The Deftones are back
August 25, 2010
The Fillmore Miami Beach, Miami, FL
Written by Kate Dingle
Wednesday night marked the return of the hard-rocking quintet, the Deftones, to a South Florida stage.
For many in the crowd, the four years between SoFla shows had been an eternity. And while the anxiousness for the act to take the stage seemed to radiate throughout the building, their absence was understood. Not only was the band touring and recording, but they have also had to deal with the tragic 2008 car accident that (essentially) took their longtime bassist, Chi Cheng, away from them. Almost two years later, Cheng remains in a minimally conscious state.
When the house lights went down, the capacity crowd went ballistic for the Sacramento-based act. And as the metal veterans took the stage, it didn’t seem to matter what happened after, as long as they were there.
As the Deftones thrashed their way through their nearly 20-song setlist, Chino Moreno, Stephen Carpenter, Frank Delgado, Abe Cunningham, and Sergio Vega were the quintessential metal band, almost. Yes, their set was pure adrenaline, make-your-ears-bleed guitar shredding, and deafening screaming from the front man, but it wasn’t all screaming and head banging. Throughout the show, Moreno showed off his spectacular vocal range and a bit of sensitivity. In an instant, he could go from a full on scream to crooning softly without so much as a pause. It was pretty impressive.
The set list included both old and new crowd favorites. Even though it was nearly impossible to determine what the favorites really were seeing as each song they tore through seemed to garner an even louder response than the one before it.
Set highlights included: “Rocket Skates”, “Beauty School”, “Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)”, “Dai The Flu”, and “7 Words”.
Even after a four year gap between visits to our area, the Deftones are still one of South Florida’s favorite acts. And after over 20 years of shaking listeners to their very core, these guys have solidified themselves as metal icons.
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