Until somewhat recently, the continued absence of guitarist Stephen Carpenter from Deftones‘ international touring has remained a bit of a mystery. Back in 2022, the influential alternative metal musician announced he would be sitting out the band’s non-domestic shows, and to date has held firm on that decision. At the time, he explained, “With everything going on in the world, I’m just not ready to leave home and leave the country yet.”
With Carpenter having previously expressed his suspicions of air travel and his adoption of other conspiracy theories, fans thought his reluctance to travel might be based on those beliefs. However, his Sol Invicto bandmate Richie Londres shut down those suspicions.
Instead, Carpenter would go on to reveal in 2024 that his issues with anxiety and air travel are the culprit that have kept him off the road internationally. His bandmates have adjusted to those changes, recruiting guitarist Lance Jackman as a fill-in when the need arises.
However, despite his public explanations, it would seem that the exact root of Carpenter‘s issues is not fully understood, or at least has has not been explicitly communicated to his Deftones bandmates. In a new interview with Metal Hammer, Deftones vocalist/guitarist Chino Moreno mentioned that even is not entirely sure of Carpenter‘s apprehension, though he does ultimately support his decision. He stated:
“I don’t want to speak for him. And even if I could, I still don’t have an answer. Really I don’t. It’s still something that I think he is figuring out. And if he does have an answer, I think it’d be great if one day he would share it. But yeah, we support him. We have to. He’s our friend. And his health, be it physically or mentally, always takes the forefront of anything.
It’s sad, I want him onstage with us at every show. If you ask me what I prefer, I want him there every day, every time we do anything, with the band. But it literally comes down to: there’s two ways to deal with it. We accept what he can and will do, or we just don’t play. And we want to play.”
Outside of his struggles with anxiety, Carpenter only recently became aware he has been suffering from type II diabetes, a condition which had been impacting his energy levels without proper management. Carpenter is expected to join his bandmates onstage later this week for next leg of North American touring from the band, dates for which include:
With Phantogram & The Barbarians Of California:
08/22 Vancouver, BC – Rogers Arena
08/24 Edmonton, AB – Rogers Place
08/25 Calgary, AB – Scotiabank Saddledome
08/27 Winnipeg, MB – Canada Life Centre
08/29 Minneapolis, MN – Target Center
08/30 Milwaukee, WI – Fiserv Forum
09/01 Buffalo, NY – Key Bank Center
09/07 Quebec City, QC – Centre Videotron
With IDLES & The Barbarians Of California:
09/08 Montreal, QC – Bell Centre
09/10 Cleveland, OH – Rocket Arena
09/11 Baltimore, MD – CFG Bank Arena
09/13 St. Louis, MO – Enterprise Center
09/15 Denver, CO – Ball Arena
09/17 Kansas City, MO – T-Mobile Center
With System Of A Down, Polyphia & Wisp:
09/03 Toronto, ON – Rogers Stadium
09/05 Toronto, ON – Rogers Stadium
Deftones:
09/19 Atlanta, GA – Shaky Knees
09/20 Louisville, KY – Louder Than Life
10/03 Sacramento, CA – Aftershock
11/01 San Diego, CA – Dia de los Deftones
11/16 Mexico City, MEX – Corona Capital
That trek will be mounted in support of the band’s highly anticipated 10th studio album “private music“, which will be released tomorrow, August 22nd.
