Deftones, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Le Butcherettes
Verizon Theatre
June 6, 2011
Better than: watching a Triunfo del Amor marathon.
As
strong a set as the Deftones performed to a packed Verizon Theatre last night, it was
difficult to overlook an uneven mix from the venue's sound system.
Vocalist Chino Moreno could be heard loud and clear, sure, but Abe
Cunningham's bass drum and Stephen Carpenter's guitar overpowered
throughout the 90-minute set.
Did you want some music with your kick drum? Sorry. Bassist Sergio Vega and sonic
landscaper Frank Delgado were to be heard only here and there --
frustrating stuff for this well-rounded and multi-faceted band.
But the band didn't play to a house full of sound engineers.
No, this devoted crowd was fully engaged from the opening track, "Diamond Eyes." And
that continued as the following handful of songs seemed to showcase a
buddy system with selection choice, as two songs from an album would be played
back to back, whether they were from Diamond Eyes, Adrenaline or Around
the Fur.
And, to their credit, the band members looked very happy to be on the stage
and playing to an adoring crowd. Moreno himself couldn't stop smiling
from ear to ear between his throat-wrenching wails. As Carpenter stayed
put on stage right, Vega and Moreno rarely stood in one place. From the
pit to the nosebleed seats, folks bounced up and down, screaming in
delight.
After the first quarter of the set was filled with
rockers, the band smoothly transitioned into lighter, moodier material.
Taking things down a notch after "My Own Summer (Shove It)," Moreno
strapped on a guitar and kicked into "Digital Bath." Then the band got
things jumping again with "Knife Party."
Later, backed by visuals from the
bizarro Japanese horror flick Hausu, Moreno was joined onstage by Teri "Gender
Bender" Suarez from opening act Le Butcherettes. Balancing punishing material with
slightly lighter material for the rest of the time, songs like "Sextape"
and "Change (In the House of Flies)" fit right in. "Passenger"
was one of the final songs in the main set, and it was a special piece
of pie; Greg Puciato from The Dillinger Escape Plan came out and covered
Maynard James Keenan's spot quite well.
Leaving the stage only
briefly before a two-song encore, the band finished with an absolutely
riveting version of "7 Words." With a certain kind of heaviness and
propulsion not found on the original recorded version, there was no way
the band could top this.
Certainly, was the best way to end the show.
It had started fairly strong, too: Main support act The
Dillinger Escape Plan is one of the most exciting live bands around
these days.
Unfortunately, as with the headliners, constant sound issues kept the band from
unleashing their usual raw, gut-punching blast. Greg Puciato's vocals,
Ben Weinman's guitar, and Jeff Tuttle's guitar were often buried
underneath bass and drums. Bassist Liam Wilson had an ongoing challenge
with his rig as roadies did their best to fix the issues. Eventually,
those issues smoothed out. But not completely.
Four of the nine
songs were from their latest, Option Paralysis, while older songs like
"Panasonic Youth" and "43% Burnt" got some nice attention. Ending the
set by tearing apart Billy Rymer's drum set, the band left a mark in a
clatter of noise.
As for the crowd in general, they were patient, but they anticipated the Deftones more than anything else.
And
the jury was out for Le Butcherettes. Frontwoman Teri "Gender Bender"
Suarez divided time between guitar and keyboards, as tribal drumming and
thumping bass perfectly propelled her. As a performer, Suarez could be
best described as a cross between P.J. Harvey and Karen O. Running
through 10 songs in a half hour, the crowd sounded divided on whether
they wanted more or less of the band.
When Suarez spoke Spanish between
songs, though, people went wild. Later, she would jump into the crowd not once, but twice, unafraid
to be noticed in a pit of folks who had never heard of her or her band.
Critic's Notebook
Personal Bias: The last time I "saw" the Deftones was at the Warped Tour in
1997. I walked in then as the band played their final note and said, "Thank
you." Guess I spent too much time watching Bad Religion.
By The Way: If you bought a Deftones T-shirt inside the venue, they went for at
least $30. If you bought one from a reseller in the parking lot (who
coincidentally happened to be near a large sign that said re-selling
merchandise was against the rules), it was only $10.
Random Note: Despite the fact the Deftones have covered Katy Perry's "Firework" live before, it didn't happen for this show.
