Concerts Reviews
Deftones Bring Power and Poise to Vancouver’s Rogers Arena
The last time Deftones played Vancouver, they were already legends. On Friday night at Rogers Arena, they cemented it. The show doubled as the kickoff for their late-summer tour and the release day of their long-awaited tenth studio album Private Music. That kind of timing can either weigh heavy on a band or send them into overdrive. Luckily for us, Chino Moreno and crew chose the latter.
The lights dropped, and Stephen Carpenter’s unmistakable riff announced “Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away).” Within seconds, Chino Moreno bounded across the stage, voice already at full throttle. Before the arena could catch its breath, they launched into “My Own Summer (Shove It),” and the floor erupted into a mosh pit (shoutout to the fan wearing a full Cat In A Cat Costume). Crowd surfers did not stopped for the rest of the night.
Then came the first surprise: “My Mind Is a Mountain,” performed live on tour for the very first time. The track, one of the lead singles from Private Music, swirled before detonating into massive riffs. Hearing a song debut in front of 18,000 people gave it an edge where half the crowd was unsure what was coming, the other half already singing along from memory.
The setlist was a back and forth between past and present. Staples like “Diamond Eyes” and “Tempest” landed with the force of old favourites, while “Swerve City” sent the floor into rhythmic chaos. But just as quickly, they pulled things inward with the hypnotic “Digital Bath” and the shimmering melancholy of “Sextape.” This balance of violence and beauty, often within the same song, remains Deftones’ greatest trick.
Carpenter’s return to full-time touring gave the night extra weight. His down-tuned guitars powered “Rocket Skates” and “Around the Fur,” while Abe Cunningham’s drumming on “Headup” was a show of sheer endurance. That track bled into a brand-new outro with “Souvenir” from Private Music, a clever fusion of old aggression and new material.
Perhaps the biggest shock of the night came mid-set with “Entombed,” a 2012 fan favourite that hadn’t graced setlists in years. Its calm hushed the arena before “Infinite Source,” another tour debut, sent everyone right back into chaos. Hearing three brand-new songs in one night proved the band wasn’t leaning on nostalgia. They came to prove that Private Music belongs in the conversation with their best work.
Of course, the night wasn’t without the deep cuts fans dream about. “Hole in the Earth,” from the often-overlooked Saturday Night Wrist, drew one of the loudest cheers of the night, its weight amplified by Chino’s delivery.
The main set closed with “Genesis” and then, fittingly, “Milk of the Madonna.” The latter, another tour debut, showed off the band’s willingness to experiment: part lullaby, part nightmare, and wholly Deftones.
When the band returned for the encore, the choices felt deliberate. “Cherry Waves” gave longtime fans a rare gem, washing the arena in guitar textures. Then came “Engine No. 9,” a tour debut that sent the pit back into pure chaos. Finally, they ended the night with “7 Words,” the furious anthem that started it all back in 1995. Hearing it live, almost 30 years later, was a full-circle moment.
Through it all, Moreno was the unshakable centre. At 51, he’s somehow sharper than ever: screaming, crooning, running, leaping, never losing breath or intensity. Carpenter’s riffs anchored everything, while Cunningham and bassist Sergio Vega (back with them for this tour) drove the songs with punishing precision. Frank Delgado’s textures added the atmosphere, the ghostly electronics that make Deftones more than just heavy.
Production was stripped back but effective. LED walls washed the stage in colours, matching the mood swings of the set. Sometimes the band played in silhouette, swallowed by shadow. Other times they were lit up harshly, every movement exaggerated against the blinding white strobes.
By the time the final notes of “7 Words” faded, Rogers Arena was drenched in sweat and euphoria. Deftones have been around long enough to watch entire genres rise and fall. Yet here they are in 2025, dropping a new album on the same day they kick off a tour, still making arenas shake, still giving their fans something to believe in.
Upcoming Tour Dates:
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 @ KeyBank Center *
09/03 – Toronto, ON @ Rogers Stadium !
09/05 – Toronto, ON @ Rogers Stadium !
09/07 – Quebec City, QC @ Videotron Centre *
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 +
09/19 – Atlanta, GA @ Shaky Knees
09/20 – Louisville, KY @ Louder Than Life
10/03 – Sacramento, CA @ Aftershock
11/01 – San Diego, CA @ Petco Park (Dia De Los Deftones)
* = w/ Phantogram and The Barbarians of California
+ = w/ IDLES and The Barbarians of California
! = w/ System of a Down
More info on their website.
Check out our favourite photos of the night below or head to our Facebook page for the fulle gallery!
DEFTONES
Concerts Reviews
LIVE REVIEW: Arkells Close Out Vancouver City Takeover With Explosive Commodore Set
Canadian rock band Arkells wrapped up the Vancouver stop of its “Between Us City Takeovers” run on May 9 with a packed show at Commodore Ballroom. After two smaller warm-up gigs earlier in the week at The Penthouse and Hollywood Theatre, the band landed in the sweet spot Saturday night: a legendary venue large enough for a full-on singalong, but still intimate enough to feel personal.
The evening opened with a set from Ernesto Trombodo, a trombone-playing DJ who quickly won over the early crowd with a loose, energetic performance that leaned into funk, indie rock, and a bit of playful chaos.
Arkells walked onstage to deafening cheers and wasted no time getting things moving. Frontman Max Kerman has built a reputation as one of Canada’s most engaging live performers, and he spent nearly the entire night in motion, dancing across the stage, climbing onto the stage set up, and constantly interacting with fans near the barricade. Even after nearly two decades as a band, Arkells still perform like they’re trying to win over every person in the room for the first time.
The show itself was split into two acts. The first half featured Between Us performed front to back, giving the band space to fully settle into the newer material before launching into a second set packed with fan favourites and older hits. It was a smart format that made the night feel more like an event than a standard tour stop.
Their energy has always been their secret weapon. The songs themselves are straightforward: big hooks, driving rhythms, choruses built for crowds to shout back. Live, though, they hit differently. At the Commodore, tracks like “Boss,” “Leather Jacket,” and “Knocking” became massive communal moments. Nearly every lyric echoed back toward the stage from the sold-out crowd.
The concert was technically in support of the band’s latest album, Between Us, but it never felt like one of those shows where fans politely tolerate the new material while waiting for the hits. Kerman recently explained that smaller and mid-sized venues give new songs space to grow naturally before they move into arenas and festival fields, and that idea made sense watching these tracks unfold live.
The newer material carries a noticeable ‘90s-pop-rock influence, with heavier keyboards and polished grooves that feel a little like vintage Hall & Oates filtered through modern indie rock. Onstage, though, the songs still carried the same punch and warmth Arkells fans expect.
One of the most interesting things about this mini-tour was the stripped-down setup. Arkells often tour with additional musicians and their Northern Soul Horns, particularly for festival appearances, but this run was just the core five members: Kerman, guitarist Mike DeAngelis, bassist Nick Dika, drummer Tim Oxford, and keyboardist Anthony Carone.
The leaner lineup worked in the Commodore’s favour. Without the extra layers, the songs felt more immediate and rough around the edges. There was a looseness to the performance that made the night feel less choreographed and more spontaneous. Kerman joked several times between songs, told stories about the band’s early Vancouver shows, and kept the atmosphere relaxed.
At one point, he reflected on how many stories the Commodore’s walls would be able to tell with the amount of times they played there. The crowd laughed, but it tied perfectly into the spirit of the City Takeovers concept: revisiting the kinds of venues that shaped the band long before arena headlining slots and festival crowds became normal.
That connection between band and audience defined the night. Arkells have never been a cool-from-a-distance type of rock band. Their shows thrive on participation. Fans danced constantly on the Commodore’s famous sprung floor, strangers screamed lyrics together, and phones popped up every few minutes as Kerman (and once accompanied by Ernesto Trombodo) wandered through the crowd during several songs.
By the final stretch of the set, “Leather Jacket” tipped the room into celebration mode. “Leather Jacket.” The night closed with Kerman standing near the side tables of the Commodore with just his guitar, leading the crowd through a massive a cappella singalong.
What made this show stand out wasn’t massive production or elaborate visuals. There were no fireworks, giant video screens, or over-produced transitions. Arkells relied entirely on chemistry, songwriting, crowd connection, and great music.
For a band that now headlines arenas and major festivals across Canada, these smaller “City Takeovers” could have easily felt like a nostalgia exercise. Instead, the Vancouver finale felt fresh and purposeful. Arkells weren’t just revisiting old rooms for sentimental reasons. They were reminding people why they became one of the country’s most reliable live bands in the first place.
And judging by the volume inside the Commodore Ballroom on Saturday night, Vancouver was very happy to welcome them back.
Arkells will be back in Vancouver on July 7 at the new PNE Amphitheatre for the FIFA Fan Festival.
Check out our favourite photos of the night below or head to our Facebook page for the full gallery!
ARKELLS
All Photo Credit: Caroline Charruyer
Concerts Reviews
LIVE REVIEW: Goldfinger Keep the Pit Moving and the Shoes Flying in Vancouver
On April 17th, the Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver felt like a ska-punk time warp, with California punk legends Goldfinger supporting their new album, Nine Lives.
Sullvn got things rolling with a set that didn’t waste any time. Within minutes, hats were flying into the crowd like it was a merch-based game show, and the vibe quickly turned into organized chaos. They brought to the stage Dicky Barrett, former frontman of Mighty Mighty Bosstones for their hit “Raise a Glass”.
Next up was Broadway Calls, proving once again that a three-piece can absolutely shake a room. Their brand of fast, hooky punk tore through the crowd, with songs like “Call It Off” and “Back to Oregon” landing like instant jolts of energy. By the time they wrapped, the room was fully ready for Goldfinger.
Right away, frontman John Feldmann started doing crowd math. “How many of you are under 20?” A few scattered hands. “Over 40?” A lot more hands. He laughed and proudly stated that to still be doing this 32 years later as the best feeling in the world. This wasn’t a band clinging to nostalgia… but they also weren’t about to ignore it.
From there, it turned into the kind of chaos Goldfinger shows are known for, a non-stop blur of songs, crowd surfers, and, of course, the sacred tradition of shoes flying through the air. Somewhere along the way, footwear stopped being optional and started being part of the performance. Pairs were held up like trophies, launched across the room, or lost to the pit entirely. If you managed to leave with both shoes still accounted for, honestly, that’s a personal victory. The setlist leaned into exactly what people wanted. “Here in Your Bedroom,” “Chasing Amy” “Counting the Days”, all the hits, all loud, all sung back at the band like it was a group project. The floor barely stayed still for more than a few seconds, and the security team definitely got their steps in from the steady stream of crowd surfers.
During “Mable,” they pulled fans up on stage to dance, turning the whole thing into a slightly chaotic, very wholesome party. And then… “Superman.” The reaction was instant. Like, no hesitation, full-body nostalgia. The second it started, it felt like half the room got mentally transported back to playing Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2 in their living rooms. Suddenly, everyone knew every word (even the ones they probably didn’t know they knew), and the energy somehow went up another level. It wasn’t just a highlight, it was the moment.
When it wrapped at the Commodore Ballroom, the place was wrecked in the best way – sweaty, shoeless, and buzzing. Still, no one seemed in any hurry to leave.
Check out our favourite photos of the night below or head to our Facebook page for the full gallery!
GOLDFINGER
BROADWAY CALLS
SULLVN
All Photo Credit: Heather Horncastle