Deftones @ Palace Theatre,Melbourne (31/01/2011)

Tue 1st Feb, 2011 in Gig Reviews

January 2011 marks not only the first Australian Deftones tour since 2007 – wow, has it really been four-years? – but the first time the group has toured Australia without bassist Chi Cheng. As is widely known, Cheng was seriously injured in a car accident in 2008 while the band was recording what was to be their sixth studio-album Eros, which has been shelved indefinitely. In the months after Cheng’s accident, the band looked to former Quicksand bassist Sergio Vega as Cheng’s replacement.

As the insidious heat settled over a sold-out Palace, a short introduction, courtesy of keyboardist/sampler Frank Delgado, gave way to an explosive version of Birthmark, quickly followed by Engine No. 9; both tracks taken from their debut-album Adrenaline. What vocalist Chino Moreno lacks in charisma, he certainly makes up for in energy, scaling speakers and amps only a verse into the second song. Vega was similarly energetic, throwing around bass, body, and screams in paroxysmal fits. Though lacking the physical presence of Cheng, Vega’s no less capable and his inclusion into the band – on record and live – appears seamless. In stark contrast was guitarist Stephen Carpenter, whose immobility is justified only by a huge range of killer guitar tones. Showing no signs of ever intending to slow down, the band peaked – too early? – with the familiar Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away) and My Own Summer (Shove It), both from their seminal album Around the Fur. Needless to say, the huge and sweaty crowd was reveling in the band’s energy.

Five songs in, the band continued delivering songs from Around the Fur, including both the title track and Lhabia. Maintaining a chronological approach, they soon turned to 2000’s White Pony, and the tracks Digital Bath and Knife Party, which is when things slowly started deteriorating. Nearly half way in, Moreno was clearly showing signs of fatigue, which was noticeable in what was otherwise a very strong vocal performance. Despite this, they pushed on with the same energy that characterised the first third of the set, and into turbulent versions of the tracks Hexagram, Minerva, and Bloody Cape; all from their underwhelming self-titled album. The middle of the set was devoted to tracks from their most recent album Diamond Eyes.

What was noticeable about the new songs was the ease with which the band approached them. Considering most of the songs in the set are now over 10 years old, the newer tracks seemed no less familiar and no less relevant to their impressive back catalogue of material. Diamond Eyes and CMND/CTRL were succeeded by a scrappy version of Royal; after playing the track Moreno ceded “I wasn’t ready to play that song.” Visibly tiring – fair enough, it was fucking boiling – Moreno took some time to converse with the audience after a restrained version of Sextape. To his eventual dismay, he was coerced into sculling beer, which he did very well, however if he had approached the next few songs with the same enthusiasm with which he sculled the beer, it might have made for a more memorable performance. The huge guitars and precise rhythmic compositions, for which the Deftones are known, were celebrated in all their glory with Rocket Skates and the bowel-shattering riff of You’ve Seen The Butcher. At times Moreno seemed like he’d rather be elsewhere, which was emphasised in his commitment – or lack thereof – to Beauty School and Hole In The Earth. However, he isn’t necessarily the kind of artist to restrict his performances to that which he puts on record, which was appreciated in Kimdracula, and the soaring melodies of Change (In the House of Flies).

Prior to leaving the stage for the first time, they played through a huge version of Passenger, which was a tease for all the Tool fans. As the band exited the stage, Carpenter and Delgado remained and filled the encore with feedback and melodious soundscapes. Drummer Abe Cunningham led the band back to where they started, with the album Adrenaline. The songs Root and 7 Words closed what was a highly inconsistent but thoroughly enjoyable set, and if Cheng never tours with the Deftones again, they’ve found a worthy replacement in Vega.