††† (CROSSES)
@ HISTORY, TORONTO
FEBRUARY 16, 2024
Crosses, the electronic goth project led by Deftones’ vocalist Chino Moreno and Far guitarist Shaun Lopez, are in the midst of their Familiar World Tour. Not only is this tour in support of their stellar 2023 record, Goodnight, God Bless, I Love U, Delete., but and equally as interesting it is the band’s second full scale tour ever. With the exception of a string of dates last year and and a run of California shows in 2012, the band has not properly toured since 2014. With this in mind, the duo’s stop at Toronto’s History was truly a special musical experience.
Following a warmup set from DJ Crook, who previously performed with Moreno in Team Sleep, the duo took the stage illuminated by a trio of luminescent crosses and a neon backdrop. Opening with “Invisible Hand” Lopez took his position with his guitar and synths centre stage while Moreno rapidly paced side to side across the stage. With the band primarily backlit, both Lopez and Moreno struck imposing silhouettes, only occasionally illuminated by overhead lighting. This allowed for them to play with light and shadows in their movements giving them a greater presence and making for a simple yet stellar visual performance.
GOODNIGHT, GOD BLESS, I LOVE U, DELETE. ALBUM REVIEW
Much like their albums, Crosses’ live performance is a juxtaposition of style and tone. Making use of an array of backing tracks, Lopez adds lead lines on the synths, adding to the gentle electronic soundscapes only for his overwhelmingly distorted guitar to violently erupt at key moments to exceptional effect. There is an overall coldness to their sound, something that allows for Moreno’s haunting voice to soar over. While Crosses is arguably Moreno at his most melodic, he’s not afraid to let out his signature, throat wrenching scream when the music is at its highest intensity. Much like Lopez’s guitar, such screams heightened the excitement of the moment. Over the course of an hour and a half, Crosses performed seven of the fifteen songs from Goodnight, God Bless, I Love U, Delete. demonstrating a level of confidence in their latest work that most artists shy away from in the live context. Highlights from their set included performances of “Pleasure”, “Pulse Plagg”, “Holy Ghost”, “Bitches Brew”, “Big Youth”, and “Option”.
Throughout the night, I couldn’t help but be reminded that this could very well never happen again. Given how little Crosses have toured in the past, it is entirely possible that their stop at History on the Familiar World Tour could be both their first and last performance in Toronto. Should this be the case, then what a show. Crosses effectively brought their material to life on stage for a unique musical performance. Even after taking two separate breaks after members of the audience had collapsed, Moreno and Lopez delivered a musical spectacle that never lost its momentum among a soundscape that ebbed and flowed between smooth electronic and relentlessly brutal.
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