Chino Moreno of Deftones performing in Concord, CA at Concord Pavilion. July 6, 2017. Photo: Jared Stossel
Deftones
Rise Against
w/ Thrice, Frank Iero and the Patience
July 6, 2017
Concord Pavilion
Concord, CA
Photos and review by Jared Stossel.
The first thing that struck me right off the bat about Concord Pavilion: it was fucking hot. I mean, really hot for a day in July. Then again, the Concord Pavilion is a venue tucked away in the back of the city, surrounded by dirt hills and coated in black asphalt. It takes nine miles once you get off the highway to wade through a runway of traffic lights before making your way into the amphitheater's gravel parking lot. The journey continues as you march up to the top of the hill where the venue and any hope of shade might await you.
This is the downside of seeing a show at Concord Pavilion, but the payoff is generally great. In the case of the Deftones and Rise Against co-headliner, it's fair to say that standing in the heat for an hour as you wait in line is worth it. The entire amphitheater (with the exception of the grass-laden general admission area at the top of the sloping pavilion) is shaded, so even in ninety-six degree weather, viewing conditions are ideal. Given that both Deftones and Rise Against are known to incite rowdier crowds, chances are that if you were packed into the main general admission floor, you were going to be moving around and caught in the action.
Deftones, the five-piece alternative metal act from Sacramento, teamed up with punk quartet Rise Against to put on one of the summer's biggest rock outings, featuring support from alternative rock veterans Thrice and ex-My Chemical Romance guitarist Frank Iero's solo endeavor, entitled Frank Iero and the Patience.
Around 6:30, Frank Iero and Co. took the stage to perform a number of tracks from Iero's sophomore (and most recent) full-length record, 2016's Parachutes. A number of people I spotted in the crowd appeared to know Iero from his previous efforts with alternative rock juggernaut My Chemical Romance. This is generally expected when seeing an artist that comes from a band of this nature, and is projected into the spotlight with their own name. However, Iero has proven time and time again, whether in a large amphitheater or in a small punk club, that he can hold his own and command a room. His punk aesthetic and sensibilities, along with high-energy and emotive tracks, drew support from those in the crowd that were beginning to fill in their seats.
Thrice is an act that has developed a highly dedicated following since, one could say, the very beginning of their career. Some of the most intensely passionate fans of any band I've met in my life are Thrice fans. There's just an aspect about this four-piece that's so striking whether in recorded form or in live performance; everything they put forth is pure gold. The quartet walked onto the stage not too long after Iero concluded his set. Their song selection demonstrated a matured sound within the band, as a majority of their material came from 2016's To Be Everywhere Is To Be Nowhere. The tracks from their eight studio album, their first since returning from a hiatus, were the basis of the set, while sandwiching in material from earlier albums, much to the delight of fans, including Silhouette (2003's The Artist In The Ambulance), "Of Dust and Nations" and "The Earth Will Shake" (2005's Vheissu), and "Yellow Belly" (2011's Major/Minor).
The sun had begun to set, and Rise Against ran onto the stage, immediately launching into "Ready to Fall" and "The Good Left Undone", two hits from their massively successful record, The Sufferer and the Witness. While the band played with the chaotic exuberance and spectacle that they're known for, I found the vocals to be slightly off. Vocalist Tim McIlrath was on key, but his vocals seemed strained and off of the beat at numerous times throughout their thirteen-track set. No doubt this is due to extensive touring and using his voice night after night; there's only so much you can do on a massive tour with songs of this nature. The crowd didn't seem to care in the slightest, however, as they crowd-surfed and flew over the barricades in record time, while mosh pits of the largest scale opened up throughout the floor. The set closed with "Savior" from Appeal To Reason.
By the time Deftones hit the stage, there was an electrifying energy that could be felt in the air. Deftones are an implausibly high energy act, with vocalist Chino Moreno choosing to spend a majority of his time either at the very edge of the stage or hanging off of the barricade, screaming every word into the crowd before holding the microphone back out for the fans to scream them right back at him. Throughout the sixteen-track setlist, the energy really doesn't come to a halt. The band is indefatigable, refusing to slow down as they power through tracks hammered out on down-tuned guitars (some of which feature eight strings rather than the standard six). They're an act to remember, one to see time and time again, and they brought a thrilling conclusion to one of the summer's must-see events.
Deftones Set List
Headup
My Own Summer (Shove It)
Swerve City
Digital Bath
Elite
Diamond Eyes
Sextape
Phantom Bride
Knife Prty
Change (In the House of Flies)
Back to School (Mini Maggit)
Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)
Rocket Skates
Rosemary
Bored
Teething
Rise Against Set List
Ready to Fall
The Good Left Undone
Re-Education (Through Labor)
Satellite
The Violence
Help Is on the Way
Give It All
Welcome to the Breakdown
Survive
People Live Here
Wolves
Prayer of the Refugee
Savior
Thrice Set List
Hurricane
Silhouette
Of Dust and Nations
Black Honey
Yellow Belly
The Long Defeat
The Window
The Earth Will Shake
Frank Iero and the Patience Set List
World Destroyer
Veins! Veins!! Veins!!!
I'm a Mess
Weighted
Dear Percocet, I Don't Think We Should See Each Other Anymore.
Smoke Rings
Oceans
Deftones
www.deftones.com
www.facebook.com/deftones
@deftones
Rise Against
www.riseagainst.com
www.facebook.com/riseagainst
@riseagainst
Thrice
www.thrice.net
www.facebook.com/officialthrice
@Thrice
Frank Iero and the Patience
www.frank-iero.com
www.facebook.com/frankieromusic
@FrankIero
This has been another Shameless Promotion.