Deftones (w/ Gojira, Vowws) Destroy Boston’s Agganis Arena [Photos]

California art rock/nu-metal legends Deftones are wrapping up a long-delayed run across the USA in support of their 2020 release, Ohms with Gojira and Vowws, the latter of which replaced original opener Poppy on one of the multiple COVID-related reschedulings of the tour. We caught up with the tour in its final weeks, as it came to play Boston University‘s Agganis Arena, on May 13, 2022.

Australian electronic duo Vowws started the night off with a dimly lit set of spooky, synth-laden music. While a little out of place with the acts to follow, their sound is very in sync with the vibes of Deftones’ frontman Chino Moreno’s side project, Crosses, so it totally made sense for them to be opening the night. While the venue could’ve been more full, the fans in attendance really seemed to enjoy the dark performance from Vowws.

Gojira was up next, and after a countdown projected on a curtain hanging before the stage ended, launched right into “Born For One Thing,” off their latest album, Fortitude. Frontman Joe Duplantier towered menacingly over the crowd as he unleashed riff after riff, barking out each and every line. Meanwhile, guitarist Christian Andreu (who has since returned home to be with his wife and newborn child), was a whirlwind of whipping hair as he thrashed his guitar around.

Gojira always put on an awesome show and tonight was no different, their set was a mishmash of different Gojira records, but had plenty of hits, including “Flying Whales,” “Backbone,” “Stranded,” “Silvera,” and “L’enfant Sauvage,” just to name a few. Their performance would have some of the more violent mosh pits of the night, but everyone seemed to behave and look out for one another. The band’s crushing set closed with a rendition of “Amazonia,” from their latest LP.

At last, it was time for Deftones and their insane stage production! While Gojira had used some of the gorgeous concentric diamond/square-shaped lighting rig suspended over the stage, it was Deftones that really put it into use, and the result was some of the craziest lighting I’ve ever witnessed at a concert! And if that wasn’t enough, the band had retractable vertical screens that kept raising and lowering to add to the ambiance.

Deftones went hard right out of the gate, starting their performance off with “Genesis,” “Rocket Skates,” and “Prayers/Triangles,” before delving deeper into their discography for hits like “Knife Prty,” “My Own Summer (Shove It)” and “Engine No. 9.” The band sounded great on this night, including Moreno, though at times his voice sounded a little strained.

The crowd for their part was having a blast. Fans ate up every song, new or old, though the band’s more well-known material like “Change (In the House of Flies)” and “Swerve City,” definitely brought about the loudest sing-alongs!

Unfortunately, towards the end of the set, the lighting and accompanying screens completely shut down, leaving the band completely in the dark just as they were about to start into, “Ohms.” After waiting for a moment or two, Moreno led the band onward into the track, “Lotion,” from 1997’s Around the Fur, during which, the techs managed to get things working again. Deftones closed the night out with an encore where they finally got to play “Ohms,” as they’d intended, leaving one very satisfied crowd.

If you missed the tour so far, there are just a couple of dates left. See the remaining ones below!

Remaining Tour Dates:

05/26 Milwaukee, WI @ Eagles Ballroom
05/27 Chicago, IL @ Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island
05/28 Minneapolis, MN @ The Armory