Previously-unseen live footage has surfaced of Deftones performing live back in 1992, serving as what is possibly the earliest-known video of the group.
How many of you can claim you were right there at the beginning of a big band’s career; back when they were just a local band at the time, and you had no idea what was to come? Maybe you could sense that spark that would help them to become internationally-renowned? Or maybe you watched them and left early because you figured they had no future?
Well, thanks to some previously-unseen footage, you can now take a trip back in time and imagine you were one of those people speculating on the future of the Sacramento alt-metal icons Deftones.
Yes, a new video recently appeared on the DeftonesLive YouTube channel which showcases the band performing live on the the Sacto Active Rock community-access TV program in 1992, just a few years after they first formed. Following on from previous footage which shows them in around 1994 and 1995, this video sees the group in their early days, years before they became the big drawcard they are today.
Notably, the footage also features a different lineup of the band than what we know today. While it features the likes of Chino Moreno, Stephen Carpenter, and the late Chi Cheng, the clip was recorded during the three-year window in which Abe Cunningham was absent from the drumkit, with John Taylor on percussion after taking over from Dominic Garcia the previous year.
Despite the fervent fan community for the band, the exact date of the footage is unknown. The clip itself sees the band performing their reggae-influenced demo track ‘Answers’, and according to the data from Setlist.fm, the the only known performance of the track that year was at San Jose’s Cactus Club on December 3rd. Of course, there is every chance that this clip is from a different show which is not immortalised on Setlist.fm.
However, for dedicated fans of Deftones, footage such as this is arguably the same as Christmas coming early. So if you’re keen to see one of alt-metal’s finest bands performing in their early days, years before they would become a household name, point your peepers downwards and check it out.
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Check out Deftones performing ‘Answers’ in 1992:
