Crosses | Evvntly Blog.

12/08/2024 - Observatory North Park, San Diego, California

After about what is almost a decade, Crosses make their way to the stage once again! Fronted by Chino Moreno, powerhouse Deftones singer & Shaun Lopez, aggressive guitarist from Far; forms a Dark Wave, Synth duo. Basically music the Goth community would be mesmerized by!

What's very interesting is that right after Deftones concluded their 5th annual festival in Petco Park, a Crosses show was then announced. A small extension of the Familiar World Tour 2024. It was set to take place at The Observatory North Park on Saturday December 7th, but due to an instant sell out, a 2nd show was added for the following day. This is what that beautiful, cold Sunday night entailed.

The mood of the crowd was filled with eagerness & excitement as we all waited for the return Crosses. The lights went dark to crazy loud fans & then an instrumental of Goodnight, God Bless, I Love U, Delete settled the vibe. Out comes Lopez to the start of Invisible Hand & then Chino in time for vocals. The fans were screaming as loud as they could to acknowledge such an icon in the music industry. From the start, Chino is doing his thing onstage. Moving around in all directions, getting very into his art & giving it his all of course. The fans are just eating it all up, especially when the chorus hits. “Sometimes I feel like the rules been changed.

Sometimes I feel like a ghost in chains.” San Diego was extra loud here! This is definitely a great opener as it starts you off still, bring you up immensely, takes you back down; rinse & repeat. Very interactive in a way.

Following that was Ghost Ride, a song that had San Diego in a mood. The chill drum beat with Lopez’ ambient guitar riff makes it feel like the listeners are in a dream. Additionally, this piece is a testament to Chino’s great lyric writing. He had the crowd participate during the chorus by fans screaming to him; “Ghost riding it, We gun our way out, Ghost riding it hard, Let’s gun our way out.”

After that, the intro to Vivien kicked in. This song is unique because it's catchy but very dark too. Dark as in yep, you guessed it. Chino’s lyrics strike again but also when the synth kicks in during the chorus. The vibe changes dramatically to something horror, mystery-like. Yourself being dragged down by the sadness of another. But hey, did you catch the subtle nod to Britney Spears?

As the show continued, songs like This Is A Trick, Girls Float † Boys Cry, Thholyghst & Bitches Brew made their way into the 2nd night again. The encore of Goodbye Horses by Q Lazzarus was definitely unexpected! For Crosses to cover that is absolutely a fantastic choice as it fits the aesthetic perfectly! This one had the whole venue dancing along with Chino. Telepathy was next & this one was super fun because it has that upbeat marching feel that also gets you dancing. With all of that, the final song was Option. A grungy yet uplifting composition about persevering love.

Overall, the return of Crosses definitely left a mark on San Diego. The duo are tremendous performers & salutes to the production team too. The lighting was very dramatic & moody in which it brought you into what Chino & Lopez are feeling onstage. They were giving it all, pouring their hearts out & it made a strong connection with the fans. Thank you to everyone behind the scenes & Evvntly looks forward to more Crosses in the future!