Heaven and hell met on middle ground—albeit for a few ephemeral hours—when the Deftones (Chino Moreno, Stephen Carpenter, Abe Cunningham, Frank Delgado, Fred Sablan, and Lance Jackman), renowned for creating heavy-hitting Diabolus in musica chords that coexist with diaphanous, empyrean melodies, descended upon Seattle. The pseudo-purgatory event occurred at the sold-out Climate Pledge Arena, where devoted fans gathered to purge their angst or beatify their dreams while immersing themselves in Deftones’ metal-infused musical realm filled with transcendental whispers and diabolical screams.
The Deftones’ interpretation of Dante’s semi-existential state was manifested as a 3D, Matrix-style “Machine City,” featuring towering pillars grounded in front of a large metamorphosizing LED screen with vacillating imagery. This snapshot signaled that the band, who’ve made waves with their nihilistically sweet music for over thirty years, understands that music’s emotive power is magnified when paired alongside striking visuals. Case in point: Deftones’ unconventional (and at times unnerving) past videos have resurfaced garnering quasi-iconic status on the socials, helping them maintain their hardcore fanbase while attracting a new, younger audience of ardent devotees.
The Deftones showcased their skill at sparking imagination through musical allusion the moment they hit the stage when the dissonant “Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)” guitar riff cut through the air. The scene intensified as Chino sprinted toward his custom amped-out riser, and leapt on and off of it while ominous, Hitchcockian ‘birds’ swirled through a background of clouded skies.
Moving on momentum, the Deftones continued hyping up the now-electrified crowd when the crack of the cranked up snare and the thick, rolling bass of “My Own Summer (Shove It)” set off the entire arena. Concertgoers on every level—from the ground to the scaffolding—surged toward the stage. Chino further fueled the fire with his spine-tingling, guttural chant of “Shove it!,” with a ferocity that triggered a full-on GA mosh pit frenzy. The two hit tracks from their second release Around the Fur (1997) provided a perfect introduction to their ‘f*ck you, devil-may-care’ show.
The band pushed forward with the melodic power chords and subversive undertones of “Swerve City” from Koi No Yokan (2012), which had fans moving as one, creating a seismic swell strong enough for fans to feel the venue swaying with the song’s downbeat.
Deftones’ ability to create surreal worlds through heavy, sensual sonics was equally represented throughout their astounding set. “Feiticeira,” the beguiling allegory from the band’s critically acclaimed seminal album White Pony (2000), and the ominous “You’ve Seen the Butcher” from Diamond Eyes (2010), enveloped the audience in a thick haze of mesmerizing, undulating rock with sweeping electronics.
Songs spanning the entire sonic spectrum with layered lyrical abstraction provided the show’s focal point. However, it was Deftones’ metallic virtuosity that shined during the show. “Hole in the Earth” from Saturday Night Wrist (2006) and “Change (In the House of Flies)” from White Pony (2000) highlighted the band’s talent for composing and performing technically complex, expansive soundscapes while maintaining their heavy, aggressive-thrash cred. It should be noted that Chino’s holier-than-hell vocals that go from zero to 60 in a second serve as a distinct, crooning-screamo instrument in the lineup: crafted so its frequency is never confined and cannot be defined.
After an hour-plus clash of metal-meets-melodic sonics, Deftones found common ground, closing their set with a few nostalgic beats from the past—the epic “Minerva” from their 2003 self-titled release, along with two old-school aggro-mood classics “Bored” and “7 Words” from Adrenaline (1995). The crowd went wild. The trifecta of songs instigated in-the-moment audience participation, with bouncers cooling a surging, jam-packed pit with handmade cardboard fans, preventing concertgoers from fainting as numerous revelers crowd-surfed over them in a multitude of mini-moshes. In the end, hardcore Deftones devotees emerged from the band’s pseudo-purgatory knowing they’ve seen it all and can die in peace. Deftones ‘till the end.
Setlist:
Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)
My Own Summer (Shove It)
Diamond Eyes
Tempest
Swerve City
Feiticeira
Digital Bath
Prayers/Triangles
You've Seen the Butcher
Rocket Skates
Sextape
Bloody Cape
Rosemary
Hole in the Earth
Change (In the House of Flies)
Genesis
Encore:
Minerva
Bored
7 Words
Photos by Clemente Ruiz and Megan Perry
