Deftones at the Concord Pavilion In Concord, CA

Deftones bring both the heaviness and the riffs as they lay waste to the Concord Pavilion while a near capacity crowd looks on.

As the energy level is almost at an electric level before the Deftones even take the stage, the lights dim and the band come storming out of the gate with “Headup,” off of their 1997 release Around the Fur. Lead by frontman Chino Moreno is already at the front of the stage and jumping off his monitor; they are already on fire. Guitarist Stephen Carpenter is making the rendition of the song even heavier than normal, as the fans in the front row bang their heads and sing along in unison.

After “My Own Summer (Shove It)” – which was also given new life with crunching guitars – Moreno straps on a guitar himself and leads the band and the crowd through “Swerve City.”

With a setlist that includes “Digital Bath,” “Rocket Skates,” “Phantom Bride,” and “Rosemary,” Deftones deliver a setlist that spans almost their entire career. It is a nice mix of both atmospheric and heavy, often blending in both at the same time. As they wrap up the evening with “Teething,” it is quite clear that they are on top of their game more than ever, and are not to be missed.

Supporting Deftones on this tour is Rise Against, the long-running punk Rock anthem-ists who put on a spectacular show in their own right. The band are full of energy, as guitarist Zach Blair repeatedly catches air as he jumps off the monitors at the front of the stage. With a one-two-three punch of “Ready to Fall, “The Good Left Undone,” and “Re-Education (Through Labor)” the band tore through a fourteen song setlist that pumped up and primed the crowd for the headliners. Rise Against are the perfect band to support the Deftones.

Third on the bill this evening is Thrice, the California band who bring the still filtering in crowd down to their seats and to the front of the stage.