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: Bleachers Bring Big Energy to a Long-Awaited Montreal Return
On June 10th, 2026, fans packed into MTELUS for the Montreal stop of Bleachers’ Bleachers Forever tour. This is the second time the band has had in Montreal, the first being at Osheaga Music and Arts Festival back in 2022, which is the perfect place to build a Montreal fanbase.
Momo Boyd, a New York City based vocalist and songwriter, had no problem setting the tone for the night. With songs like “Cold Hands,” “Strong,” and even a cover of “Dreams” by Fleetwood Mac, her set was filled with enchanting purple lights, beautifully deep lyrics, and captivating vocals. Although her performance was more “low-key” than a typical Bleachers performance, it had its moments of picking up, and was the perfect way to ease the crowd into the night, and left many audience members as a new fan.
As Bleachers took the stage, opening their set with “My Way,” there was no doubt that this would be a night to remember. The band, consisting of lead singer Jack Antonoff, Mikey Freedom Hart, Zem Audu, Mike Riddleberger, Evan Smith and Sean Hutchinson came out to the wonderful sound of saxophone played by band member Zem Audu, and though the first half of the song was slower, the energy built up shortly after through flashing lights, jumps and a roaring crowd.
The audience erupted in cheers and laughter as lead singer, Jack Antonoff spoke out about artists always skipping Montreal during their tours, saying: “They think they can play Osheaga and that’s enough?”, and “What’s with (bands) that think they can play Osheaga, which is like an expensive ticket, and not just come play a normal show.” As me, and many others in that room have traveled to Toronto to see our favourite artists when they skip Montreal on tour, I completely agree with this!
The night continued with back-to-back hits, including “you and forever,” “Merry Christmas, Please Don’t Call,” and of course, “I Wanna Get Better,” and closing the set with “Stop Making This Hurt.” They even played a cover of Margaret by Lana Del Ray, which they’re featured on!
Bleachers set an incredible standard of engaging a crowd and keeping a consistently high-energy audience. From the first note, to the emotional highs and lows, to the closing goodbyes, fans were cheering, singing and dancing the whole time! They even had a photobooth in the venue where you could take pictures before the show! This is certainly a band that will be in people’s rotation for years to come, so the tour name speaks for itself when it says, Bleachers Forever!
Check out our favourite photos of the night below or head to our Facebook page for the full gallery!
BLEACHERS
MOMO BOYD
All Photo Credit: Ashley Bellam
Concerts Reviews
LIVE REVIEW: Alex Warren Finds Family on the Road at Rogers Arena
One year ago, Alex Warren was playing Vancouver’s Vogue Theatre. On Sunday night, he walked onto the stage at Rogers Arena in front of nearly 20,000 people for the Vancouver stop of his Finding Family on the Road Tour.
That kind of jump can expose an artist’s weaknesses. Plenty of performers who thrive in clubs and theatres struggle once the rooms get bigger and the production gets larger. Their personalities get lost somewhere between the video screens and the confetti cannons, yet Warren never came close to that problem.
Before he appeared, opening act Nat & Alex Wolff warmed up the crowd with a short but engaging set. The New York brothers leaned into their easy chemistry, mixing indie-pop hooks with plenty of crowd interaction. Still, the anticipation in the arena was unmistakably for Warren.
The show opened with touching home videos from his childhood projected across the giant screens. It felt like both sentimental and a mission statement. Family, both the one Warren lost and the one he has built around himself, remains at the centre of everything he does.
He wasted little time launching into “Troubled Waters,” immediately sending excitement through the arena. From there, he rolled through early highlights including “Bloodline,” “The Outside,” and “First Time on Earth.”
What stood out wasn’t the production, though there was plenty of it. It was Warren‘s command of the room. For someone whose rise began on social media, Warren understands live performance remarkably well. He knows when to joke, when to tell a story, and when to step aside and let the audience take over. Throughout the night he read signs, spoke directly to fans, and delivered the kind of spontaneous interactions that can’t be programmed into a production schedule.
The audience responded to every moment. Many were young fans who have followed his life for years, and the relationship between artist and crowd felt unusually personal for a venue this size.
Vocally, Warren continues to silence anyone who still sees him primarily as a former content creator. Songs like “The Outside” and “Eternity” showcased the power and clarity in his voice, particularly when he pushed into his upper register. During “Eternity,” a massive sing-along broke out across Rogers Arena, with nearly every section joining in.
The emotional core of the evening arrived during the B-stage portion of the set. To get there, Warren left the main stage and made his way through the crowd, high-fiving fans, stopping for selfies, and turning the walk into an event of its own.
After reaching the smaller stage in the middle of the floor, Warren stripped away much of the arena spectacle and focused on the stories behind the songs. Before performing the unreleased “Same Stars,” he asked fans to put their phones away and experience the moment with him rather than recording it. He then spoke about losing both of his parents and the loneliness that often comes with grief. He reminded the audience that people die twice: once when they pass away and again when their stories stop being told. You could hear a pin drop as phone lights illuminated the arena.
It’s a difficult balance. Warren‘s music often deals with grief, loss, and healing, and there are moments where the emotional weight borders on overwhelming. At times, the show asks a lot from its audience, who ended up in tears several times. Yet those moments never felt manipulative. They felt genuine, even when they were uncomfortable.
“Fine Place To Die” was one of the strongest moments of the night. Sitting alone at the piano, Warren delivered the song acoustically after explaining that everything heard throughout the show was being performed live by him and his musicians. Before starting, he joked, “If I fuck up, post it on TikTok,” earning one of the night’s biggest laughs. Alongside “Heaven Without You,” the stripped-back performance highlighted Warren‘s songwriting and emotional delivery.
The final run of songs shifted the mood back toward celebration. During “Getaway Car,” Warren took a moment to introduce each member of his band, giving the musicians their own chance to shine before launching back into the set. “You Can’t Stop This” and “Burning Down” brought fresh energy into the arena before “FEVER DREAM” exploded into one of the night’s biggest singalongs, complete with confetti cannons and enough excitement to shake the building.
The final run of songs shifted the mood back toward celebration. “Getaway Car,” “You Can’t Stop This,” and “Burning Down” brought fresh energy into the arena before “FEVER DREAM” exploded into one of the night’s biggest singalongs, complete with confetti cannons and enough excitement to shake the building.
Warren explained that the confetti button is normally pushed by his wife, Kouvr, but since she wasn’t in Vancouver, the honour went to fellow musician Cameron Whitcomb, who had just finished performing at the FIFA Fan Festival earlier that day. Whitcomb’s excitement was impossible to miss as confetti filled the arena.
With the encore came the moment everyone had been waiting for. As the opening notes of “Ordinary” rang out, Rogers Arena erupted. The Billboard-topping hit has become Warren‘s defining song, and hearing nearly every person in the building scream the lyrics back at him was one of those rare concert moments where the scale of an artist’s rise becomes impossible to ignore.
A year ago, Alex Warren was proving he belonged in theatres. On Sunday night, he proved he belongs in arenas. More impressively, he managed to make Rogers Arena feel a lot smaller than it actually is.
After the final notes faded, Warren returned to the B-stage one last time to take a bow. Beside him was a young girl who had earlier asked to push the confetti button herself. He gave her something even better. It was a small gesture, but it perfectly captured the spirit of the night: a massive arena show that never lost sight of the people in the room.
Upcoming Tour Dates:
Wednesday, June 17 – Salt Lake City, UT – Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre
Friday, June 19 – Omaha, NE – CHI Health Center
Sunday, June 21 – Kansas City, MO – T-Mobile Center
Tuesday, June 23 – Pittsburgh, PA – PPG Paints Arena
Thursday, June 25 – Atlanta GA – State Farm Arena
Friday, June 26 – Charlotte, NC – Spectrum Center
Saturday, June 27 – Cleveland, OH – Rocket Arena
Monday, June 29 – Chicago, IL – United Center
Thursday, July 2 – Minneapolis, MN – Grand Casino Arena
Friday, July 3 – Milwaukee, WI – Summerfest – American Family Insurance Amphitheater
Sunday, July 5 – Detroit, MI – Little Caesars Arena
Tuesday, July 7 – Toronto, ON – RBC Amphitheatre
Wednesday, July 8 – Montreal, QC – Bell Centre
Friday, July 10 – Philadelphia, PA – Xfinity Mobile Arena
Saturday, July 11 – Columbia, MD – Merriweather Post Pavillion
Monday, July 13 – Boston, MA – TD Garden
Wednesday, July 15 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
Find out more information about the tour here.