Photos and Review by Matt Johnson
Incubus Photos HERE
Deftones Photos HERE
Deftones and Incubus toured together fifteen years ago with Incubus as support. This time around they are co-headlining, with supporting acts The Bots and Death from Above 1979.
The Bots had a 15 minute set beginning at 6:15 and the majority of the audience was on the road or tailgating in the parking lot. During Death from Above 1979’s 35 minute set the 20,000 seat venue slowly began to fill up. Death from Above 1979 was LOUD and energetic. The duo surprisingly failed to get any respectable amount of the audience on their feet and moving. They would absolutely be a blast to see in a smaller venue with an engaged audience. On a Friday evening after a long work week everyone was saving their energy for the headliners.
Deftones came out with a mean right hook and never quit fighting. Chino Moreno has vocal chords of steel. Moreno unfailingly produced shrieks and growls that would make any demonic spawn from hell proud. Bassist Sergio Vega’s golden grill shimmered after rocketing backwards off the drummer’s platform without missing a beat. Lead guitarist Stephen Carpenter snuck drags from a cigarette and had an industrial floor dryer keeping his hair flowing like he was driving a Corvette with the top down on the Autobahn.
Moreno approached the audience multiple times with high fives for everyone and even had some lucky fans scream into his mic. He took one fans hat and put it on his head only to courteously return it before he jumped back on stage. They played well past their scheduled set time. “This one’s for MCA” said Moreno and teased the Beastie Boys’ “So What’cha Want” during their last song, “Engine No. 9”. Moreno dropped the mic and exited the stage. Carpenter and Vega threw their picks into the audience and Abe Cunningham followed suit with a few sets of drum sticks. Deftones made many fans very happy and seemed genuinely happy themselves.
Incubus opened with a dramatic dimly lit drum-a-thon leading into “Wish You Were Here”. Close to 20,000 people sang every word. Dialog with the audience was conservative. Brandon Boyd introduced “Pardon Me” with “I’d like to tell you a story if that’s all right.” Later he said, “Thanks you guys sound wicked awesome.” before taking off his shirt. This concluded the audience interaction. Incubus certainly put on a good show but it seemed like the audience’s preconceived notions carried them. They played everything everyone wanted to hear and Boyd’s vocals were on point. It was a dream come true but felt like something was missing when it was over. Incubus simply didn’t work for it as much as Deftones did.
Deftones and Incubus at the Xfinity Center – Mansfield, MA
