Evidently inspired by Gnarls Barkley, Yellowcard took to the stage with a personal escort: Darth Vader. Flanked by a squadron of Storm Troopers, the band wasted little time powering up into hits like “Way Away” and fan-favorite “Warm October Nights.” Violinist/vocalist Sean Mackin proved equally adept at landing Olympic-worthy back flips as he did at churning through searing violin solos. Midway through their set, the Jacksonville, FL quintet announced they would be heading back into the studio to start work on a new record, much to the crowd’s delight.
As darkness fell over Memorial Stadium, the anticipation was palpable for Saturday’s headliners, AFI. “I drove 16 hours up the Oregon Coast for this show,” said Robin Mavunkel, 25, of Santa Clara, CA.
AFI were as excited as for their set as were their legions of fans. Prior to the show, lead singer Davey Havok and drummer Adam Carson sat down with SPIN.com to express their excitement over the their fans’ enthusiasm. “There is nothing like playing an enormous show when you can get a great reaction from the crowd,” said Carson. “We couldn’t ask for a better collection of fans and we appreciate all of their dedication and devotion.”
Havok chimed in to talk about his band’s upcoming tour and their recent VMAs victory, in which they took home “Best Rock Video” for their single, “Miss Murder.” The singer looked forward to his band’s next video and the slew of directors he’d potentially work with on it. “There are a lot of great directors out there,” remarked Havok. “It would be amazing to work with Anton Corbin.” Havok also put Michel Gondry, who has directed videos for the White Stripes, Bjork, and Aphex Twin, as a potential candidate. “His reel is absolutely stunning,”
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With such appreciation for artsy music videos, it was no surprise AFI’s set was so visually appealing. Clad in all white garb and black suspenders, Havok owned every inch of the stage, which, with its dreamy winter-wasteland accoutrements, was set in stark contrast to the warm August night. ELI SCHWIMMER
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YELLOWCARD PHOTOS BY CHARLOTTE SMITH. AFI PHOTOS BY OWEN FEGAN
At Bumbershoot ’06, Spin is on the ground with our college correspondent program. Eight college students — four writers, four photographers — earned the opportunity to cover the festival for SPIN.com, live, all weekend long. Sound appealing? Stay tuned to SPIN.com for future opportunities to apply for our college correspondent program!
