After over 20 years of making music and touring they looked and sounded just as good if not better then as they did back in the old days of playing at places like the old Abyss. The last few times I have seen the Deftones they have always sounded good, but tonight they brought it hard and heavy to Houston.

I rolled up to Verizon and saw a very long line outside, I thought maybe the doors had opened late or something like that. Once inside I was told that it ended up being a sold out show. Its been maybe two or three years since the Deftones have done a headlining tour, they have been a on a few summer festival tours but I have hated seeing them when they have to do a short set.

That was not the case tonight, from start to finish the Deftones gave us a near two hour show. Opening with “Rocket Skates” from the new album, then going in to ‘Around the Fur‘, ‘Far’ and ’My Own Summer’ from  the Around the Fur album. They seem to almost have broken their set down by albums. We got a lot of stuff off of “White Pony” that filtered into the new stuff from their latest album “Diamond Eyes” including the title track “Diamond Eyes” which was killer live.

I really dug all the new material, the Deftones have always been that band that could change it up, but still keep their signature sound felt within the music without things starting to sound the same. The new tracks “Prince” and “You’ve Seen the Butcher” keep the crowd going then they slowed it down with “Sex Tape” another new that has a little feel of Chino Moreno’s side project Team Sleep in it.

Never one to let a crowd lay low Moreno quickly picked up the pace by jumping down on to the barricades for “Hexagram” singing right over the tops of the fans who looked as if they were trying to pull him in to the crowd. Which I was almost expecting to see myself, as Chino has done in the past. I can always appreciate that from a band, even though they may only be out in the crowd for one song, being a fan myself I know it’s the best feeling in the world to have the singer you love standing right next to you belting out your favorite song.

After getting back up onstage Moreno strapped on his guitar and the Deftones gave a stellar performance of “Minerva” that was equally followed by what to me was one of the best songs of the night “Passenger” they started to close up the set with a few more from Around the Fur, and I was starting to feel a little disappointed that we haven’t gotten any old school stuff from ‘Adrenaline”.

That disappointment was soon taken away, when the Deftones came back on for their encore, Moreno addressed the crowd with “you thought I forgot huh, So are yall ready to get down” and with that the Deftones unleashed their arsenal of hard and heavy with “Nosebleed”, “Engine No. 9” and probably my favorite Deftones song of all time “7 words” and with that my night felt complete.

About the only thing I wished was different about tonight was the fact that bassist Chi Chung is still unable to play with the band due to his injuries he suffered late in 2008, I truly hope to see him with the band once more there is just such a vibe when Chi and Chino are on stage together. Even without Chi, as much as I hate to say it, tonight’s show was one of the best Deftones show I have ever seen the band sounded very tight and together. Chino looked a lot thinner than he has the last few years and you could see it in his performance as he never stayed still for very long running across the stage, jumping and flying in the air. His vocals were just eerily perfect, I have always loved the way Chino’s voice goes from an almost whisper to raging screams that make him look as if he is in pain.

Since the show I have been listening to the new album “Diamond Eyes” a lot and if any Deftones fans are out there that haven’t given it a listen, I strongly recommend picking it up. We were on one of the last U.S. tour dates before the Deftones go overseas, there is talk of another tour this fall with Alice in Chains and Mastodon but no word if we will be lucky enough to get two Deftones shows in one year.