It doesn’t happen very often that one of my favorite bands comes playing in a venue only 30 minutes away from me, so when I caught wind the Deftones were playing in Groningen I really had to see them. The Oosterpoort itself is one of the most prestigious venues here up north, so that gave some additional grandeur.
With the venue being half full London-based Three Trapped Tigers opened the musical discourse of the evening. They kept the middle road between instrumental progressive rock, jazz and post rock. King Crimson, Tides Of Nebula and 65daysofstatic are good reference points there. Despite the intricate nature of their music and the splendid execution, they really failed to make an impression on me. Great musical skills goes a long way, but it doesn’t hurt to work on your presentation skills too, gents!
After a short break it was time for the Deftones to take the stage. The venue itself was surprisingly full for a Monday evening and this amused Chino Moreno and Co greatly. The band started their set with vigorous renditions of ‘Rocket Skates’ and ‘Diamond Eyes’. Chino may have chilled down over the years, but his vocal chords are still in top shape. His interaction with the crowd were surprisingly humble and without the usual rock n’ roll rhetoric. It was quite refreshing to be honest. It took a while before the audience really warmed up, but with ‘By Quiet And Drive (Far Away)’ and ‘My Own Summer (Shove It)’ things really got heated up with the first slam pits of the evening being a fact.
After that, Chino and Co shifted back a gear and the emphasis was on their more moody and atmospheric material, mostly off White Pony and Koi No Yokan. Splendid renditions of ‘Digital Bath’, ‘Rosemary’, ‘Leathers’ and ‘Tempest’ really gave me goose bumps. These songs were alternated by more up tempo tracks, like ‘Elite’, ‘Swerve City’, ‘Poltergeist’ and ‘Minerva’. My personal highlights of the evening were ‘Passenger’ and ‘Change (In The House Of Flies)’ which invoked a rapturous response from the crowd. Chino and Co closed their set in style with ‘Seven Words’.
Playing a gig on Monday evening may not be the most ideal time of the week, but The Deftones gave it their all and they really underscored their position as one the finest live acts in (alternative) rock and metal today.
Deftones and Three Trapped Tigers
Oosterpoort Groningen, The Netherlands
September 2nd, 2013
Raymond Westland
Pictures: Blueberryheaven