by TheSuicidalClown@aol.com

Following two amazing sets by two of the largest up & coming bands, Taproot and Linkin Park many people in the crowd seem to looking and thinking, can this get better. Yet the true believers always new the answer, yes, without a doubt yes. The Deftones are ON tonight every member of them is faultless. Chino provides vocals clear and constant and remains as charismatic as he is perceived. Yet Chi Cheng is the man who wins, 'The one to watch' award tonight. Chi, plays perfectly yet onstage has as much as the masses in the ever-energized pit. Chi abuses his base and flings it around without reservation.

The Deftones play a set that restrains itself from playing many of the White Pony songs and the set the Deftones play is more of the first two albums, yet there isn't a disappointed face in the crowd. All that the people can say between songs is "Awesome!" Yet no matter how much the crowd enjoy the Deftones own songs, yet one of the best moments comes when Chino states "So you like this Nu-metal, shit?" He then says well we don't and here's 'Engine No.9', yet what follows is a Deftones rendition of Limp Bizkit's 'Nookie', with Chino's ape-style/Fred Durst dance moves. The crowd presumes they don't play this often as Stephen and Chi both look a little bemused rather than the crowd who look very amused.

So the Deftones play all the classics from 'Adrenaline' and 'Around The Fur', and then disappear off the stage. Yet the crowds wait, this isn't no At The Drive In show, and on comes the Deftones for the inevitable encore. Yet the Deftones don't play the expected 'Back To School' the title of this tour, but the awesome 'Headup' even without Max Cavalera 99% of the crowd go off like a rocket and many feel this was a great ending to a great night. However 1% do seem to walk out feeling that this 'statement' was a not necessary. However I'm with the majority on this one, 'Headup' was awesome. So to conclude tonight the Manchester Apollo went off to the Deftones. And this was a conformation that the Deftones are the leaders of the Nu-metal genre yet it is also blatantly obvious that they are never going to become complacent and with every album they move the boundaries, separating them for the rest.