Deftones and Rise Against embarked on a massive North American tour in early June that is currently ongoing through July. Right in the middle of that tour they stopped into Miami at Bayfront Amphitheater on Friday, June 23rd. The coheadling tour was accompanied by Three Trapped Tigers and Thrice.
Thanks to some gnarly Miami traffic, I ended up missing London's Three Trapped Tigers, but made it just in time to catch Thrice hit the stage. Their set was fairly similar to when we saw them at Earthday Birthday, just trimmed down slightly. They played four songs off their 2016 comeback release To Be Everywhere Is to Be Nowhere, including singles “Hurricane” and “Black Honey.” Although it was a shorter set than back in April, their sound at Bayfront was phenomenal and really brought the songs to life in downtown Miami.
Deftones and Rise Against switched headlining slots back and forth and the Deftones were up next in Miami. I had been watching the setlists from the tour before our date and was surprised to see how different they were from night to night. I can usually prepare for what the vibe of the show will be based off what songs are listed, but this tour there was no preparing. Deftones hit the stage with the thunderous intro of “Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)” gripping the crowd from the moment Chino Moreno belted out “this town don't feel mine.” From there the setlist continued with older favorites including “Digital Bath” and “Elite” not exploring their 2016 release Gore until the sixth song with “Phantom Bride” which ended up being the only song played from their latest record. Chino had said before the tour started that this would be a low production tour heavy on lights, but it made no difference when it came to the showmanship that Deftones emanates.
Chino spent most of the set leaping around the stage, and trying to get as close to the front row as possible despite two large barricades separating them from the stage. Guitarist, Stephen Carpenter, heads the heavy riffs while sporting a Louis Vuitton ax and a fan to keep his hair blowing while bassist Sergio Vega takes a more mellow approach to his performance. Drummer, Abe Cunningham, keeps the band on track with his incredibly tight beats leaving the stage for Chino to command. The second half of their set was full of hits including “Knife Prty,” “Change (In the House of Flies),” and “Back to School (Mini Maggit).” The band concluded their performance with a beautiful performance of “Minerva” that had the crowd shouting along. Deftones put on an absolutely stunner of a show, both visually and audibly; with bands scaling back production on some tours, it really brings the music to the forefront and this work highly in Deftones' favor.
Deftones and Rise Against conjure totally different fans in my mind, and there was quite a difference of style in the crowd. Miami apparently falls more on the Deftones side, as people started heading for the exits before Rise Agaisnt took the stage. Those that stayed though (and there were plenty) were treated to a high energetic show from the Chicago natives. Singer Tim McIlrath took the stage with a backdrop of “R I S E” lit up behind him, as Zach Blair (guitar), Joe Principe (bass), and Brandon Barnes (drums) kicked into “Ready To Fall.” While this tour is supporting Rise Against's freshly released “Wolves” they only touched upon three songs from the album - “The Violence” “Welcome to the Breakdown” and “Wolves.” This gave us a nice taste of what to expect off the release while still giving the casual fan an opportunity to sing along to older songs like “Satellite” and “The Good Left Undone.”
Blair is always a showstopper when it comes to performing; in between his punk riffs he throws out high kicks and jumps that put most punk rock bands to shame. In the later half of the set the stage cleared, leaving only McIlrath who performed a stunning solo acoustic rendition of “People Live Here.” McIlrath spoke out agaisnt sexism, racism, and hatred within our communities, and while Rise Against is known for their poltiical stance their music does not throw it in your face so much as it creates an anthem for those fighting against the issues in America. Closing the night out with “Savior” the crowd shouted into the drizzling rain for an explosive end to a great night.
The tour continues through July 9th.
Deftones Setlist:
1. Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)
2. My Own Summer (Shove It)
3. Swerve City
4. Digital Bath
5. Elite
6. Phantom Bride
7. You've Seen the Butcher
8. Rocket Skates
9. Rosemary
10. Knife Prty
11. Change (In the House of Flies)
12. Back to School (Mini Maggit)
13. Headup
14. Minerva
Rise Against Setlist:
1. Ready To Fall
2. The Good Left Undone
3. Re-Education (Through Labor)
4. Satellite
5. The Violence
6. Help is on the Way
7. Give It All
8. Welcome to the Breakdown
9. Survive
10. People Live Here
11. Wolves
12. Prayer of the Refugee
Encore: Make It Stop (September's Children)
Savior