Deftones return to Charlotte to a raucous and appreciative Spectrum Center crowd
It may have been a normal Monday in March to most people. But for fans of the Deftones in the Carolinas and surrounding areas, Monday’s concert at Spectrum Center meant ditching work and school to drive to Charlotte for the band’s only show between DC, Atlanta and Nashville, Tennessee.
The audience spanned races and generations with several fans (including pro-wrestling legend Jeff Hardy) bringing their kids.
The tour stop also was a big deal to locals, who haven’t seen Deftones play Charlotte in eight years. It’s no wonder a packed Spectrum Center erupted in appreciation when the group hit the stage following two starkly different sets from openers Fleshwater and the Mars Volta.
With a resounding “Huh!” frontman Chino Moreno signaled the start of the show with “Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away),” hopping onto the stage from one of the monitors that served as elevated platforms from which the 51-year-old leapt like a man half his age throughout the night.
A giant screen towered a few stories above the band as if they were performing at a drive-in movie theater . Giant images, graphics and weird videos were interspersed with live footage, adding to the dynamic light show.
In fact, the screens, which included flashing lights running from floor to ceiling and the length of the stage, reminded me of the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ stadium production a few years ago. It was that big.
Moreno has his work cut out for him with the rest of the musicians remaining mostly stationary, so the constantly shifting visuals added to the scope and scale, especially for folks seated higher up in the arena.
While Moreno bears the weight of the entertainment element on stage, drummer Abe Cunningham serves as the MVP, animated behind his kit while setting up the hooks and vocal lines that deliver the meat of the songs.
Moreno looked fit and sounded strong whether crooning moodily, firing through raps on “Head Up” or leading the crowd screaming “guns, razors, knives” during “Rocket Skates.” While Moreno might have steered away from hitting the highest notes on crowd favorite “Digital Bath,” he did it without taking anything away from the song.
He wasn’t reaching awkwardly and his voice wasn’t cracking.
It was one of the loudest Spectrum Center shows this side of Metallica, which meant despite Deftones’ focus on quiet/loud crescendoing dynamics, the overall sound lacked definition. That didn’t seem to concern most of the crowd, who probably couldn’t hear over their own singing (and at times filming themselves singing) along to obvious favorites like “Sextape.”
While friends speculated that the setlist might lean heavier on more recent material from 2020’s “Ohms,” the bulk of the songs were culled from 1997’s “Around the Fur,” 2010’s “Diamond Eyes” and Deftones’ 2000 commercial break-through “White Pony.”
The latter’s “Change (In the House of Flies)” served as a sort of climax of the set two songs before the encore. Thousands of red lights lit the audience as the song began because nearly everyone raised their phone to film the opening. The phones simultaneously reflecting the sun rising behind Moreno on stage created an additional unintentional effect.
Following the finale of “Genesis” — the lone representative from “Ohms” — the band returned quickly with little fanfare for “Minerva” (with a ballerina dancing over city lights overhead).
Then the band capped the show with the one-two punch of “Bored” and “7 Words” from its punky debut “Adrenaline” which had fans pogoing through its metal breakdown.
The opening acts
Boston’s Fleshwater opened the show with a 30-minute set that juxtaposed dreaminess and distortion with instrumental arcs, abundant hooks and punk energy. At one point, guitarist and co-vocalist Anthony Didio incited a circle pit that looked like a conga line on fast forward from above.
Its set, which would’ve been at home at Charlotte’s Milestone Club, was in stark contrast with the revered, ever- evolving Mars Volta, who filled the direct support role.
Most Mars Volta fans knew going into the show not to expect a setlist of fan favorites. It was widely reported after opening night of the tour that Mars Volta’s set consists of 17 songs that make up an as yet unreleased new album. What’s more is that the album is quite different than what a casual fan might expect.
It left some Deftones fans scratching their heads, but was actually quite musically and visually beautiful, melodic, and at times catchy. Silhouetted by the low-lit stage and aided by a subtle light show, its set merged R&B with elements of Latin music, trip hop, moody psychedelic rock and random interpretive dance.
With vocalist Cedric Bixler-Zavala often scaling a high register, it at times felt like a stoner Bee Gees fronting Pink Floyd.
Each opening act huddled together at center stage with Mars Volta cramming drums, percussion, saxophone, guitar, bass, keys and two vocalists in an intimate circle that gave its set a theater-centric vibe.
By the time Deftones hit the stage, the crowd was anxious and antsy, building a tower of plastic cups on the arena floor and launching an impressive wave throughout much of the seated sectionsr.
Moreno marveled at the crowd’s energy, particularly on a Monday night, noting that the band could hear the scream battle in the dressing room.