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: aespa Close North American Tour With a Futuristic Spectacle in Vancouver
My K-pop education continued on October 11 as aespa brought their SYNK : COMPLæXITY Tour to Rogers Arena in Vancouver. After seeing TWICE in January and IVE in August, this was my third concert foray into K-pop. I was excited to see how aespa would compare, and the answer was a little different from my first two experiences. Where TWICE brought the fun and IVE delivered its own polished pop spectacle, aespa leaned into futuristic visuals, heavy electronic production and choreography that rarely let up.
With no opening act, the stage belonged entirely to Karina, Winter, Giselle and Ningning. Vancouver marked the final stop of the North American leg before the group heads to Europe in January, making this the last chance for fans on this side of the Atlantic to see the production for a while.
There had been some concern about Giselle’s participation after she left the stage five songs into the group’s October 9 show at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle. Thankfully, she was back in Vancouver. Both she and Winter mentioned having a cold, but you wouldn’t have known it from their performances. Neither appeared to let it get in the way, and both delivered strong performances throughout the night.
The show opened with “LEMONADE,” immediately filling Rogers Arena with heavy bass, electronic beats and futuristic visuals. The production was massive, but the sound mix occasionally worked against the group. At points, the bass threatened to overpower the vocals, which was frustrating when four singers this capable were onstage.
“Switchblade” and “Whiplash” kept the momentum going before aespa reached back to its 2020 debut single, “Black Mamba.” The choreography remained sharp, and the group’s ability to move between demanding routines and vocal passages without losing its composure was impressive. “WDA (Whole Different Animal)” brought a harder hip-hop edge, with Giselle’s rap standing out against the heavy production.
The concert was divided into five acts, with cinematic video segments building on the group’s fictional universe. The story occasionally felt like a lot to keep up with, particularly for someone who hasn’t followed every chapter of aespa‘s mythology. Still, the visuals gave the show a clear identity. The production had a narrative thread running through it.
The second act offered a welcome change of pace. Karina introduced “Count on Me” on a piano, leading into a softer arrangement that let the members’ voices take centre stage. “Camouflage” and “Angel #48” continued the dreamier stretch. These moments were a reminder that aespa doesn’t need a wall of bass and flashing screens to hold an audience’s attention.
The solo and duet stages were among my favourite parts of the night. Giselle and Ningning brought a relaxed feel to “Lollipop,” while Karina and Winter took a more energetic approach with “Serenade.” Each pairing had its own character, making the performances feel distinct rather than like variations on the same routine.
The four solo performances gave the members even more room to show what they could do. Ningning’s “I Love You But I Gotta Let You Go” built from restrained verses into soaring high notes, while Karina’s “16 Bit” relied on a more understated, moody delivery. Giselle showed a softer side on “BYEB4HELLO,” moving beyond her usual rap role, and Winter’s “Saddle Up” put her choreography and stage confidence front and centre.
These performances made a strong case for the individual personalities within aespa. The group’s sleek, coordinated image is part of its appeal, but seeing the members step outside that format made the concert more interesting.
The heavier material returned with “Armageddon” and “Bite,” followed by a run of choreography-driven performances including “Next Level,” “SHAKIN’” and “Supernova.” The dancers added scale to the show, and the synchronized routines looked particularly effective against the digital scenery. By this point, the production had made its point: aespa knows how to turn its music into a full arena experience.
The pre-encore dance challenge was a fun change of pace, with cameras scanning the crowd and giving fans a chance to show off their moves on the big screens. The segment ended with an (shy) audience singalong to “Roll” before aespa returned for “Yeppi Yeppi” and “’Til We Die.”
As someone still getting to know K-pop, I appreciated the range. The spectacle was impressive, but the quieter songs and individual stages stopped the night from becoming one long sensory overload. The sound mix could have been better, and some of the storyline went over my head, but those were minor complaints in a show packed with strong performances.
TWICE got me curious about K-pop, and IVE gave me another reason to keep exploring it. aespa made a convincing case for sticking around. Their Vancouver show was loud, visually striking and full of personality, with four performers who could hold Rogers Arena’s attention even when the production threatened to steal it. That’s a solid way to close out a North American tour.
Upcoming Aespa – SYNK : COMPLæXITY’ World Tour Dates:
01/14 – Manchester, United Kingdom @ AO Arena
01/16 – London, United Kingdom @ The O2
01/19 – Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Ziggo Dome
01/22 – Stockholm, Sweden @ Avicii Arena
01/24 – Copenhagen, Denmark @ Royal Arena
01/26 – Berlin, Germany @ Uber Arena
01/29 – Milan, Italy @ Unipol Dome
01/31 – Barcelona, Spain @ Palau Sant Jordi
02/02 – Paris, France @ Accor Arena
More information here.
Concerts Reviews
LØLØ Brings her ‘God Forbid a Girl Goes on Tour’ to the Pearl in Vancouver
LØLØ brought her second headlining tour – aptly named “God Forbid a Girl Goes on Tour” – to Vancouver this week, a first for the Canada-born artist. We’ve been a fan since we first heard “Death Wish” back in 2021, which seems like it was yesterday, and we aren’t going to overthink that right now. That being said, we’ve been waiting a long time for this night, and what a show!
We’ve been frequenting The Pearl more and more lately, and like so many others this show was sold out and packed wall-to-wall. There was a small mob for the first opener of the night, Dawson Gamble, and the floor was packed by the time Con the Artist took the stage. When LØLØ appeared, it was all plaid miniskirts and devil horns from the stage to the merch booth.
When the lights went down, LØLØ’s voice boomed over the speakers, narrating excerpts from a journal. LØLØ is not a choreographed, over-polished pop princess. Like so many artists that grew their audience from nothing, she does her best to connect with individuals in the audience. She takes her time, holds their hands, and during one memorable song, brings them on stage to dance.
“I think that people don’t want perfection,” she told Rolling Stone earlier this year. “They just want to see a live show and a special moment.”
LØLØ was very upfront about her adventures online, finding her voice, and time spent during COVID, and from the vibe you have to assume the audience had been there with her the entire time. From “The Floor is Lava” to “Faceplant,” all the hits were covered and sung along to. Speaking of which…
Must Hear Songs by LØLØ (In Our Humble Opinion):
• “death wish” (Single, 2021)
• “Hot Girls in Hell” (falling for robots, 2023)
• “u turn me on (but you give me depression)” (falling for robots, 2023)
• “Let It Go” (A Whole New Sound (Disney), 2024)
Fun fact: LØLØ was featured on a 2024 Disney punk album alongside Simple Plan, Magnolia Park, and Yellow Card, to name a few iconic bands. Check out her version of “Let It Go” from “Frozen.” It’s unexpected and a lot of fun.
LØLØ ‘s first moment of viral fame was her cover of “Hey There Delilah,” updated and sung from Delilah’s perspective. Pulling Con the Artist back on stage for a duet gave the crowd a wonderful, heartfelt moment that was honestly quite touching. Not everyone’s favorite song, but a lovely moment for everyone in the audience.
LØLØ, with several incredible songs in her library and with a stack of “Warped Tour” appearances already in the books, seems poised to breakthrough to the next level. She’s electric on stage, and animated, and we can only dream of the day she is given more space to play. Until then, another highlight concert of 2026, and something to think about until her next visit!
LØLØ Setlist:
• the devil wears converse
• pretty little wreck
• god forbid a girl spits out her feelings!
• THE FLOOR IS LAVA!
• debbie downer
• me with no shirt on
• the punisher
• 2 of us
• u turn me on (but u give me depression)
• faceplant
• Hey There Delilah
• death wish
• delusional darling
• junkie
• DON’T!
• dumbest girl in the world
• wish i was a robot
• hot girls in hell
Check out our favourite photos of the night below or head to our Facebook page for the full gallery. Thanks for attending the show with us and for checking out our review!
LØLØ
All Photo Credit: Jason Martin