Review/Photos: Deftones, Rise Against and Thrice take Boston

Deftones and Rise Against are currently in the midst of a massive summer co-headlining run in the US with support from post-hardcore giants Thrice. Metal Insider contributing photographer Nathan Katsiaficas caught up with the tour on June 16th as it entered its second week, stopping in Boston at Blue Hills Bank Pavillion to play before only the most diehard fans who had braved an absolute downpour to be there. I’m not talking about a little rain—it was a fucking monsoon—and with parts of the seating/standing areas not covered by the roof of this semi-outdoor waterfront venue, many fans were quite soggy as they soaked in the sounds of their favorite bands.

I missed the opener, Trapped by Tigers, but got there in time to see Irvine, California’s finest Thrice take the stage to perform a set that was a mix of newer tracks from their incredible comeback album To Be Everywhere Is to Be Nowhere, including “Hurricane,” “Black Honey,” “The Long Defeat,” and “The Window.” The band threw in a few for the long-time fans as well, including fan-favorites “Yellow Belly,” and closing track “The Earth Will Shake.” Part of my motivation for seeing this night’s show was to finally get to see Thrice play live. I’d missed their reunion tour somehow, and while this wasn’t the longest set, it was fantastic to get to hear them live on material both new and old.

THRICE

Deftones and Rise Against are alternating the closing slot this tour, and on this night, the closing act was Rise Against, so Deftones were next. The band emerged in a sea of stage fog to the track “Headup,” before launching into fan-favorite “My Own Summer (Shove It).” Just as they had come on, the heavens had opened such that the storm drains around the perimeter of the venue couldn’t keep up and things were flooding! Otherwise, the pouring rain created an interesting ambiance for their set—it almost heightened their performance. They went on to play several more songs, including “Swerve City,” “Digital Bath,” “You’ve Seen the Butcher,” and “Rosemary.” Frontman Chino Moreno and his cohorts were spot-on—this was easily just as good if not better than any other time I’ve seen them play. Moreno even took a moment mid-song to hop down on the speakers and grab the hands of fans in the front row of the seated pit-area in front of the stage. The band closed out with four killer tracks in a row, “Change (In the House of Flies),” “Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away),” “Diamond Eyes,” and a personal favorite of mine, “Rocket Skates.” I would’ve been satisfied with things ending right there, but there was still one more act to catch!

DEFTONES

Rise Against appeared on stage after a short changeover and absolutely slayed the audience where they stood. I’ve caught these guys a few times, but this was easily the best performance I’ve ever seen from them. They began with more of their older, heavier material, including “Ready to Fall,” and “The Good Left Undone,” from 2006’s The Sufferer & The Witness, and “Re-Education (Through Labor)” from 2008’s Appeal To Reason. In fact, most of their set was pulled from deeper in their discography, though they did play “The Violence” from their album Wolves, which was released earlier this year. At one point, frontman Tim McIlrath took a moment to denounce the white nationalism, racism, sexism, and hatred he’s observed in America as of late, to a roaring response from the audience—he was pretty much preaching to the choir on that one. The band closed out the night, and thankfully the rain as well, with an encore featuring “Make It Stop (September’s Children),” and “Savior.” You can catch this tour through July 9th, see below for the dates!

RISE AGAINST