The Mars Volta chose the Majestic Ventura Theater to launch their Fall tour, and a sold-out, packed house got proof almost immediately that this band sounds even better in person than on record. In a tight, no-filler set that ran just over an hour and 15 minutes, the group tore through more than two decades of material with a hunger that made it clear everyone on that stage was operating at their absolute A-game.
Opening with “Viscera Eyes” and “Cue the Sun,” the band wasted no time establishing the night’s intensity, guitars and rhythm section locking into that signature chaos-with-purpose from the very first note. What made this show a genuine event was how deep the band dug into corners of their catalog that rarely get touched. “Que dios te maldiga mi corazón” got its live debut, while “Teflon” and “Miranda That Ghost Just Isn’t Holy Anymore”, the latter capped with its “Cygnus…Vismund Cugnus” outro, hadn’t been played live since 2010. “Goliath” made its own return after a decade away, performed as an instrumental that let the band’s musicianship speak entirely for itself.
For longtime fans in that room, these weren’t just deep cuts, they were genuine rarities, the kind of setlist choices that turn a great show into an unforgettable one. Believe us when we say the house was absolutely rocking from beginning to end!…