Concert Review: Deftones at Austin360 Amphitheater: San Diego metallers slay on a balmy night in Austin, TX.
[rating=5]
Just a little year over a year since their triumphant 2016 set at SXSW, San Diego’s Deftones returned to Austin last night–making a stop on their 2017 tour with Rise Against and Thrice.
After co-headliners Rise Against finished their (with vocalist Tim McIlrath giving a particularly poignant and rousing speech about our fraught political present), the Deftones hit the stage–opening with Headup, a charging deep cut off 1997’s Around The Fur, which got things moving nicely. Frontman Chino Moreno was in top form–rapping, screaming and belting in his own inimitable style.
They followed that with a simmering, pummeling rendition of another Fur track: My Own Summer (Shove It)–an appropriate choice given the season. The group leaned heavily on their well-received 2012 album Koi No Yokan––Swerve City was an immediate and euphoric crowd pleaser, while the Pink Floyd-esque Rosemary sounded absolutely mythic in scope–with guitarist Stephen Carpenter (tousled mane billowing throughout) delivering the main monolithic riff, while Moreno contributed cleaner, ethereal guitar lines.
White Pony material was also in abundance–aside from the expected inclusion of Change (In The House of Flies), the group also delivered on the languid Digital Bath, and anthemic faves Knife Party and Elite.
But the most unexpected track was certainly Back to School (Mini Maggit): Moreno has been quite public about his distaste for the song, a rap-rock revision of the original album cut Pink Maggit that he was prodded to do by the group’s record label. It went over huge live however, and he appeared energized by the crowd response.
The band only included one track from their 2016 album Gore, the beatific, psych-flavored Phantom Bride, with Moreno fearlessly attempting to replicate the guitar solo (originally played by Alice in Chains Jerry Cantrell). Minerva, off 2002’s Deftones was another highlight, with Moreno’s keening vocals sailing over the anthemic chorus.
DJ/keyboardist Frank Delgado continues to be the band’s secret weapon–adding spacey soundscapes that augmented tracks like You’ve Seen The Butcher and the band’s final encore Diamond Eyes, giving them a sound so massive it filled the entire arena with seismic weight, further enhanced by the neo-noir light display.
Deftones continue to prove they’re the only band to emerge and transcend the late 90’s Nu-Metal scene, creating their own mini-genre of metal and shoegaze that is mesmerizing on their albums but absolutely all-consuming live. Until next time…
Deftones Austin 360 Setlist:
Headup
My Own Summer (Shove It)
Swerve City
Digital Bath
Elite
You’ve Seen the Butcher
Rocket Skates
Phantom Bride
Knife Party
Change (In the House of Flies)
Back to School (Mini Maggit)
Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)
Minerva
Encore:
Rosemary
Diamond Eyes