It’s been a while since Deftones have been to Australia, and even longer since I’ve seen them. Last time for me was the very first Soundwave in Sydney back in 2007… so tonight after many albums and tours I’m ready to see them once again. Tonight is the first night of the Australian tour so there’s no set lists out, no idea of structure, staging, so this will be fun!
Ecca Vandal kicks the night off. She’s energetic and throwing everything out there to get us warmed up and doing a great job. With a new album coming soon it will be great to watch what she does next as that stage presence is amazing and I’ll be keeping an eye out for what’s to come.
Interpol are bang on time with easily the most annoying stage lights of all time keep the night rolling, and by the cheers early on it’s clear that many are here to see them tonight. Giving us a mix of old and new tracks they move through their set and those here wanting to see them were definitely happy. They were tight, they were kinda cool, was my first time seeing them, so would definitely see them again after checking out their catalogue a bit more.
Here we go. As the crowd goes crazy a sea of phones are hoisted to capture the return of Deftones to Sydney. Chino bounds on stage and they band head straight into ‘Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)’ and they sound amazing. Welcome back boys. Wasting zero time it’s ‘milk of the Madonna’ up next and it’s huge as they take us to their latest album which is an absolute monster. So good hearing this one early. Holy shit it just got real heavy with ‘Diamond Eyes’ and that riff is insane. This is my song of the night so far ha ha. Chino addresses the crowd and they go into ‘Feiticeira’ and this is a big one. The cheer from the crowd was nuts and the visuals were awesome as they power through this one. Abe drums in ‘Digital Bath’ as Chino throws on a guitar for this Deftones classic. That was killer.
An eerie beginning for ‘Tempest’ before exploding into chaos, and again these visuals on the screens truly make these songs. This is an awesome production. Oh man this next riff has the floor jumping and ‘Swerve City’ is next level. That was outstanding. Finally taking a breath Chino has a chat with the crowd before it gets even louder in here somehow with ‘my mind is a mountain’ from the latest album, and then ‘Mascara’ gets a rousing reception and before the song even finished the drums hit into ‘Around the Fur’ and they are losing their minds at the front of the floor. That was huge.
What a groove ‘Beauty School’ is, as they all are to be honest but that one just hit a little different. These songs live really are something and judging by the cheer when the guitar started ‘Sextape’ many here most definitely know this one and that was easily the biggest reaction of the night by far. After that nice slower one they turn things way back up for ‘Rocket Skates’ and as Chino flings his microphone around and we all yell back to the stage this place is going off. As the guitar rings in ‘infinite source’ you can tell these big ones are going to keep coming, and even though this is a new one from ‘private music’ the reception these new songs are getting is testament to how good this band continues to be.
‘Hole in the Earth’ keeps that intensity up and just simply wow. The cheer when ‘Change (In the House of Flies)’ started was great and I love hearing just how much people love these songs as arms are waving and they belt this one out. ‘Genesis’ starts out slow but that lasted no time before it went boom, that was wild. Things get a little doomy for ‘departing the body’ and this one is great as it makes its live debut for the band, and you’d think they’d been playing it forever it rings out with a ‘souvenir’ outro as the band leave the stage.
To return for ‘Cherry Waves’ and it filled the arena tonight with its beauty. Of course nothing matches the reception that ‘My Own Summer (Shove It)’ got. This is the quintessential Deftones tune and hearing it here in an arena tonight is amazing. The deafening crowd yelling “Shove it” back to the stage was amazing and watching the floor move with it is a treat too. The intensity stays up for ‘7 Words’ and the only one from their first album so that was great to hear. With that they are done, an intense, musically amazing set from a well-polished band who know how to put on a show. Amazing visuals, the sound was next level, and tonight was simply and experience.
That was worth the 19 year wait to see them again, I know it won’t be that long next time.
Remaining Tour Dates:
QUDOS BANK ARENA, SYDNEY
SUNDAY 3 MAY
ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE, BRISBANE
WEDNESDAY 6 MAY
ROD LAVER ARENA, MELBOURNE
SATURDAY 9 MAY
ROD LAVER ARENA, MELBOURNE
SUNDAY 10 MAY
SPARK ARENA, AUCKLAND
WEDNESDAY 13 MAY
Tickets via www.livenation.com.au and www.livenation.co.nz
Essential Information
Venue: Qudos Bank Arena – Sydney
Date: May 2, 2026
Presented By: Live Nation Australia
Website: www.deftones.com
Set List:
Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)
milk of the Madonna
Diamond Eyes
Feiticeira
Digital Bath
Tempest
Swerve City
my mind is a mountain
Mascara
Around the Fur
Beauty School
Sextape
Rocket Skates
infinite source
Hole in the Earth
Change (In the House of Flies)
Genesis
departing the body
Cherry Waves
My Own Summer (Shove It)
7 Words
