Watch Deftones play unreleased ‘Eros’ rarity ‘Melanie’ for first time since 2008 at Dia De Los Deftones: “This song doesn’t exist”

In a notable moment at the seventh annual Dia De Los Deftones festival held on November 7, 2026, the band Deftones surprised fans by performing “Melanie,” a track originating from their unreleased album Eros. This marked the first live rendition of the song in nearly two decades, making it a significant revisit to a largely dormant chapter in the band’s history.

The event, hosted at San Diego’s Petco Park, showcased Deftones as headliners and featured a diverse lineup across two curated stages. Since its inception, the festival has become a platform that blends music with art installations, local vendors, and exclusive merchandise, reflecting the band’s eclectic tastes and community engagement. Over the years, the festival has presented artists spanning various genres, including notable names such as Turnstile, Megan Thee Stallion, and Gojira.

During their 20-song headline set, Deftones delivered crowd favorites like “My Own Summer (Shove It)” and “Be Quiet And Drive (Far Away).” However, the highlight was the reintroduction of “Melanie,” a song tied to the ill-fated Eros sessions. Originally conceived ahead of their 2008 album, the Eros project was abandoned following bassist Chi Cheng’s severe car accident that left him in a prolonged semi-comatose state.

Cheng’s condition deeply affected the band’s trajectory. With uncertainty surrounding his recovery, Deftones opted to shelve Eros and regroup with Sergio Vega stepping in as bassist. This shift in lineup and circumstances led them to pivot creatively, culminating in the 2010 release of Diamond Eyes, an album that marked a new chapter for the band. Tragically, Cheng passed away in 2013, and the Eros recordings have since remained officially unreleased.

Apart from “Melanie,” the only other track from Eros publicly shared was “Smile,” which frontman Chino Moreno released in 2014 to commemorate the one-year anniversary of Cheng's death. Notably, “Smile” was performed live by the band only once, in 2019. The recent revival of “Melanie” at Dia De Los Deftones adds to the sparse live history of material from the Eros sessions.

Following their performance, Moreno made a cryptic remark indicating the elusive nature of the track, underscoring the album’s status as a lost piece of the band’s catalogue. Although no official statement has been made explaining the decision to bring “Melanie” back into the setlist, speculation arises in the context of a recent leak. Earlier in 2026, unauthorized versions of the Eros recordings, along with demos from their album Ohms, reportedly surfaced online, reigniting discussions about the band’s unreleased work.

Moreno previously spoke candidly to nme.com in 2020 about the possibility of revisiting Eros as an artistic experiment. He described the album as incomplete and emotionally charged due to the circumstances surrounding its creation and shelving. Despite acknowledging that finishing the project would involve revisiting decade-old material and crafting new lyrics, he did not rule out the potential for future exploration.

Beyond the headline performance, the 2026 Dia De Los Deftones lineup included a wide array of artists such as The Neighbourhood, AFI, Converge, and Jehnny Beth, illustrating the festival’s ongoing commitment to genre diversity and community celebration.

Deftones continue to build on their legacy with recent releases like their tenth studio album, Private Music, launched in the summer of 2025. The album received critical acclaim, including a five-star review from nme.com, which praised its expansive and intimate qualities. This release was also highlighted among the best albums of 2025, with its single “Milk Of The Madonna” earning recognition on the publication’s top songs list.

The reappearance of “Melanie” at Dia De Los Deftones invites fans and observers alike to reflect on the band’s evolving journey, the impact of personal tragedy on their creative output, and the enduring resonance of unreleased material that continues to capture the imagination years after its inception.