DEFTONES Confirmed For U.K.'s READING, LEEDS Festivals

March 31, 2009

DEFTONES has been confirmed for this year's Reading and Leeds festivals, which will take place over the weekend of August 28-30 in Reading and Leeds in the United Kingdom.

DEFTONES will be joined by bassist Sergio Vega (ex-QUICKSAND) for the band's April 5 appearance at the Bamboozle Left festival at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre in Irvine, California.

DEFTONES bassist Chi Cheng remains in a coma following a November car accident. He was gravely injured in a November 3 car crash in northern California and has not regained consciousness since.

The band said in an early February 2009 statement: "With the announcement of our appearance on Bamboozle, we felt like its time to address some things. First, Chi. Our fallen comrade has not made significant progress as of late, but continues to fight on from his accident. Doctors are working feverishly to return our brother to us, and we continue to hold out hope and faith that Chi returns to the life he has waiting for him and can join us on stage once again.

"For everyone that knows Chi, knows that he never wanted down time. Chi always wanted to keep working and never slow down, which is why we feel confident in returning to the stage at Bamboozle in April. Chi would want it, and we want to make sure we're keeping his legacy alive.

"Back in 1999, Chi had to leave the band for a brief moment and our close friend Sergio Vega filled in to keep the train moving. 10 years later, Sergio is going to step in once again while Chi is down. Sergio is family to us, and had received Chi's blessing before, so without a doubt we know that if Chi could tell us now, he would give us his blessing again.

"In the meantime, we continue work on our record, and as for Bamboozle, we felt like we needed to poke our heads up for a quick breath before we buckle down and get this record finished... So we'll see you all in Irvine."

Cheng is 38 years old and is a poet as well as a musician. He released a CD of his poetry called "The Bamboo Parachute" in 2000.

Cheng has been a member of DEFTONES since its formation in 1988. The band released its debut disc, "Adrenaline", in 1995 and scored a platinum record with 2000's "White Pony".

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