Entertainment · Music · 1 hr ago
Deftones play unreleased song “Melanie” live for first time since 2008
Deftones played “Melanie” live for the first time since 2008 at their Día De Los Deftones festival in San Diego.
The song was written for Eros, an unfinished Deftones album that the band was recording in 2008.
The album was shelved after bassist Chi Cheng was injured in a car crash and remained in a semi-comatose state for several years.
The band moved on to make Diamond Eyes, released in 2010, with fill-in bassist Sergio Vega.
Eros has remained unreleased, although a leak surfaced online this summer, and frontman Chino Moreno has said finishing it would mean returning to an emotional period and working on old material.
After playing “Melanie,” Moreno told the crowd, “This song doesn’t exist,” and the band has not explained why it brought the song back.
Deftones performed the unreleased song “Melanie” live for the first time since 2008 at their Día De Los Deftones festival.
The festival took place at Petco Park in San Diego on Saturday, November 7, 2026.
“Melanie” was written for Eros, an album the band shelved after bassist Chi Cheng was involved in a car crash in 2008.
After the performance, frontman Chino Moreno told the audience, “This song doesn’t exist.”
The album remains unreleased, though it leaked online earlier in 2026, according to the reports.
- Who
- Deftones performed the song, with frontman Chino Moreno addressing the audience afterward.
- What
- The band played “Melanie,” an unreleased song from Eros, live for the first time since 2008.
- When
- Saturday, November 7, 2026.
- Where
- Petco Park in San Diego, California, during Día De Los Deftones.
- Why
- Not stated why the band chose to perform the song. Eros was shelved after Chi Cheng’s 2008 car crash.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Deftones shelved Eros after bassist Chi Cheng was involved in a car crash.
Deftones released Diamond Eyes after starting fresh with fill-in bassist Sergio Vega.
Cheng died.
Eros reportedly leaked online.
Deftones performed “Melanie” live at Día De Los Deftones for the first time since 2008.
- Song
- Melanie
- Album
- Eros
- Venue
- Petco Park, San Diego
- Festival date
- November 7, 2026
- Bassist involved in 2008 crash
- Chi Cheng
2 sources
What people are saying
This song doesn’t exist
Eros was never finished or released due to Chi’s car accident. It was just put away
We needed a change of scenery and a change of everything. I think it really worked for what we needed to do mentally on Diamond Eyes.