March 19, 2001

Deftones / Linkin Park / Taproot: Hamburg Docks

Deftones fall apart disgracefully in Hamburg...

Chino Moreno is feeling terribly homesick tonight. And - by his own admission - he's drunk and drugged out of his mind. He spends half the show flat on his back, whining about how much he misses his wife, how beautiful the snow is outside, but how he'd much rather be at home, hugging his loved ones.

But before all that, Linkin Park play something close to a homecoming show. While their nice boy image may be the final nail in the coffin of nu-metal, they are able to deliver exactly what the crowd is craving for. After openers Taproot from Detroit are greeted with indifference for a solid but very short set, Chester Bennington and co. very precisely - but still loaded with energy - play song after song from 'Hybrid Theory', turning the sold-out place into a barrage of flying beenie hats and upside down baggy pants.

When Deftones finally get around to actually playing, it's a glorious disaster, with Chino forgetting lines. The band themselves are all over the place: bass-player Chi Cheng and guitarist Stefan Carpenter argue aloud over the setlist, and Moreno is repeatedly unable to get his guitar to function, with a roadie re-tying his shoes for him. And as Cheng joins his singer on the floor for the remaining quarter of the show, sober (possibly) drummer Abe Cunningham leaves the stage in disgust. Twice.
Linkin Park may be the young pretenders, but Deftones have the upper hand when it comes to being raw, messy, artless rawk casualties. Long may they continue to fall apart in public.

Oliver Kube

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