Since 2001, The Mars Volta has been an artistic vehicle for the heavy, progressive, textural vision and music of guitarist Omar Rodriguez-Lopez and vocalist / lyricist Cedric Bixler-Zavala. Born from the ashes of the El Paso, TX post-punk of At The Drive In, the group has included a rotating cast of musicians throughout its near quarter-century existence, notably including Flea, John Frusciante, Isiah “Ikey” Owens, Paul Hinojos, Juan Alderete, and Jon Theodore.
Their latest release Lucro Sucio; Los Ojos del Vacio represents a bit of a departure from TMV’s sound, featuring more synthesizers, drum machines, and downtempo numbers than previous releases, with the exception of 2012’s Octahedron. Furthermore, it came as a bit of a surprise to fans when the band began performing the entire 18-track new release from start to finish during its summer arena opening slot for the Deftones. This is exactly what they brought to the Fillmore Miami Beach on Halloween Night, 2025.
Bixler and Rodriguez-Lopez were joined on stage by founding bassist Eva Gardner, Marcel Rodriguez-Lopez (Omar’s younger brother – keyboards / percussion), Leo Genovese (keyboards, tenor sax), Linda Philomene-Tsoungui (drums), and Teresa Suárez Cosío AKA Teri Gender Bender, background vocals. This represents the current touring The Mars Volta Group, and they were spectacular.
The three female, four male lineup with Cedric and Omar at the center of it took the stage and performed in all black garb. They played their set with a focused intensity that did exude joy at times, and little to no banter. The band brought a maturity to the darkness and intensity of it all. The stage featured the musicians lined up in a V formation, monochromatic lighting with lots of reds, greens, purple, a black and white Puerto Rican flag as the only prop.
The focus remained squarely on the music and the performance of the songs in exact album sequence. A mustachioed Teri allowed for Bixler-Zavala’s haunting studio vocals with multiple harmonies to be recreated live; his voice and hers were in top shape. She functioned as a kind of physical mirror on stage. The transitions between songs were as seamless live as on the recording.
Also noteworthy were the percussive contributions of the younger Rodriguez-Lopez, the dynamic and powerful drumming of Philomene-Tsoungui (much in keeping with the live Volta tradition), who effectively ratcheted up the intensity of the music throughout the set, and the elder Rodriguez’s looming guitar presence.
The band and their lack of back catalog songs did not disappoint and instead were a refreshing and satisfying alternative to a group a quarter-century in playing their tired hits. The enthusiastic applause and cheers between songs and at the end were evidence of this, as was the crowd’s reaction to Cedric’s promise to return soon because the band “loves Miami”.
The bizarre psychedelia of openers Feliz y Dada, who appropriately considering what day it was, appeared in alien masks and whose songs were sung through a nearly unintelligible filter were amusing, if not altogether weird. Puerto Rico’s Kiani Medina (daughter of salsa legendary salsero Jerry Medina) performed a short set of her Spanish rock / alternative hybrid along to tracks and a live guitarist.
The crowd – about half the theater at capacity, with the back-half curtained off – was clearly in the spirit, with many in full costume, presumably to enjoy the mayhem that is Lincoln Road on a Halloween night right after. Sid and Nancy, Wario, Luigi, Ozzy Osbourne, a mustachioed twenty-something lady (probably a Teri Gender Bender fan), and others all swayed to the Volta.
This author, a fan since the band’s inception, was pleased to see Omar and Cedric at their peak powers and seemingly happy on stage. The band was extremely tight, and with the brief break up of 2013-14 and pause in new TMV music long past them, and a killer new set of songs, the next phase of the band seems anything but dark or empty.
