Author: Charlie Cisneros

Posted: Nov 04, 2024

This past Saturday, the Nu Metal icons known as Deftones returned to San Diego for their annual festival known as Dia De Los Deftones! Held at Petco Park, the day was full of not only amazing music on both stages, but also beautiful decor of Mexican culture for the holiday of Dia De Los Muertos! Certain parts of the ballpark had flower walls, lowriders, metamorphosis displays & most importantly; the altar! Fans were all over the Petco Park filling the attractions to create memorable experiences.

As the other artists finished their sets & day turned to night, it was now time for the main attraction. Deftones took the All Souls stage & opened up Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away) in the rain! It was crazy (in a cool way) because it happened as they started the first note! That's a core memory unlocked right there.

Following that was their biggest song, My Own Summer (Shove It). That was interesting because artists typically don't play their most popular hit so soon. Again, that's not a bad thing. Artists can do whatever they want & us fans are fans for a reason. So that quick two note drum intro made the entire venue pop-off! Chino had everyone go nuts & yell SHOVE IT SHOVE IT SHOVE IT! The piece is just great songwriting from the band. The riff is too good along with Chino’s mesmerizing vocals.

After that was Lhabia which was the band's first time playing it live since 2018. So far so good for Around the Fur fans!

Later on in the set was one of my favorites, Beauty School. I'm a drummer & this song is so sick for how simple it is there. I was WOW-ED when I heard those first few notes on guitar. This too hasn't been played live since 2018 & I am so glad I was there for that!

Further into the night, Deftones covered Ghosts by Japan for the first time. In all honesty, I didn't know what I was listening to but it was pretty chill. After doing research on that, I won't be surprised if Deftones keep it in their set for the upcoming 2025 NA Tour.

A bit after was Hexagram & that too was another not performed since 2018, but immediately that was the moment I've been. All day I was like “please play Rosemary, please play Rosemary” & they did! That is my favorite song from Deftones. Again, in music, sometimes less is better & that riff is a testament to it! I love the buildup to going all in & then bringing it back down. It definitely hooks you & is very empowering to sing along too.

A little more into DDLD was Rickets which was another song that hasn't been played in a while. It was 2019 & that led to a total of 6 songs from their Sophomore album for the night!

Then, all good things come to an end. For the encore, it was the only song from Deftones debut album; Adrenaline. The choice was 7 Words & what a way to end the night. All of San Diego was jumping & screaming SUCK SUCK SUCK SUCK! What an epic show.

Overall, San Diego is very honored to have such a legendary band from NorCal constantly return to SoCal & provide an unforgettable experience. It is incredibly powerful to see Chino’s cultural roots & tie it into the band in such a clever way. It's a win-win for everybody & it's awesome that fans & people of all different backgrounds come together & celebrate life & loved ones!

Shout-outs to Paris Texas headlining the Calaveras Stage!