The End of My Own Summer (Shove It) with the Deftones

29 years to the day since my first Deftones show, I start the end of summer concerts with Deftones, IDLES and The Barbarians of California.

Sometimes, it pays to be patient until you are truly ready for an arena headlining show. After years of opening and headlining 2000-3000 capacity rooms (like Electric Factory, Trocadero, Tower Theater), opening for bands (like Anthrax, Pantera, System of a Down, Kiss to name a few) in arenas/amphitheaters or playing on a festival bill like Warped Tour or Ozzfest, Deftones proved that patience does pay off by delivering a blistering set at the 14,000 capacity CFG Bank Arena in Baltimore, Maryland.

It would be my fourth time seeing Deftones but the first time since the Taste of Chaos Tour stop in Camden, NJ on 3/4/2006. I also caught their set at the Rolling Rock Town Fair in Latrobe, PA back on 8/42001. Coincidentally, the show at CFG Bank Arena was 29 years to the date of the first time I had seen Deftones (opening for 311 on 9/11/1996 at the Electric Factory).

Why did I wait so long to see them again? They’ve played a number of shows at The Electric Factory before it became Franklin Music Hall (9 overall) as well as a few at the old Festival Pier (which is now occupied by housing). Well, most of the shows they played during that time I was in the progress getting my life back together.

The last 2 opportunities to see them play Philadelphia, I had conflicts with shows. In 2022, I already had tickets to the last Philly Kikagaku Moyo at Union Transfer when Deftones played The Met on 5/18/2022. Earlier this year when Deftones played Wells Fargo Center (now Xfinity Mobile Arena) with Mars Volta on 4/4/2025, I had a tickets for Mike Watt’s band mssv at Solar Myth (the day was also bookended by The Weather Station Free at Noon and post-mssv Odyssey Lab at Kung Fu Necktie).

When I was last in Baltimore to see nine inch nails play CFG Bank Arena on 8/26/2025, I noticed the digital billboard with Deftones 9/11/2025 outside of the arena. I love the venue and I have been there multiple times since missing my biggest concert regret of Prince playing there in 2015. No place better to get back into the Deftones to start the march towards the official end of summer.

The Barbarians of “Baltimore”

Opening the three band bill was The Barbarians of California. I knew nothing about them prior to the set but became an instant fan after their 30 minute set. The lead singer Aaron Bruno did a great job or warming up the crowd for the next two bands. It may be the first band I’ve watched with two left handed guitarist in the band (lead and bass guitar). They closed their set with “The Library” and it was probably my favorite of the set although I enjoyed the whole set.

Doing a little research, I found that The Barbarians of California are actually a side project of Aaron. His main band is AWOLNATION. If I see either of the bands come around Philly and play a small room like Underground Arts, I’ll be there.

How’d You Like Them Cliches - IDLES

After about a 20 minute set break, it was IDLES turn to take the energy provided by The Barbarians of California set and turn it up a level. I had never seen them live before and they had been on my list of bands to see in Philly but they haven’t made a stop there I know of or could make in I have no idea how long.

Watching bands play with an energetic frontman who’s only job is to sing and connect with the crowd isn’t something I always get to see but this night was going to feature all three frontmen guitar-less (for the most part as Chino in the Deftones plays some guitar). For the IDLES, frontman Joe Talbot took the time in the bands 45 minute set leading the band and crowd through ferocious songs about depression (“1049 Gotho”), immigration (“Danny Nedelko”) and addiction (“The Wheel”). They may be a British band but they are well in tune with the issues dominating the US and parts of globe today.

I was glad to hear “Gift Horse” live since it was one of my top songs on 2024 but the highlight of their set was definitely hearing “Mr. Motivator”. Any time it comes on a shuffle, its one of those songs I crank up and I felt that live it was cranked up to 13.

Let’s seize the day

All hold hands

Chase the pricks away

Fuck yes IDLES. We can do it. It’s all about the confidence.

Holy Spirit, I’m On Fire - Deftones

After a 30 minute set break, it was time for the main event - Deftones. The band came out swinging with a one-two punch of “Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)” and “My Own Summer (Shove It)” off Around the Fur released in 1997. The visuals on the screen were amazing and reminded me of how the visual were used on the nine inch nails Fragility tour.

It had been 19 years since I last saw the band and in the time since I last saw them they lost a band member (bassist Chi Cheng), Chino Moreno got sober, and they put out a string of solid albums from 2010s Diamond Eyes, 2012s Koi No Yokan, 2016s Gore, 2020s Ohms and the recently released in August 2025 private music.

A string of new songs from these albums were played after including “my mind is a mountain” from private music and the title track from Diamond Eyes. Koi No Yokan is my favorite of all of those newer releases since I last saw them and they played back to back both of my favorite songs off that albums with “Tempest” and “Swerve City”.

White Pony is the definitive Deftones album for me. Although they didn’t play “Feiticeira” they did play the two I expected them to play starting “Digital Bath” after “Swerve City” (and then later in the set “Change (In the House of Flies)”.

They grouped a few killer songs from Diamond Eyes with the banger “Rocket Skates” and chill-down “Sextape” which seemed to be the biggest singalong of the night with “Take me one more time”. Another two-few followed by another from Around the Fur wit the title track and “Headup”. Once again, the screen visuals were mind boggling.

As they neared the end of the set, they put the focus back on their later releases with “Genesis” from Ohms and “Change (In the House of Flies)” White Pony sandwiched between “infinite source” and “milk of the madonna”, by far my favorite song on the latest album and the one I wanted to hear the most from that album.

Coming back out for the encore, the played a “slower” track “Cherry Waves” from Saturday Night Wrist before sending everyone in the crowd happy by digging into their debut album Adrenaline with “Engine No. 9” and “7 Words”. “Root” and “Bored” weren’t play but hey you can’t get them all. As they ended “7 Words”, the screen switched immediately to DEFTONES 9/11/2025 (kinda similar to the nin curtain drop a few weeks earlier).

It was definitely worth the wait to see the Deftones 90 minute set, headlining arena tour. Song selection was well spread out although I was surprised that no tracks from Gore or Deftones (self titled albums from 2003) were played. I would have loved to hear “Prayers/Triangles” and “Minerva”. The visuals were great, the sound was phenomenal and the crowd and band were fully engaged.