Over the weekend on Saturday, November 2nd, Deftones hosted and headlined their second annual Dias de los Deftones festival in San Diego’s Petco Park. Fans who had waited the whole day to see the NorCal alt-metal legends enjoyed an extra special treat when Chino Moreno and the gang pulled out the song “Smile” for the first time EVER live, delivering the wistful, melancholy tune beneath stunning red and blue spotlights while psychedelic imagery swirled in the background.
“Smile” comes from the band’s “lost” album Eros, which was put on hold indefinitely when founding bassist Chi Cheng was involved in a horrific car accident in November 2008 that left him semi-comatose until he died in 2013. Moreno released a studio version of the song online on the one-year anniversary of Cheng’s death.
In addition to the rarity, Deftones also pulled out “Romantic Dreams” from 2012 LP Koi No Yokan for the first time since 2013. The rest of the 17-song set explored the band’s extensive catalog and hit the high points fans have come to expect in classic cuts such as “Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)” and “Passenger.”
The other acts on the bill were hand-picked by Deftones for the event and included Gojira, Youth Code, Brutus, Hum and an unexpected pick but fave of Moreno’s, Chvrches. Look below to see what the headliners whipped out during their own set.
Deftones, Dia de los Deftones 2019 set list:
“Rickets”
“Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)”
“MX”
“Swerve City”
“Romantic Dreams”
“Diamond Eyes”
“Rocket Skates”
“Prince”
“Digital Bath”
“Street Carp”
“Change (In the House of Flies)”
“Passenger”
“Smile”
“Rosemary”
“My Own Summer (Shove It)”
“Birthmark”
“7 Words”
