Hole in the Earth

We asked for it back in June last year, and it is finally our time, Philly. Deftones have announced the second leg of the American tour for what is our pick for the 2010 album of the year, Diamond Eyes. Last trek around, the Sacramento slayers were the opening act for a postmortem Alice in Chains. This time out, the Deftones are doing it right by headlining the Electric Factory on Tuesday, May 10th. The disturbingly heavy Mastodon joined the 'tones and AIC on Black Diamond Skye; this time, in a not-all-that-dissimilar move, Chino and company have tapped Jersey mental metal crusaders, Dillinger Escape Plan. This is the way it should be--a solid double bill who will leave the audience bruised and battered, mentally and physically. Surely some will come out just to see Dillinger; they have a loyal enough fan base on their own, so don't sleep on picking up tickets. Speaking of which, the new folks running the E-Factory have made an effort to open up their box office at the venue, where you can pick up your tickets without Ticketmaster's bullshit $11 per charge. Take the Electric Factory up on their kindness and help put Ticketmaster out of business.

For those willing to put a little extra effort into the thing, mapquest your way over to the Starland Ballroom in sunny Sayreville, New Jersey, where the tour stops the night after Philadelphia. This place is a little weird, it's in the middle of nowhere, parking is a bitch and it is always oversold. But if you work at it, this is an excellent venue for an even more intimate viewing experience.

Deftones
Dillinger Escape Plan
the Electric Factory
the Starland Ballroom