Alice In Chains, Deftones, and Mastodon Live Review

Photo Credit: Miss Shela

With the perfect trifecta of Alice In Chains, Deftones, and Mastodon the 'BlackDiamondSkye' Tour swept through DTE Energy Music Theatre this past Friday. It was a sublime end to a whirlwind summer of outdoor concerts.

Mastodon opened up the evening as the crowd wandered in from the parking lot. They are a progressive metal band that formed in 99' from Atlanta, Georgia. Over the years they've inflitrated new elements of experimentation into their music. They continue to bring in different layers or rock and psychedelic sound while still keeping in the progressive metal genre. They are ever-evolving and consistently fine-tuning their craft. This is the second time seeing them this year and once again they've come on stage with all hands on deck to get the crowd rockin.' 

Turning up the crescendo on the evening, theDeftones came on stage crackling with energy to the roar of the crowd. With their newest releaseDiamond Eyes they continue to build their ever-growing fanbase. This is a band of five life-long friends who came onto the scene in 1988. To this day they have a sound that defies being categorized as it morphs and bends to the Deftones whims, whether it's soul, punk, rock, or metal, they do it all. They opened up their set with the title-track "Diamond Eyes," off of the new album and played a total of thirteen songs that were a mix of old and new.

The peak of the night were the headliners Alice In Chains. For a lot of bands, finding acceptance for a new lead singer after the loss of one much loved is always a trying task. William DuVall has gracefully and humbly taken the reigns as frontman now since 2006. He has amazing charisma that sparkles with a tangible energy on stage. He's brought alive once again a band with incendiary talent. You can never fully replace someone, but you can honor their memory by recreating what they have done and making it your own at the same time. The evening came alive with lights in tones of swirling reds, blues, greens, and yellows, the music blaring in our ears, and a venue full of fans. The climax of the night came at us with the full force of a musical epiphany. The chemistry on stage of DuVall, Jerry Cantrell, Mike Inez, and Sean Kinney just clicks. They opened up with "Them Bones," which is off of Alice In Chains second album Dirt from 1992. They also played the classic hits "No Excuses" and "Rooster," along with performing a number of songs from the new albumBlack Gives Way to Blue and closing with "Would." Yet another amazing night of music spent at DTE.

Full Set Lists:

Mastodon                
For more info on Mastodon visithttp://www.mastodonrocks.com

1. Naked Burn
2. Divinations
3. Crystal Skull
4. Colony
5. Capillarian
6. The Czar
7. Megalodon
8. Blood n Thunder

Deftones                  
For more info on Deftones visithttp://www.deftones.com

1. Diamond Eyes
2. Rocket Skates
3. Around The Fur
4. Drive
5. My Own Summer
6. Prince
7. You've Seen The Butcher
8. Sextape
9. Passenger
10. Change
11. Nosebleed
12. Engine No. 9
13. Swords

Alice In Chains          
For more info on Alice In Chains visithttp://aliceinchains.com

1. Them Bones
2. Dam That River
3. Rain When I Die
4. Again
5. Check My Brain
6. Your Decision
7. No Excuses
8. Grind
9. A Looking In View
10. We Die Young
11. Lesson Learned
12. It Ain't Like That
13. Rooster

*Encore
14. Rotten Apple
15. Man In The Box
16. Would