By Angela Salazar
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
The crystal chandeliers of the Palladium seemed out of place on
Aug. 10, when the Deftones packed the venue as part of their
“White Pony” international album tour.
Preceded by whistles and cheers, lead singer Chino Moreno,
drummer Abe Cunningham, bassist Chi Cheng, DJ Frank Delgado and
guitarist Stephen Carpenter ignited fans’ adrenaline when
they debuted on stage.
According to audience member Anmarie Cabrera, the sold-out
concert was highly anticipated, with a few fans camping outside the
Palladium Wednesday night and many others arriving early Thursday
morning.
The Los Angeles show was well worth the wait. Carpenter’s
hip-length dreadlocks hovered around him as he feverishly beat his
strings and Moreno rallied the tightly packed crowd with his
luminous presence.
An aroma of sweat, beer and marijuana hung heavy in the air, and
crowd surfers were up before the end of the second song. Clothes
even flew off as the Palladium grew hotter from the jumping and
swinging of excited audience members. Moreno worked off of the
crowd’s energy, kneeling and singing on the edge of the stage
where a thousand eager hands reached to touch him.
The wide appeal of the Deftones’ music was evident by the
eclectic crowd it drew. Back-lit by the outline of a pony in white
lights, the band performed with the kind of fresh enthusiasm that
proved to fans its love of the music was genuine. Moreno hit the
tone of the concert perfectly when he bellowed, “We are here
to have fun!” and proceeded to swing his microphone like a
lasso while darting across the stage.