Photo Credit: Scott Uchida
Deftones/Death From Above 1979
The Forum
Los Angeles, CA
Southern California Deftones appearances have been some of their most magical shows, and tonight’s was no different, as they came out firing away and got the crowd amped upon the first note. Frontman Chino Moreno trotted around the stage and often marched right in front of the crowd, screaming ‘guns…knives…razors!’ (on “Rocket Skates.” The crowd was right behind him and got the high energy show going on a high all evening.
Chino Moreno of The Deftones. Photo Credit: Scott Uchida
Their set list span across their catalog of songs, and while they have yet to perform new material from their forthcoming album, fans didn’t seem to mind that their current set rocks just fine. Choice cuts such as “Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)” and “My Own Summer (Shove It)” had the crowd singing along and bouncing along with the band.
Stephen Carpenter of The Deftones. Photo Credit: Scott Uchida
They have grown to cover a wide span of sounds, from somber, ambient tunes (“Digital Bath,” “Change (In the House of Flies) to energetic yet melodic driven (“Knife Party”) to the harder driving tunes that got the crowd jumping along. Guitarist Stephen Carpenter and bassist Sergio Vega both play roles alongside Moreno with creating and projecting their riff driven sounds, while drummer Abe Carpenter and keyboardist Frank Delgado quietly set the pace for their overall vibe that brought out the wide array of reactions from the audience.
Sergio Vega of The Deftones. Photo Credit: Scott Uchida
The highlights of their set came during the two closing numbers – “Headup” with the crowd chanting “Soulfly” during the chorus, and longtime favorite “Engine No 9” (with an interlude of Ice Cube’s “Wicked”) that easily closed out another memorable evening.
Deftones Set List
Diamond Eyes
Rocket Skates
Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)
My Own Summer (Shove It)
You’ve Seen the Butcher
Sextape
Feiticeira
Digital Bath
Knife Party
When Girls Telephone Boys
Tempest
Swerve City
Passenger
Change (In the House of Flies)
Headup
Engine No. 9
Canadian dance-punk duo Death From Above 1979 came out with a somewhat minimal stage setup but made up with their eclectic music and somewhat resembles in parts a pseudo-gothic dance party. Vocalist/drummer Sebastien Grainger and bassist/synth player Jesse F Keeler both spent much of their brief set in the center of the stage, without much movement, but still managed to get the crowd into their bizarre sounds. Musically, Keeler’s synth driven overtones surrounds Grainger’s drumming while he is also handling vocals, which at times can be a bit confusing. While Death From Above 1979 is still new to most people, this outside of the box musical style is a breath of fresh air to a somewhat stale musical scene of today, and tonight was proof that creativity in music still exists.