Review & photos by Andrew Bansal
August 24th 2016, Greek Theatre, Los Angeles CA: Sacramento, California experimental rock/art metal group Deftones released their eighth full-length studio album ‘Gore’ this year, a darker, angrier, trippier, moodier set of tunes than some of their past releases. Because of their early-years sound, they often get roped in with the nu-metal gamut of bands, but they’ve always been more than that, with proggy, post-hardcore tendencies, and have in fact influenced a lot of good modern metal in existence today. While their music over the years has made a huge impact on the younger generation and still does so, they continue to strive for newer creative ground, at times battling their own past. They embarked on a North American tour this summer, and landed in Los Angeles last Wednesday August 24th, to attempt what would perhaps be their biggest ever coup in this town, a headline show at the 6000-capacity Greek Theatre. A venue normally hosting classic rock acts and music outside the rock/metal realm, the Greek was in for a pleasant surprise from this highly influential and adventurous modern metal band.
Doors opened at 6:30 and the show began at 7:15. One would expect the unexpected from Deftones when it comes to them choosing out-of-the-box opening acts for their touring lineups, and this occasion was no different in that sense. Los Angeles based electronic group Rituals Of Mine (formerly known as Sister Crayon) were the first to take the stage for a 30-minute set. Their music is very much revolving around electronic beats and percussion, but the quality of frontwoman Terra Lopez’ vocal delivery is instantly noticeable, and she showcased good energy to utilize this massive stage, regularly stepping onto the trusses in front of it to get closer to the crowd. The usage of a conventional drummer and a keyboard player alongside the exploits of Dani Fernandez on the electronic drum pads added further to the band’s live sound, and even though not up every Deftones fan’s alley, Rituals Of Mine made for an apt start to the show.
Next up was a rap/hip-hop singer from Gadsden, Alabama who calls himself Yelawolf. This was another strange opener, specially for the more metal-minded Deftones fans, but it can’t be denied that Yelawolf put forth a commendable performance and presented an interesting set with the help of a guitarist and a keyboardist/DJ. Being from small-town Alabama, he also has that natural musical flair embedded in him from birth, and it shows in his music. Despite being an apparently big-name act because of his own releases as well as collaborations with the likes of Travis Barker, Yelawolf was a completely unknown entity to me. The only rap I ever listened to was Eminem, and Yelawolf’s rapping reminded me of that style. Sure enough, he proceeded onto mention the words ‘Marshall Mathers’, and turns out he’s signed to Shady Records, which is Eminem’s label. Not that I expected it at a metal show, but this was the first rap-based live performance I had ever witnessed, and I have to admit I liked it.
And lastly at 9:15, headliners Deftones took the stage and converted the Greek Theatre into their haven, not only delivering an excellent 19-song compilation of their musical repertoire, but also bringing a level of stage production that befitted the occasion and deemed them worthy of headlining a venue of this stature. With an insanely well-arranged lighting rig and a perfectly directed light show to accompany the music, strobes used at opportune moments, they took themselves as a live band to truly theatrical heights and served up a show worthwhile and more for the paying fan. Vocalist Chino Moreno was in his element from the get-go, enjoying the attention and admiration from Deftones fans after spending the last few years playing much smaller clubs to perform material from his side-projects like Crosses and Palms. He nailed the clean as well as harsh vocals, and for certain parts of the set, took a break from all the running and jumping around to play guitar while singing from a stationary position center-stage. He reveled in the spotlight whereas his band mates put their heads down and focused on their respective instruments. They left Moreno to handle the crowd interaction bit, which he did with grace and aplomb, engaging the entire theatre and creating a strong bond between band and audience.
Instead of playing a set dominated by brand new material, Deftones presented only three songs off of ‘Gore’ and treated fans to an array of older tunes for the remainder of it. On the whole, it was a sonically supreme as well as visually powerful exhibition of dark progressive modern heavy music. Guitarist Stephen Carpenter’s very recognizable heavy down-tuned guitar riffs were emanating from the stage with full force and being absorbed with delight by the audience, and no Deftones review is valid or complete without mentioning the mastery of drummer Abe Cunningham. Extremely hard-hitting and technically precise drumming is required to keep up and synchronize with Stephen Carpenter’s style of guitar play, and Cunningham does a mighty fine job at it.
In comparison to the run-of-the-mill classic rock shows at the Greek Theatre, this was an entirely different concert experience. The herbal fragrance was still evident in the air on this cool summer evening, but every single person was standing during Deftones’ set and it wasn’t the kind of show where people would keep leaving their seats multiple times. The relatively younger-than-usual audience demographic made for a livelier atmosphere. Earplugs were not needed, but it generally seemed to be a louder show. Looking up and down the venue from my seat (Section B, row P), every single seat was occupied, and it has to be said that Deftones drew a larger turnout here than some of the classic rock acts doing the same old song and dance every year.
On the strength of their old and new material in equal measure, Deftones proved themselves to be a far more compelling live act than many of their ’90s metal contemporaries, and this Los Angeles headline show of theirs was by all means a success.
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More Deftones photos:
Deftones set list:
01. Rocket Skates
02. Geometric Headdress
03. Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)
04. Rickets
05. Diamond Eyes
06. Rosemary
07. Swerve City
08. Gore
09. Kimdracula
10. Digital Bath
11. Prince
12. (L)MIRL
13. Knife Prty
14. Change (In the House of Flies)
15. Passenger
Encore:
16. My Own Summer (Shove It)
17. Headup
Encore 2:
18. Bored
19. Engine No. 9
Remaining Tour Dates:
08/27/2016 – Eugene, OR @ Cuthbert Amphitheater %
08/29/2016 – San Diego, CA @ Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre %
08/30/2016 – Las Vegas, NV @ The Joint %
08/31/2016 – Mesa, AZ @ Mesa Amphitheatre %
09/02/2016 – Denver, CO @ National Western Complex (Riot Fest)
09/18/2016 – Chicago, IL @ Douglas Park (Riot Fest)
09/19/2016 – Indianapolis, IN @ Egyptian Theatre
09/21/2016 – Little Rock, AR @ Metroplex
09/23/2016 – Corpus Christi, TX @ Concrete Street Pavilion
09/24/2016 – Fort Worth, TX @ Petty Place at Texas Motor Speedway (Texas Mutiny)
09/25/2016 – Houston, TX @ NRG Park (Houston Open Air Festival)
% = w/ Yelawolf & Rituals Of Mine