Photos by Andy Argyrakis

The start of summer concerts is always a cause for celebration, but perhaps no more so than the first full-fledged season since 2019 for Huntington Bank Pavilion At Northerly Island.

Fans of the Deftones were amongst the most patiently waiting, who finally got a chance to see the alternative metal/experimental rock veterans bring aggressive tunes from 2020’s “Ohms” to life, as well as belatedly acknowledge the 20th anniversary of the colossal “White Pony” project.

The skull-crushing sounds started with “Genesis” and “Rocket Skates,” which found front man Chino Moreno getting up close and personal with the sold out crowd as he ran all around and unloaded a series of signature screams.

The rhythm section also kept right on rumbling, along with the Deftones’ groundbreaking turntable and keyboard combination, throughout the just as intense delivery of “Be Quiet And Drive (Far Away),” “Digital Bath,” “Knife Party” and “Sextape.”

Throughout all of the 90-minutes, a ceiling filled with strobe lights matched the militant beats and added to the illumination of the breathtaking Chicago skyline, while additionally artful visuals flashed behind the band.

The Deftones further delivered with the charging “Change (In The House Of Flies)” and several other attitude-fueled anthems that made the wait for all the stars to align worth every second and then some.

France’s Gojira, easily headliners on any other given night, got the crowd going with an hour’s worth of head bangers that drew heavily from 2021’s “Fortitude,” but also touched on two prior decades of progressive and alternative metal.

The group was unrelenting in its machine gun-like attack, but it never came at the expense of grooves, melody and activism-fueled lyrics, which put the players on par with the Deftones and resulted in a match made in hard rock heaven.

For additional information on Deftones and Gojira, visit Deftones.com and Gojira-Music.com.

Upcoming concert highlights at Huntington Bank Pavilion At Northerly Island include Rüfüs Du Sol (Jun. 1); Haim (Jun. 3); Phoebe Bridgers (Jun. 4); Rex Orange County (Jun. 24); Jack Johnson (Jun. 30); My Morning Jacket (Jul. 2); Big Time Rush (Jul. 7); Third Eye Blind (Jul. 8); Norah Jones (Jul. 15); 5 Seconds Of Summer (Jul. 16); David Gray (Jul. 18); Burna Boy (Jul. 23); Goo Goo Dolls (Aug. 4); Brandi Carlile (Aug. 6); LANY (Aug. 7); Maren Morris (Aug. 10); Alicia Keys (Aug. 23); Florence + The Machine (Sept. 7); Odesza (Sept. 9-10); Deadmau5 (Sept. 23); New Order and Pet Shop Boys (Sept. 30) and The Head And The Heart (Oct. 1). For additional details, visit LiveNation.com.

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