By Lavina Loya
If youʼre the guy who likes to wear those neon ear plugs, this show was not for you. I mean, why bother? Nothing was able to muffle the sound that started out loud and ended even louder. The internal organ-vibrating instruments and ear-bleeding screams filled the room of the Palladium in Los Angeles…the following was not for the faint of heart.
A large crowd had gathered quickly and early in the standing-room-only venue. You could sense the anticipation from the crowd; waiting anxiously for the first of the triple threat of bands to take the stage.
First on deck was Guadalajara, Mexico native Le Butcherettes. Fronted by what appears to be the sweet little Teri Gender Bender (born Teresa Suarez)…until she takes the stage.
Outfitted in a demure below the knee 50ʻs dress and kitchen apron, Teri and the band immediately commanded the attention of the room. You may say itʼs Veruca Salt meets The Runaways, until she throws a wrench in your assessments and shows off her fantastic voice; belting out difficult high notes that are surprisingly melodic.
Le Butcherettes are touring in support of their latest album Sin Sin Sin; produced by and bass courtesy of The Mars Voltaʼs Omar Rodriguez Lopez, who also has signed the group to is own personal record label, Omar-Rodriguez Productions.
She had the crowd mesmerized and surely expending energy they thought they would be saving for the headliner. Running head-on into the crowd (literally), the high energy set had the front woman sweaty, writhing and contorting like Reagan from The Exorcist. With a live show that far outweighs the studio album, Le Butcherettes undeniably delivered the nightʼs biggest unexpected surprise.
The crowd was prepared for round two when Dillinger Escape Plan hit the stage. Singer Greg Puciato wasted zero time getting in the faces of the front row, with “Farewell, Mona Lisa“ off of the bands latest, Option Paralysis, and demanding the crowd “wake the fuck up!” Flawless guitar work and endless energy had everyone on a second wind on through “Milk Lizard.”
Mosh pit properly in place and the crowd heeding to the bands unsubtle demands, they keep the set moving at a rapid pace and had the decibel level at itʼs highest of the evening. The temperature in the building rose as sweatdrenched fans surfed on top of a sea of Dillinger concertgoers.
Knowing that opening act slots are typically used for smoking, drinking and urinating, it was great to see
everyone engaged and more than willing to take on the sonic beating The Dillinger Escape Plan was handing them.
By the time the evenings headliner the Deftones took over, the crowd in the sold out venue were more than ready to go. Kicking off the nineteen song set with the title track from their most recent album, Diamond Eyes, then diving straight into fan (and personal) favorite “Rocket Skates.”
The room was pulsating with screaming fans all belting the lyrics to “Digital Bath” before lead singer Chino Moreno brought back out Le Butcherettesʼ Teri Gender Bender for a little help with “Knife Party.” The band kept the crowd-work to a minimum and blazed through another nine songs before bringing back Dillingerʼs Greg Puciato to sing the part of TOOLʼs Maynard James Keenan on the track “Passenger” from 2000ʻs White Pony. Closing out the set with “Back to School” the Deftones came back out for a quick 2 song encore of “Root” and “7 Words” before bringing the night to an end.
Considering the rough road the band has endured in recent years with the car accident and coma involving their bass player Chi Cheng, the Deftones have clearly tightened their game, steadied their focus and they are playing better than ever.
As the house lights came up, the crowd slowly waited to file out with what was surely a loud ringing in their ears and a smile on their faces; I was no exception. I left the show and got back in my car feeling as if I had been in a fist fight with a 50 pound cinderblock… in the best way possible.
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