Posted by wookubus
There’s been much speculation regarding Deftones guitarist Stephen Carpenter‘s continued reticence to tour internationally. The influential musician announced his decision to stick to playing only domestic shows back in May of 2022. Since then, he has held firm, with a live replacement being found in Lance Jackmanwhen the need arises.
Muddying the waters, Carpenter‘s decision to stick relatively close to home emerged post-pandemic, as well as amid his increasingly vocal expression of his anti-vax beliefs clashing with travel restrictions at the time of his announcement. His beliefs on flat earth and their ties to jet travel also added to the confusion. Carpenter has seemingly continued to double down on his flat earth beliefs, or at least play them up, having donned a flat earth-related shirt amid one of his ‘Coachella‘ performances with the band earlier this spring.
Responding to an article originally published by Metal Injection this past week which cited Carpenter‘s flat earth beliefs as being the definitive reason for his absence from the Deftones‘ international live shows, Carpenter‘s Sol Invicto bandmate Richie Londres took to social media to suggest far more practical issues may the root cause.
Londres stated:
“I understand the desperate need for revenue encouraging this kind of click bait “journalism”.
However, your publication (Like most these days) will fall over themselves to be seen as inclusive and progressive, and wave whatever NPC flag of the week is trending, yet in the same breath you will slander a man who (from your own insinuation) might be suffering from a mental health issue.
So let’s all be inclusive but it’s open season on mental health, is that it @metalinjection ?
As a friend and band mate (I use that term loosely due to our lack of output thus far) I know for a fact it’s got nothing to do with his “theories”
You’ve made a weak reach to make a quick headline that’s in really poor taste. Since you are failing in your due diligence allow me to assist.
Consider how narrowly avoiding death by islamists at the Bataclan might effect you? Consider the last 4 years we’ve all been through, how that might effect your choices today? Considered the effect of losing your best friend to a car accident. Consider Boeing?
Whatever it might be, after touring for 30+ years I think anyones got a right to make their own choices and not be slandered by their own people so to speak.
Why don’t you start supporting the industry you claim to represent instead of this low brow TMV nonsense and relentless articles about Ghost or Sleep Token…
Richie“
Seemingly in response to Richie‘s concerns, Metal Injection updated their piece, with Londres going on to to comment, “Well, turns out they listened… good work Metal Injection it’s now an actual news piece.”
As for some clarity on Londres concerns, Carpenter was the sole member of Deftones who attended Eagles Of Death Metal‘s tragic November 13th, 2015 show at Le Bataclan in Paris, France. Carpenter and some of the band’s crew were took in some of the set, but left before armed terrorists stormed the venue and killed 90 concertgoers, leaving an additional 200 wounded.
Deftones were scheduled to commence a three-day run of shows at that very venue a day later. Back in 2021, Carpenter‘s Deftones bandmate, vocalist/guitarist Chino Moreno spoke of how Carpenter‘s proximity to the aforementioned terrorist attacks affected him, telling ‘The Peer Pleasure Podcast‘:
“I don’t know if a lot of people know this, but I’ll share this. We were in Paris during the Bataclan attack. And we were scheduled to play at the Bataclan the next night, the next three nights—we were doing three nights there.
And we had flown in a few days earlier and the night that we got there, or the next night that we were there—this is still a night before our show—Eagles Of Death Metal were playing. And Stephen and Juan our band assistant and someone else, I think our guitar tech, they went to the show.
And they were in the audience, they watched probably half the show and I think they decided ‘Alright, lets leave early, go get something to eat’ and they left the show like minutes before the terrorists came in and shot it up.
And I mean… I was at the hotel watching the news, and I saw it go on. And then I started getting calls with everyone calling me from here. Saying ‘what’s going on?, what’s goin on?’… But yo, I could kind of tell he was disturbed by it then, escaping that situation.
But I think like… wow, how close he was to that tragedy. So I know that that’s affected him. So I know certain reasons why he has a little bit of trauma from that. And that’s tough, I couldn’t imagine.”
Londres‘ mention of a car accident would seemingly refer to late Deftones bassist/vocalist Chi Cheng, who passed away in April 13th after a 2008 automobile accident left him in a semi-conscious state for several years.
Discussion over Carpenter‘s international absence was renewed again this week after it was revealed that Crosses, etc. guitarist Shaun Lopez will be helping out at at least one of the band’s impending shows in Spain.
The celebrated alternative metal band currently have the following live shows booked ahead of the upcoming release of their tenth studio album, which they have been wrapping up in recent weeks.
05/28 Madrid, SPA – La Riviera
05/30 Barcelona, SPA – Primavera Sound
08/03 Chicago, IL – Lollaplaooza
08/17 San Francisco, CA – Golden Gate Park (with System Of A Down, The Mars Volta, etc.)
