Deftones' Stephen Carpenter absent from 50,000-strong San Francisco concert, headlined by System of a Down

Deftones guitarist Stephen Carpenter has missed several concerts during the band's recent U.S. run, including shows at San Francisco's Golden Gate Park on August 17 and earlier this month in Chicago, including Lollapalooza. Neither the band nor any representatives have released an official statement regarding Carpenter's absence.

Filling in for Carpenter at the San Francisco show was guitarist Lance Jackman from the band Eightfourseven. Together with vocalist Chino Moreno, drummer Abe Cunningham, keyboardist Frank Delgado, touring bassist Fred Sablan, and fellow stand-in guitarist Shaun Lopez, the band delivered a 75-minute, 15-song career-spanning set, including Diamond Eyes (2010), Swerve City (2012), and My Own Summer (Shove It) (1997), before closing with 7 Words (1995).

SOAD, Deftones at Golden Gate Park [FULL VIDEO 2024] - YouTube

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The 50,000-strong concert was headlined by System of a Down and also featured The Mars Volta, Viagra Boys, and Vowws.

In May 2022, the Deftones guitarist announced he would be sitting out any future international tours, stating: “As much as I would love to be on the road with my brothers, playing for all of our incredible international fans, I have decided to remain playing domestically for now.

“With everything going on in the world, I'm just not ready to leave home and leave the country yet. I wish I can see each and every one of you, but for now, our good friend from Sacramento, Lance, will be fulfilling my duties. Although I'm watching from afar, I'll be there in spirit with my Deftones family.”

He has recently spoken to Rock Feed about his struggle with anxiety, particularly related to touring, and admitted that it has been an ongoing issue. “I’m sure you’re aware that I haven’t traveled internationally now for a while… It’s just simple. I think, like every single one of us wrangles with getting on a plane in some way… And so for me, that anxiety, when it came around, it was right around the time of when the pandemic started and I had already just made that decision.”

Deftones: Stephen Carpenter Talks Band's Incredible History - YouTube

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Carpenter did, however, reveal that Deftones are working on their next album and mentioned that, this time around, he had the opportunity to experiment with the amps he'd accumulated over the years.

“When we got into the studio to actually work, it was my turn to do guitars. Over the past, let's just say 10 years, I've acquired amplifiers along the way, different heads and all that. On this record, I actually gotta bust all these amps out doing the guitars. I've got this reinvigorated love for an actual tube amplifier. There is something about that that is undeniable. It just can't be beat.”