Deftones North American Tour 2025 at AAC

Written By Christie Bilbo

The Deftones announced they were coming to town last year, and I knew

this concert would be one of the top concerts on my list for 2025. For those

who love the Deftones, it has been a long time since they hit the road and

returned to Dallas. The last time the Deftones were here was at the end of

COVID. (Damn, that was a screwed up mess we all were living in!) They were

on tour with Gojira, and the concert kept getting postponed.

This time around, the guys were not stopping coming to American Airlines

and putting on one helluva sold-out show. When I got the notification, I made

sure I was online and sitting in a queue to get a prime seat. There is

something about how the Deftones defy the genres and smash together a

mixture of nu-metal, their roots in punk, and a good sprinkle of heavy metal.

It makes your Spidey senses tingle.

When the guys took the stage in a haze of smoke and purple lights, it set the

mood for the opening hard-hitting “Be Quiet and Drive.” Lead singer Chino

Moreno made his running entrance to center stage and had the crowd

jumping. With his smooth vocals and then hitting everyone with his perfect-

pitched screams, the evening tempo was set.

The crowd was on their feet in the seats. The pit was crazy. There was no dull

moment with at least two mosh pits always going. Even some dude in a

banana suit was in the middle of one of the mosh pits getting hammered.

With bangers like “Diamond Eyes,” “Rosemary,” and “Genesis,” the crowd

was immersed in the music.

Texas was getting a heavy trifecta of the guys this year. They tore up Austin

and San Antonio and +nished the state in grandeur by coming to Dallas. With

Sacramento, CA natives proving that a band that has been around for thirty-

seven years can still rock out with the best. Every person in the stadium was

ready to witness what greatness is like.

Moreno’s voice has changed over the years. You can hear a little more

mellowness in him now. Also, he had a substantial physical change from

when I saw them in 2022. He has slimmed down and taken notice of his

health and mental well-being. You can see and hear a difference in him while

he is on stage. As someone a couple of years older, I can attest we ain’t the

same as we were in our youth. There comes a point when we must evaluate

ourselves and our family and make ourselves a priority. Moreno has done

this, and you could see and hear it in him.

To help push Chino’s vocals, the band was tight as hell. With Stephen

Carpenter on lead guitar, Abe Cunningham slamming on the drums, and

Frank Delgado on keyboard, you couldn’t ask for more perfection than we

experienced. The guys didn’t spend time between songs to chit-chat. They

came to rock our faces o<, which is what we got. “Sextape,” “Digital Bath,”

and “Headup” put everyone in the mood.

With Chino’s notoriously sultry voice, the band had a crowd that had a heavy

mix of adults about my age; I’m 53, so there. Then there were those sel+e-

taking Gen Z kids everywhere. It was great to see how many fathers were

there with their kids. There were several families around me talking about

how this was their kid’s +rst concert and how happy they were to be able to

bring them to see a legendary band. This only goes to prove that the

Deftones have the power to stay relevant and draw not only hardcore older

fans but also bring in a new fanbase that I don’t think any of us quite

understand.

They finished their set with an encore of “Minerva,” “Bored,” and “7 Words.”

With that smile Chino is known for, he graciously thanked everyone for

coming. Not one person walked out of American Airlines disappointed.

To help bring the mood, the opening band, Fleshwater, opened for the night.

Taking the stage at 7:00 promptly, they were a new band to me. I found their

music enjoyable. With lead singer Marisa Shirar, they made a great

impression on the crowd.

However, it was Mars Volta that blew my mind. For a band that I had never

heard of, I was mesmerized. They’re from El Paso, TX, and have been around

since 2001. With a style I would like to call progressive rock, psychedelic, and

a mix of jazz, I was totally entranced by their sound.

One thing that stood out to me was how the drummer had his drums set.

They were facing to the left of the stage. I counted nine members on stage

playing various instruments. What also stood out the most was that I felt I

was on an old acid trip from the 80’s. Their music has that melodic, groovy

feel, with very harmonic vocals and no loud screams. It was di<erent, but

they are a band I put on my Spotify.

I want to point out the parking situation with American Airlines. With the

ridiculous prices we pay for tickets, we are hit with a $45 parking fee. This

sucks ass. I know they must maintain the parking garages and everything, but come on folks. Even inside American Airlines, you pay a crazy price for anything to eat and drink. I paid $16.01 for a regular-sized water bottle and a box of the saltiest popcorn that would make your mouth pucker. The food options inside the stadium were minimal.