Cover photo by Alex Matthews
Relatively fresh off the release of their album of the year contender (and now the Grammy-nominated effort) Private Music, Deftones held court over a sold out PetCo Park for the 2025 edition of their fall tradition, Dia De Los Deftones. Serving as both headliner and curator, the cultural celebration assembled a line-up that flouted genre and generation - further affirming the band's rank as a leading cultural authority in platforming heavy music as high art.
In addition to sets from the likes of Clipse, Rico Nasty, Deafheaven, 2Hollis, Ecca Vandal, GLARE and more, Deftones capped off the night with a career-spanning set that coupled beloved classics with the live debut of several new essentials. Among the tracks from Private Music first-performed in San Diego on the evening, "locked club," "souvenir" and "cut hands" worked seamlessly into the set filled with anthems.
Among the most moving instances of the night included the start of the band's encore with the live debut of "I think about you all the time" - a moment that brought on a collective hush as a flood of emotion careened through the stadium. Hands clasped, eyes wide - the fans held onto every word Chino Moreno sang, sending all of PetCo into a stadium-sized swoon.
Closing out with a pair of blockbuster bangers in "Engine No. 9" and "7 Words," Deftones reiterated that their importance. The band's enduring longevity and continued relevance are a testament to the kind of care and commitment they have always given their craft. As an extension, Dia De Los Deftones and its growing success serves as another resounding example of the intersection of art and culture that Deftones have prioritized with sincerity rather than any strategy.
Real recognize real.
See the gallery of images below from DIa De Los Deftones 2025. Images captured by Clemente Ruiz, Alex Matthews, Skyler Watkins, vanessa Caron-Cantin and Collin O'Malley.
