BrightestYoungThings – DC – LiveDC: System of a Down w/ Deftones @ The Verizon Center

All words: Jade Salazar — All photos: Franz Mahr

I knew going into the Deftones/System of A Down show that I would leave the with my veins pumping with nostalgia and adrenaline. Seeing these two influential bands join forces in a display of powerhouse voices and mind-blowing musical skill would do anything but disappoint. But I can honestly say I was not prepared for what I experienced this Tuesday at the Verizon Center. Being the girl that carries around a Deftones guitar pick in her wallet and a Deftones keychain, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t roll my eyes a little at the fact that they were opening for what I pretentiously thought to be a mainstream act. However, as of Tuesday, if I ever so much as skip a SOAD song on shuffle again, feel free to punch me in the face. Deftones, as promised, pulled off a flawless performance but SOAD was beyond a pleasant surprise, playing one of the best, most energetic, and truly impressive live shows I have seen to date. Foot. In. Mouth.

The scene as my roommate, Nick, and I got closer to The Verizon Center was the picture of rock/metal show perfection. The metro quickly filled with black band t-shirts and girls unapologetically rocking the 90′s platform heels, while immediately outside the venue the sidewalks were flush with smokers both young and old. Add in some wallet chains, awesomely daring makeup and unwashed hair and you’ve got yourself a crowd that I will always be happy to be a part of. It’s the crowd that knows to wear tennis shoes for moshing and crowd surfing purposes and give nods to the band shirts they respect while secretly judging those who didn’t learn the “Don’t wear the shirt of the band you’re seeing” rule. We took our seats with a great view of both the stage and the pit with the faint smell of pot lingering in the air and prepared for what turned out to be an “Adrenaline” heavy Deftones show.

The crowd was smaller for Deftones but full of a great number of hardcore fans that sang along to every song and yelled things like, “Chino is GOD!” between songs. They opened with “Rocket Skates” and “Diamond Eyes” but then quickly took it back with “Be Quiet & Drive”. Finally, the crowd surfing was underway and the pit was going by the time ‘My Own Summer(Shove It)” came on, directly followed by a sea of lighters for “Digital Bath”. The next part of the set jumped around from old school songs like “Fireal” and “Engine No. 9″ to two brand new songs, “Roller Derby” and “Rosemary”, from their upcoming album. The second of which seemed to have more of an ethereal sound which encouraged both lighters to be waved and what I like to call the “solo shirtless slow moshing” type dance moves. I could tell Deftones fans were happy to see the band continue to move forward after the car accident of their bass guitarist Chi Cheng in 2008. Long time friend of the band, Sergio Vega, seems to be a perfect fit. (As of July 4th, Cheng is officially out of ICU, recovering at home and in a semi-conscious state after spending years in a coma. Donations for research can be sent to www.oneloveforchi.com) After giving fans a great taste of what’s to come, the stadium erupted with cheers at the opening chords of “Change(In The House of Flies)” and almost simultaneously every person in the crowd pulled out their phones and started video taping. They ended the show strong with “Root” and “7 Words” delighting long time Deftones fans while getting hearts racing for the headlining act.

After grabbing BBQ and re-upping on whiskey during the intermission, I was intrigued to come back and see the white curtain now surrounding the stage. The mystery of what was to come got the crowd going and when the lights finally went down, the now packed stadium let out a roaring cheer. The drum intro to “Prison Song” played for only seconds at a time while flashing lights revealed a drum set behind the curtain and then went dark again. After a good 20 seconds of building anticipation and “They’re trying to build a prison” whispers, the curtain finally fell and the crowd went nuts. Mosh pits broke out and crowd surfing began almost immediately toward the 15 bouncers lining the front of the stage. I am still shocked to say that the moment System of A Down started to play, all guards dropped and the high schooler that bought and wore out “Toxicity” in both Nick and I instantaneously came rushing out as we sang all the words and yelled, “Oh My God!” to each other. (Side note: The “Oh My God!’s” and girlish screams continued for the rest of the show.)

They then played Soldier Side Intro/B.Y.O.B. which sparked a double pit before a well spread mix of both new and old. While Deftones was “Adrenaline” heavy, System of A Down was surprisingly “Toxicity” heavy which the crowd obviously loved as they clapped and chanted, “Psycho groupie. Cocaine crazy.” before laughing and cheering loudly when a band member asked, “Is Anybody High??” Next came “Chop Suey” which I will say hands down is the moment that everyone in the crowd lost their voice and was probably the reason they called into work sick the next day. They calmed the crowd with “Lonely Day” so we could save our energy for “Bounce”. Then after we all hopped around and screamed “Pogo, Pogo, Pogo”, they went back to a mix of old and new songs, including a sing-a-long to “Aerials”.

Next was what I thought would be an acoustic song but was really just the intro to “Cigaro”. As the lights stayed down the crowd softly sang, “My cock is much bigger than yours” and then laughed with the additional lyrics, “Can’t you see how stupid this song is and I love you for listening to me sing it for a couple of minutes.” Once the song took off, three circle pits formed on the floor and I definitely saw someone do a full, accidental back flip while crowd surfing.. yet somehow still make it to the stage safely. Hats off to you, sir. They started to wind down the show with “War?” before mockingly asking if we were tired and ended with “Toxicity”(which is still stuck in my head) and “Sugar”. They finished off the show by throwing drum sticks and drum heads into the pumped up crowd. Shout out to the guy in the white t-shirt on the top level to the right of the stage who made such a clean drum stick catch with one hand, he even surprised himself.

Both Nick and I, along with every other person in the crowd, left The Verizon Center on a musical high(I think it was the music) with our blood pumping and our hearts racing fast. Spontaneous cheering burst from fans both inside of the venue as well as in the streets outside and even a few blocks down. I’ve been listening to both Deftones and System of A Down nonstop since. If you have ever liked either band, even for a second or even for one or two songs(hell even if you haven’t), next time you see them come around, just buy a ticket. Don’t second guess yourself. You won’t regret it. I can’t think of one person who could ever be disappointed with Tuesday’s show(unless maybe your girlfriend broke up with you, in which case, I’m sincerely sorry). If you missed this show, they are still playing a couple of shows in Canada as well as the Midwest. It’s worth the flight and road trips are fun and full of memories.

SETLISTS

Deftones: