Tonight’s show at Crystal Palace Park is Deftones biggest UK headline show to date, possibly their biggest headline show ever. 25,000 tickets sold out in record time, so you could say anticipation and expectations were high for this one. The show however was nearly derailed due an illness in the band’s camp a day prior, causing the cancellation of their debut Glastonbury set. This evening’s show at Crystal Palace thankfully goes off without a hitch.
A full day of live music is provided for the amassed crowd before the Deftones make their triumphant appearance on the stage. The bill for this particular day was very eclectic and as diverse as you’d expect with sets from HEALTH & High Vis being stand outs and getting the crowd warmed up. Weezer are an odd choice for main support but they run through a greatest hits set that goes over extremely well proving that their own catalogue is as cast iron as anyone’s in the game.
The stage is then set for Deftones to make this historic night their own and prove once again why they are so revered. Opening with the one two punch of Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away) and My Own Summer (Shove it) is a statement of intent if ever there was one, but they are just getting started. If there were any concerns about the band firing on less than all cylinders, those fears are put straight to bed.The setlist leans very heavily into Around the Fur, Diamond Eyes and the classic White Pony. We even get an unexpected outing of Headup which sends the place into a frenzy.
Deftones have always seemed like a more cohesive prospect live than on their recorded output and the curation of tonight’s setlist helps to back that up. Weaving in and out of the heavy and the heartfelt, the whole thing ebbs & flows in a way that feels designed to create the best atmosphere while hitting all the highest points imaginable.
Chino Moreno seems in a great mood this evening and while the in-between song chat is kept a minimum, when it does come it’s full of appreciation and lightheartedness. Deftones have weathered more storms than most and there are moments throughout where they have lost their way a little bit, but on the evidence here they are operating on a level that reminds you all why they became so beloved in the first place.
Rattling off songs like Rocket Skates, Swerve City & the goosebump inducing renditions of Diamond Eyes & Change (In the House of Flies) with all the ease in the world just feels right. They are a band that could easily coast on vibes and pander to their new found second life via Tik Tok, instead they feel like they still have something to prove and prove it they do. Chino runs around the stage like a man possessed, he is still one of the most captivating frontmen in music. The rest of the band came prepared for work tonight and while some of the members have changed, they are still tighter than a lid on a pickle jar this evening. Everything sounds so precise, so sharp and heavy as all hell.
Ending on a frankly silly run of Minerva, Bored & 7 Words, the latter two of which sounds as full throated and heavy as they did when they were released 30 years ago reinforce the timelessness of Deftones and their music. There are bands that define generations and then there are once in a generation bands, somehow Deftones are both and long may they continue to reign.
9/10
