Sick Of It All’s Lou Koller, before “Totalimmortal” closed the night.

For me, the night ended up being about more than simply photographing AFI. I finally got to see Kumo 99, L.A. Witch pulled me into their dark little world, Mareux brought another layer of atmosphere, and then AFI took the stage and delivered a set that moved through decades of their music. AFI has changed its sound and visual identity many times, but watching that crowd scream every word back at the band made one thing obvious: whatever phase AFI is in, its fans are still right there with them.