Music scene flashback: Deftones in Manila (Diamond Eyes Tour, Feb 2011)

Why did I ever stop myself from watching Deftones live? I did but I still watched the band anyway. It was a dilemma of bringing back my high school days that I had already grown out of. But those high school days were undeniably where the height of my self exploration was in, in terms of musical taste. I suddenly remembered that Pacman-like game (with the midi version of "My Own Summer" in the background) which I used to play from my enhanced CD of the album "White Pony".



Promotional poster by Splintr

I was one of those who loved every song released by Deftones in my teenage years because the band NEVER sounded like anything else. I can’t watch any other band that had the same sub-genre of its own, but Deftones alone. So I finally decided to get Silver tickets just a few days before the concert, and really stopped myself from buying VIP and Gold tickets because Pol wanted me to avoid the mosh pit. I had also been to the World Trade Center before to watch Arch Enemy and figured I’d still have a good view from the Silver section.

On the day of the concert, Pol and I arrived very LATE. It was my fault because I got used to the situation where the show would start two or three hours after the stated time in the promotional posters. We were ‘last-seven-songs’ late. The biggest lesson I learned on that day was that shows produced by Splintr are ALWAYS on time. It held true when we watched Nine Inch Nails at the Araneta Coliseum.


Our view of the stage from the Silver crowd

 

Our view of the projector screen



I had to maximize all the time we had left as a participating audience so I sang along to "Back to School", "Change (In the House of Flies)", and unexpectedly "Passenger"! The other songs we caught up with were from their albums Diamond Eyes and Saturday Night Wrist, which I have no update on anymore, but of course their new songs sounded good. But my incomplete experience of the whole set list was made up (to me) by Chino as he was sweet enough to run past the VIP and Gold crowd, for us Silver audience to see him really life-size and up-close. I thought that was all in store for me.

 

Blurred shots (because the crowd went crazy) of Chino up-close

 

Because Pol and I were extremely late and missed out more than two thirds of the set list, the show ended too soon for us. Outside the World Trade Center, we bumped into our fraternity brods and sisses from the UP Manila chapter. It was a mini-reunion! I learned from brod Jerome some of the hits I had missed hearing live, and I could have regretted more on being late, had I purchased VIP or Gold tickets instead of Silver.

Good ole UPM brods



The night was too young for us, still because of our very late arrival at the concert, so Pol and I went to Resorts World and saw the band there! While we were having a late night meal at Mr. Kurosawa, the band and some of its crew had just entered the mall from the parking lot and each of them was being inspected by the security guard. To my delightful surprise, I called out Chino wwearing shades and was the first who entered the mall, and he stopped to smile and wave hello. So that’s what really made my night!

The band headed to Republiq. I could have followed them to ask for a photo op, but unfortunately women in jeans are not allowed in that club.

For the rest of the night, Pol and I gambled the dawn away at the casino. It was my first time to play and I won PhP 100 after an hour playing the roulette with our PhP 500 cash-out that never seemed to end in increasing and then decreasing and back again. It was tiring but I guess PhP 100 is better than losing! I still felt like a winner because we saw Deftones up close after the concert!


Since NU 107 had been gone for a couple of years already, I’m glad that Jam 88.3 is still alive, and continues to play new songs not just from Deftones but from all other bands I grew up with. I don’t have a good excuse anymore for not being able to catch up.