UTG PHOTOS: Incubus & Deftones in Camden, NJ (8/8/15)

August 12th, 2015

MJ Rawls

It’s a tour package you dream of as you listen to Mike Enzinger’s cutting riff at the start of “Circles” from Incubus‘ 2001 album, Morning View, or when you’re opening up the vinyl packaging from Deftones‘ acclaimed White Pony. Liken it to the “band” version of fantasy football where you pick two of your favorite bands to go on a co-headlining tour. If you look at it, Incubus and Deftones are on that similar path from being veteran bands who will release music that fans will always resonate with. Hits on hits on hits. To say that I was excited to photograph this show was an understatement. It was a reunion of sorts; I was able to catch up with a lot of old friends. Look at that, music bringing people together from the undercurrents of the past.

Opening up the night was the dynamic duo of Death From Above 1979. I always liked the almost stripped-down punk nature of this band. Jessie F. Keeler’s bass guitar rang their distorted chords as the opening song to 2004’s You’re a Woman, I’m a Machine, “Turn It Out,” pulsated throughout the Susquehanna Bank Center. Complete with white strobes and a close set-up where drummer/vocalist Sebastien Grainger bellowed lyrics and wailed on his kit subconsciously.

This was a co-headlining tour where both bands put their all into their sets. You can easily drop the sports reference “leave it all out on the field” in this case. Deftones opened up with “Be Quiet And Drive” and kept swinging from there. The band’s energy is infectious and permeated throughout their hour-plus set that highlighted a good mix of songs from their past and present. Lead singer Chino Moreno was endlessly charismatic, even taking time to chastise a fan, in a comical way, for being on their phone. “Who you texting? Look at you texting,” as he smiled. There was a poignant moment where the band played Around The Fur favorite “Headup” and Moreno pointed to sky and said, “This one’s for Chi,” paying tribute to the band’s late founding bassist, Chi Cheng. Deftones has the veteran tact for precision and the kid-like zest of an opener trying to win over fans.

Incubus started their set more aggressively than expected which was a welcome surprise as I saw that with each stop the band rotated their set list. “Nice To Know You,” “Anna Molly,” and “Circles”; bam! How’s that for an opening to a set? I also liked that the songs they chose were a snapshot of who they are. You had the six-minute-plus “In The Company Of Wolves” intertwined with a song like “Dig” or “Trust Fall.” If you wanted a really good sense of the band’s storied career, this was the show for you.

There are new releases from both bands on the horizon (second half of the Trust Fall EP for Incubus, new album from Deftones) which I’m sure will continue the love affair that both fan bases have developed over the years. One may wonder what took them so long to tour together, but one could argue that these two musical atoms collided at just the right time.