Deftones at Lupos, a music review

[Richter]

I'm going to lose some street cred by admitting I've lived in Providence for 3 years and haven't been to Lupo's yet.  The honorable old Heartbreak hotel, venue of constant music and mutants, Mecca of the black clad rock n' roller caste, and the children who want to be.

I can't say this was a chivalry endeavor, though Suu tried that button to get me there.  Seeing the Deftones, despite Friday night weariness, is a thing to do.  Appreciate the arts and shit.  We made our way down and were flushed in through a line run with positively Germanic efficiency, and a brusque pat down by the stone faced bouncer with no happy ending.  After seeing a man with a tremendous moustache for an ID check to purchase alcohol, we were in.  The show wouldn't start for an hour yet, but I was told the place became damn impassable once it filled up.  We assumed places on the floor, and began to wait.  I bought beers, a hedge against starvation, and we waited some more.  The crowd filled in, and music was piped in for the amusement.  The people were the better show, and I became the impromptu straight man to a local mohawk's gag of slapping his girlfriend's ass and blaming me.  Humorous exchange and handshakes latter the mohawk moved off into the crowd, shepherding his obviously drugged charges, who were performing the spectacle of "Two fat girls dancing".  We milled about until the first band took the stage.

I have no recollection what they were called.  Fast alternative sound, carried by the guitarist, and whiney emo lyrics.  The front man made a show of apologizing to the Deftones for being the "troublemakers of this tour".  Right.  They represented the evolution of man, as the singer began the set banging two drumsticks for extra percussion, then switched to a tambourine towards the end.  Interesting props, the final resort of the musically talentless, I dubbed him "Mr. Tambourine Man", and went back to relaxing against the railing inside the edge of the pit.

Oh yes, I had ear plugs in by this point.  Yes I am a pussy, a pussy that will not have disabling tinnitus in 20 years.  Ha ha, charade I am.

The second band, Dilinger Escape Plan, I recall, was an exercise in energy and light.  Energy, because even the loss of his mic couldn't keep their lead singer silent in the accompaniment of otherwise furious music.  My plugged ears made no difference, I could hear perfectly thought them.  The resonance in my sternum and head meat would have allowed me to appreciate this stone deaf.  They used a dizzying array of high powered lights, so sight was only a temporary sense.  I found myself adopting a protective stance and running on spider sense.  (Grandma's birthday tomorrow.  It'd be tacky to show up bruised or without teeth.  I am eldest male grandchild, and must set an example for these things, after all.)  Once the vocal came back the show only improved.  Nothing I'd buy a CD of, but damn good thrashing music.

At this point, I also had discovered the mutant power to ruin any party happening within 5 foot radius by aura alone.  When adopting the "Judge face", and standing tall, I immediately had space even amongst the maelstrom.  It would hem back in, fresh faces always, and I'd push them out again with hands or shoulder, then stare and presence.  For these transitory moments, I appreciated the steel toes, and the front of my boots seemed to strike people as admirable places to try to stand, before being encouraged otherwise.

The bouncers deserve special note here.  Truly fishers of men, they prowled the edges, pulling out the crowd surfing, the rowdy, or the smoking.  Highlighting with bright halogen pocket lights any offense, and rarely descending to hem it out.  Must be a bitch of a job, but they made a good show of it.  They left any moshing alone, of course.  Let the violent ones tire out.

The main act was greeted with tremendous fanfare.  Chino Moreno and the rest of the group was in fine form, the man himself running like he was smiling for office, fit as a fiddle despite years of the life.  They opened with the singles from their new album, and continued into material years old.  Their music was just as good in person, minus only a few effects or guest talents, but still well executed and novel as the first time I've heard it.  The Deftones are not exactly a progressive rock group, but their sound carries all the cresting feel of some of the best prog rock ballads at 5 minutes in, cresting and crashing cunningly in their own unique way.  The boys took subtle pipe hits off the side of the stage, and Chino put down straight bourbon to counterpoint the water he was drinking, and we loved them for it.  The show was backed up with huge projections of random Japanese movies (an especially surreal samurai flick for "Knife Party"), and various strobes and spots.  Nothing special, not the massive "Blue Man Group" display of a Tool, but there.  The projector work was the best part of the visuals, aside from their animated lead singer.  The others appeared intent and focused on instruments of the multiple Apple laptops onstage.

How do bands get this shit anyways?  I can see the projectors.  Add visuals and all.  Does some strange salesman see them between recording studios sets and sell them on these stage contraptions, which otherwise gather dust in the band's garages or storage units?

"Hey Chino, buddy, have I got the thing the Deftones need!"

"What is it dude?"

"A fucked up pipe metal grid thing covered with spot lights and LEDs man!"

"Why."

"For the stage show dude!  The kids love spot lights and LEDs!  It will totally make your performance rocks out that much harder!"

Eventually it was over.  My back, protesting since two hours in, was now pounding in earnest.  I am designed to move, not stand in one place for 4 hours, even with energetic crowd moving.  Tired, soaked in sweat and flying beer, we left, blessedly needing no part of the ambulances or law enforcement that had been summoned.  I arrived home, deloused, and fell to a heavy sleep, scant few hours before I need to be off to grandma's.  Was I really in one piece from this?  Had I really survived the vaunted brutality of the rock show, and not wound up hallucinating concussed on the floor, stomped by one hundred boots and decried as a pretender?  Seemed so.

[East Coast Hustle]

Dillinger Escape Plan is the fuckin' tits!

[Triple Zero]

Dillinger Escape Plan is the fuckin' tits!

This!

Ok, I only know their cover of "Come to Daddy", but I hear they're very awesome and with the right group of friends that enjoy that sort of shit, I'd have a fucking blast and I'd almost sooner pay to see them than the Deftones. Cause the Deftones didn't cover Aphex Twin.

[Eater of Clowns]

Gahd, I've been going to shows for years and I haven't stepped foot in Lupo's either.  Everyone tours through Boston and almost nobody tours through Providence.

No shame in the earplugs, those are just savvy.  I donned them for the Danzig show.  I mean, shit was loud.

[Suu]

I was earplug-less. Fuck you. I fully intend to be partially deaf by the time I'm 40.

I got fucking bruised and hoarse, despite my attempts to NOT get pulled into the pit, I gave up holding onto the railing after so long, despite my leg buckling cramps after my Motrin wore off. My ears rang through the night, but I was okay by the morning. (Which disappointed my father when I told him, as their shows weren't governed like they are now.)

Rock and roll, motherfuckers.

[Suu]

Dillinger Escape Plan is the fuckin' tits!

I wasn't sure at first, but once they got going I was like, 'HOLY FUCKING SHIT THEY'RE INSANE. LOVE!'

[Xicked]

Nice review.    I caught the Deftones in Vancouver last month.

Oh yes, I had ear plugs in by this point.  Yes I am a pussy, a pussy that will not have disabling tinnitus in 20 years.  Ha ha, charade I am.

I hear ya... my earplugs were in within seconds of Dillinger Escape Plan hitting the stage. I took them out for Defontes tho... sometimes they work a little too well. I ended up with permanent damage from the Deftones at a show in 1999.  Every beat of the bass felt like an ice pick breaking through my ear drum.  I ended up jamming little crumpled pieces of paper in my ears.  And in the middle of this is Chino raising his arms and telling the sound guys to "TURN IT UP!"   

At this point, I also had discovered the mutant power to ruin any party happening within 5 foot radius by aura alone.  When adopting the "Judge face", and standing tall, I immediately had space even amongst the maelstrom.  It would hem back in, fresh faces always, and I'd push them out again with hands or shoulder, then stare and presence.  For these transitory moments, I appreciated the steel toes, and the front of my boots seemed to strike people as admirable places to try to stand, before being encouraged otherwise.

Heh, nice.  I don't even stand within the thick of the crazy and I still get jostled to no end.  I was at System of a Down last week and I have to admit I felt a little badass when I stood my ground and shoved the shovers out of my space.  Although when one of them picked a fight with the guy behind me, I had to admit that it was I who had shoved him.

The main act was greeted with tremendous fanfare.  Chino Moreno and the rest of the group was in fine form, the man himself running like he was smiling for office, fit as a fiddle despite years of the life.  They opened with the singles from their new album, and continued into material years old.  Their music was just as good in person, minus only a few effects or guest talents, but still well executed and novel as the first time I've heard it.  The Deftones are not exactly a progressive rock group, but their sound carries all the cresting feel of some of the best prog rock ballads at 5 minutes in, cresting and crashing cunningly in their own unique way.  The boys took subtle pipe hits off the side of the stage, and Chino put down straight bourbon to counterpoint the water he was drinking, and we loved them for it.  The show was backed up with huge projections of random Japanese movies (an especially surreal samurai flick for "Knife Party"), and various strobes and spots.  Nothing special, not the massive "Blue Man Group" display of a Tool, but there.  The projector work was the best part of the visuals, aside from their animated lead singer.  The others appeared intent and focused on instruments of the multiple Apple laptops onstage.

I'm amazed that Chino's voice has held out this long.  They do a lot of touring, and his scream is still perfect.

[Suu]

That's because Chino KNOWS how to scream....and drinking Jack Daniels straight on stage apparently helps.

I saw/worked System of a Down back in 2002 with Pulse Ultra, Meshuggah, and Down. You wanna go DEAF?! Though I almost punched Phil Anselmo in the fucking mouth. It was my last job as an intern with IATSE, I didn't really want to fuck it up... SOAD covered La Isla Bonita, I laughed my fucking face off...then wore a whole bottle of Mike's Hard Lemonade from some groupie who I ended up backhanding. Got home at 1am and had to leave to move to RI at 3am. Good times!

I don't earplug anymore. I did when I worked shows and was moving around in different zones a lot, but if I'm just going to be a concert goer, I don't bother. They changed the laws regarding decibels at concerts I want to say like 10-11 years ago, because I remember going to Lollapalooza in 1997 and being deaf for DAYS (and hospitalized with a shoulder dislocation for the 2nd time that year). Shit, my parents came from the generation in which you would rate a concert by how loud it was and how bad your tinnitus was following.

[AFK]

I've never worn plugs to a show either.  But I do remember going to a Halford/Queensrych/Iron Maiden show where afterwards I felt like I probably should have.  My ears were ringing and my hearing was fucked for about two or three weeks. 

Also, I'm not the biggest Deftones fan but I do appreciate and respect the style of heavy rock they bring to the table.  Definitely one of the more creative "nu-metal" bands that came out of that time period. 

[LMNO]

Please, please wear earplugs.  Those nerves don't grow back once they're gone. 

[AFK]

Yeah, it's true.  I think it was Pete Townsend who used to do a bunch of PSAs on that, talking about how much his hearing got fucked up because he didn't use plugs. 

[Suu]

When I worked shows, they were required.

It's not like I do this every night like I used to, I go to maybe one good show a year now if I'm lucky.

[Suu]

Though, I have to admit...I REALLY wish I had some when my sister and I saw Def Leppard. It wasn't so much as them, because I think we were already deaf after REO Speedwagon's set.