Deftones3Arena, Dublin ★★★★☆
It unlikely that at any other point in their careers that Deftones could have sold out the 3Arena.
Not after their breakout album Around the Fur, not after their eye-wateringly expensive self titled recording which went straight to number two on the US billboard, and not after their 2020 record Ohms.
The last time the experimental rockers played a headliner in Dublin it was in the comparatively humble surrounds of Vicar Street, which has just over a tenth of the capacity of the 3Arena.
What happened? In short, TikTok.
With their distorted bass lines and lush arrangements, Deftones became unlikely viral stars of the social media platform and were introduced to a whole new generation of metal-heads who, luckily for them, are still able to see the musicians up close and sweaty in a mosh pit.
Snippets of tracks such as Change (In The House of Flies) and Sextape have breadcrumbed Zoomers, and their 17.5 million monthly listeners on Spotify speak to that.
US rapper Denzel Curry and the post-hardcore band Drug Church might seem like unlikely openers for the metal group but Deftones claim many musical heirs.
To veteran alt-metal fans, Curry perhaps seemed like an odd choice, but for younger rockers, his propulsive energy exploded on to the stage in a fiery cascade, with tracks such as Ultimate and Walking, which lit fans.
[ Deftones: ‘I definitely think we’ve followed the Madonna model’Opens in new window ]
Scene appropriately set, Deftones open with a muddy wall of shoegaze with their track Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away).
The California rockers, in their 50s, take the stage by storm, with guitarist Lance Jackman delivering thundering riffs.
Opting for large scale and often abstract graphics and surrounded by four luminous light up poles populating the stage, the group look as well and sound as fresh as they did almost four decades ago.
Cherry Waves provided a dreamy sounding, bordering on romantic reprieve in a set list stacked with meat grinding rock and Chino Moreno’s gravelly vocals and howls.
Diamond Eyes and set list closers My Own Summer (Shove It) and 7 Words dealt ferocious guitar lines, heavy-hitting drums, and thick, textured bass.
No matter what tone the group struck, the younger and more jubilant audience members were moshing, crowd surfing and generally aimlessly throwing their weight around as experienced pit alums watched on from the sidelines.
The night was sweat-drenched, bass heavy and very, very loud. Deftones were monumental; a group performing at the height of their powers, enjoying and even bigger and better second wind than their first.
Tickets for this gig sold out within hours of going on sale, but disappointed fans can still catch Deftones at Royal Hospital Kilmainham on August 25th 2026.