Deftones, Mix Master Mike & Quicksand

 Imagine if you will a cataclysm of furious guitar riffs and haunting vocals mixed with a colorfully insane light show. This is precisely what I watched for an hour and a half last Friday in downtown Sacramento. Unfortunately, due to an uncooperative concoction of fog, traffic and waiting around, I missed Quicksand and Mix Master Mike. Fortunately, I entered the venue just as the Deftones took the reigns of the Memorial’s stage.

The precluding moments were a dramatic opera of digital sounds and strobe lights. After a few minutes the members of the Deftones saddled up and took us for a ride. Guitarist Stephen Carpenter was like an animal let out of its cage as lead singer Chino Moreno penetrated our ears with a chilling vocal score. A monstrous rebel yell filled the arena as drummer Abe Cunningham and bassist Chi Cheng maintained the tempo. The sound was not kind enough to allow me to understand quite what Chino was saying in between the songs, so titles will not have any relevance here.

This show was the band’s long awaited return to their hometown of Sacramento after a long touring stint. (They were just here a few months ago with the Chili Peppers.) As I was standing out front of the Auditorium, I overheard a guy near me tell one of his friends, "These guys [Deftones] have driven by this place since they were five, now they’ve sold the damn place out!" Indeed they did. The venue was amply packed with people of all ages. Chino himself commented on their return with, "I am home. These boys are home. Let’s rock!" It was a harmonious reunion.

The entire show was an incredible visual and musical experience. Chino used the stage as his own personal tantrum ring, tossing himself to and fro, falling, jumping and all the while maintaining his unearthly lyrical tempo. During the middle of their set, the stage went black. Next, I saw the silhouette of Chino Moreno standing atop a towering speaker stack, arms held high as the music sustained his position then let him go as he dove into the waiting arms of his beloved fans below.

The set was comprised of the Deftones’ famous neo-tribal drum beats and tactile guitar riffs. It set the crowd on fire. Chino used his influence over the audience to drive them into a clockwise circular motion throughout center of the floor. The crowd did their best to comply.

As the set was winding down to its close, we were treated to a sinister ballad. The arena was dark, the crowd uneasy and the music purely frightful. The Deftones brought the fellas from Quicksand back to the stage to unleash their final barrage upon the sweaty, exhausted audience. The lights then came on. No encore. What ever happened to the good old days?

On a scale of 1 to 10, this ride deserved an 8. It rocked the boundaries and set 3,000 plus people free for a night. My real attraction to the Deftones is Chino Moreno’s hypnotic and disturbing vocals. The Deftones as a whole is a razor-edged mix of so many influences I cannot even mention, although I swear I heard a Motley Crue "Shout at the Devil" riff in the chorus to one of the Deftones songs.

- Brett Wm. Franklin

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