Deftones 3Arena

Last night saw a concert that I would not have gone to if it was my own choice, but off I went anyways, and I’m glad I did.

90s Sacramento rock band Deftones took the stage to a sold out crowd in the 3Arena, a loud crowd full of singing, dancing and a lot of mosh pits, like seriously a lot of mosh pits.

With a lead singer that has enormous vocal talent, and a backing band that provided a thick , wall of sound that cast itself out onto the arena, and was given back in droves.

I certainly was not aware of the level of popularity that Deftones hold these days, with never having heard a single song, but they clearly have earned this fanbase over years of work for some, although, for a 90s band, the crowd had one of the lowest average ages I’ve seen in a while.

An absolutely wild show, with a lot of noise, a lot of action and a lot of fun. While not a concert I would’ve chosen, I had fun for the night that was in it. A very hectic and loud show, certainly one you’d need a bit to recover from, but in a good way of course.

Stage Setup: 10/10, Absolutely incredible stage design from Deftones, featuring amazing light work, including small pillars of light strips and hanging screens, along with visuals playing on the back screen unique to each song, with the band interspersed in the visuals.

Band Performance: 9/10, Chino Moreno, lead singer of Deftones, has an incredible voice that is able to switch between softer singing and loud screaming in an instant, which was complemented by the sound layer down by the rest of the bands.

Support: 7/10, Drug Church and Denzel Curry were on support, Drug Church did wonders for getting the crowd excited before the other two acts, including getting about fifty people to crowd-surf past the barrier into the security. Denzel Curry brought hardcore rap to a hard rock concert, which is certainly an interesting stylistic choice, while an incredibly talented rapper, I couldn’t help but feeling him a bit out of place.

Merchandise: 8/10, While I picked up an “official” tour t shirt outside for 15 whole euro,, the merch on-sale inside was of great quality and very good design, smaller selection but great merchandise, at a standard enough price.

Crowd: 9/10, A crowd that absolutely loved the music, and was into every second of it, including what is probably the biggest mosh pit I have seen in my concert going days so far. One point is deducted out of respect for the security guards, after the supporting band started a wave of people going over the barricades, which kept going the whole show.

Overall: 8/10, A night full of noise, lights and action. Deftones come back to Ireland later this year, and although I won’t be in attendance there, it is a great show for fans of the music. If you’re like me, make sure to bring some paracetamol or maybe something a little stronger.

Next up: Sombr 3Arena 16/3/26