The Mars Volta just played their first concert of 2025 — opening for the Deftones — and, instead of playing any hits, the Texas-born rock band opted to play an unreleased (new?) album in its entirety.Here’s what I can tell you, as someone who was present for the show… The music was very space rock-ish with some interesting blues, jazz, and R&B-esque elements. It felt like if Sade and Prince put on a show inspired by David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust era.That’s not to say it wasn’t wholly a Mars Volta sound. It was. One of the most impressive things about the band is that they can break down their influences and inspirations and then rebuild them into something completely brand new. Check out some footage below.Now, to be fair, much of the crowd seemed unsure of what was happening, considering that most of the people there for The Mars Volta were likely expecting to hear songs like “The Widow” and “Inertiatic Esp,” and that led to what felt like an inability to be as receptive to new music as some maybe would hope to be.Even still, The Mars Volta is a band out to make art first and foremost, so it’s not quite the same as if you went to see Ace of Base and they didn’t play “All That She Wants,” or “The Sign,” (or “Don’t Turn Around,” or “Beautiful Life,” or “Cruel Summer.”)Bottom line: The set was really solid, and the new Mars Volta music is very compelling. Check out an apparent set list below — revealing song titles — as first published by Metal Injection.“Fin”“Reina tormenta”“Enlazan las tinieblas”“Mictlán”“Nefilbata”“Cue the Sun”“Alba del orate”“Voice in My Knives”“Poseedora de mi sombra”“Celaje”“Vociferó”“Mito de los trece cielos”“Un disparo al vacío”“Detrás de la puerta dorada”“Maullidos”“Morgana”“Cue the Sun (Reprise)”“Lucro sucio”The Mars Volta will be on the road for the next couple of months with Fleshwater (get there early for Fleshwater’s high-energy, genre-blending opening set) and Deftones (if you need to be convinced to see the Deftones then I can’t do anything for you). Check out those dates below:2/27 Seattle, WA Climate Pledge Arena3/1 Sacramento, CA Golden 1 Center3/4 San Francisco, CA Chase Center3/5 Inglewood, CA Kia Forum3/6 Inglewood, CA Kia Forum3/8 Las Vegas, NV MGM Grand Garden Arena3/9 Phoenix, AZ Footprint Center3/12 Austin, TX Moody Center3/13 San Antonio, TX Frost Bank Center3/15 Dallas, TX American Airlines Center3/16 Houston, TX Toyota Center3/18 Atlanta, GA State Farm Arena3/2- Orlando, FL Kia Center3/22 Sunrise, FL Amerant Bank Arena3/24 Charlotte, NC Spectrum Center3/26 Nashville, TN Bridgestone Arena3/28 Indianapolis, IN Gainbridge Fieldhouse3/29 Columbus, OH Nationwide Arena3/31 Chicago, IL United Center4/1 Detroit, MI Little Caesars Arena4/3 New York, NY Madison Square Garden4/4 Philadelphia, PA Wells Fargo Center4/6 Washington, DC Capital One Arena4/8 Boston, MA TD Garden4/9 Newark, NJ Prudential CenterLastly, The PRP has reported that the new Mars Volta album will drop on April 11, but that seems unconfirmed by the band and their representatives.The post The Mars Volta Played a Full Unreleased Album at Their First 2025 Concert appeared first on VICE.