System of a Down 

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  1. Aug

    17

    Outdoor San Francisco, CA, US

    Golden Gate Park

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  1. Aug

    17

    Outdoor San Francisco, CA, US

    Golden Gate Park

Biography

  • System of a Down (formed in 1994) is an American alternative-metal four-piece rock band hailing from Glendale, California, in the U.S.

    Prior to forming System of a Down lead vocalist Serj Tankian and Daron Malakian created Soil with other members Dave Hakopyan, Domingo Laranio and Shavo Odadjian. Hakopyan and Laranio however soon left making way for Lebanese-born drummer John Dolmayan and from the ashes of Soil came the light and sounds of System of a Down. In 1995 the band played at the Cafe Club Fais Do-Do nightclub in Los Angeles and released the now highly-sought-after Untitled 1995 Demo Tape.

    The band subsequently released three more untitled demo tapes one in 1996, two in 1997 and played a number of notable Hollywood gigs including shows at Whisky-A-Go-Go and Viper Room. This led to System of a Down meeting famed producer Rick Rubin and signing with American/Columbian Records who released their eponymously-titled debut album in 1998. The album was supported by the singles “Sugar” and “Spiders” and garnered significant radio and MTV airplay.

    As a result of this success the band secured opening slots for Slayer and Metallica and toured alongside Fear Factory and Incubus, before contributing to the TV show South Park’s “Chef Aid” album.

    The band’s follow-up album, the ambitious “Toxicity” debuted at No. 1 in the U.S. and Canadian charts, later achieving three-times platinum certification for over 12 million copies sold. It featured the singles “Chop Suey”, “Toxicity” and “Aerials” after which System of a Down toured alongside Slipknot across the U.S. and Mexico. The band’s third album “Steal This Album!” was a response to the lax internet copywriting laws regarding online music piracy, in the same vein as Abbie Hoffman’s counter-culture book “Steal This Book”.

    In 2004 System of a Down returned with the two-part album “Mesmerize/Hypnotize” with the help once again of producer Rick Rubin. The first part of the album “Mesmerize” became the band’s second No. 1 Album after “Toxicity” and the single “B.Y.O.B” earned the group a Grammy for Best Hard Rock Performance in 2005, which questions the integrity of military recruitment in the U.S. The band is well-known for their politically and socially apt lyrics covering topics from bureaucracy to the War of Drugs. The second part of the album “Hypnotize” also debuted at No. 1 putting the group alongside the Beatles and 2Pac for two consecutive No. 1 albums in the same year.

    Following a nomination for Best Hard Rock Performance for their song “Lonely Day” System of a Down announced a significant hiatus during which members pursued other bands and solo efforts. In 2010 the band returned playing a number of headlining European shows including Download Festival, Greenfield Festival, Rock am Ring/Rock im Park, and a sold-out show at the Hollywood Bowl in 2013.

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Live reviews

  • System of a Down

    Venue:

    The Forum, Inglewood, California

    Date of Gig:

    Monday 6th Apr '15

    By 8.30pm the chants of “System! System!” have grown so loud that you wonder if they can be heard outside the building, perhaps even drowning out the jumbo jets that roar overhead as they come in to land at nearby LAX. With no support band tonight, System Of A Down were supposed to be on now, opening their Wake Up The Souls Tour with a sold out hometown show in front of 17,500 people, but since many of them are still trying to get in, traffic gridlocked, the set has been pushed back, and the anticipation grows and grows.

    There's something very special about System Of A Down playing in LA. Hell, there's something special about System Of A Down playing anywhere, but particularly here, where the band began their career some 21 years ago, playing the Whiskey, the Troubadour and the Roxy. Not just that, but there is a huge Armenian population in Los Angeles, and, nearing the 100th anniversary of the Armenian genocide, there is a great deal of emotion in the building, like some vast family has come together. It's kind of hard to explain, but it gives you goosebumps. System Of A Down are gods to the Armenians.

    It's nearing nine o'clock when a lucky and terrified looking competition winner is lead on stage to introduce the band, and before they play we watch a short and emotive film about the genocide, part one of three. There's a palpable charge in the air, and then a deafening thunder from the crowd as Serj Tankian, Daron Malakian, Shavo Odadjian and John Dolmayan quietly take to the stage and drift into Holy Mountains. Already this is a monumental gig.

    And so, for the next two hours, System Of A Down, this most unlikely of mainstream bands, keeps seventeen thousand people on their feet, mesmerized and indeed hypnotized. Aptly, given the proximity of the airport, Jet Pilot follows Holy Mountains, its first airing since 2005, then a blast of Suite-Pee that has security dealing with a tide of crowd-surfers. Already it's madness in here and the band are only three songs in, but, that said, the band themselves seem to take a couple of songs to get fully into their stride, perhaps aware that the setlist contains songs they've never played live before. The live debut of U-Fig from 2005's Hypnotize follows Prison Song, and that's just five songs into a thirty-five song set!

    Like we said, it's one of those nights. Christ, they haven't played Bubbles since 2003, and CUBErt since 2002! They've never played Dreaming before tonight! And along with those rarities come all the classics like Aerials, BYOB, Radio/Video, and the beautiful Lonely Day. The thing about System Of A Down is that, for all their righteous anger, they can touch the human soul, wake the soul on a deeply personal level, even with a crowd of this size. Daron's grandmother would have been 109 years old today, nine when the genocide happened, and she escaped here, as did so many to this sprawling madhouse. Lost In Hollywood, dedicated to her and Daron's family, sends chills down your spine, so lonely in this gigantic crowd, those hustling streets, Hollywood Boulevard, Santa Monica Boulevard, Sunset Boulevard only a few miles from here.

    “We've never played this long in our fucking lives!” laughs Serj, with at least a dozen tunes to go. But it's clear they're enjoying every moment, with that spark of friendship far more in evidence. And for all its melancholy and anger, and all the rest of it, there's still that quirky humour about System Of A Down, a mad genius that sets them apart from any other band. Bounce is sheer lunacy, thousands of people all leaping and down, yelling “Pogo! Pogo!” like a sea of jumping beans.

    Despite chants of “One more song!” there is no encore tonight. It would be ridiculous to expect one, even with classics to spare. No-one has ever heard this much System Of A Down in one night before, a journey from those days at the Whiskey over twenty years ago to selling out the Forum with ease. Again, please!

    Setlist

    Holy Mountains

    Jet Pilot

    Suite-Pee

    Prison Song

    U-Fig

    Aerials

    Soldier Side – Intro

    B.Y.O.B.

    I-E-A-I-A-I-O

    Radio/Video

    Bubbles

    CUBErt

    Hypnotize

    Dreaming

    Needles

    Deer Dance

    P.L.U.C.K.

    Sartarabad

    Psycho

    Chop Suey!

    Lonely Day

    Question!

    Bounce

    Kill Rock 'N Roll

    Marmalade

    Lost In Hollywood

    Spiders

    Mr. Jack

    Science

    Chic 'N' Stu

    War?

    Im Nazelis

    Cigaro

    Toxicity

    Sugar

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  • SOAD played an amazing show. First time seeing them, and they sounded incredible. One of my all time favorite shows so far. I was in the pit, second row, I waited 7 hours just to see them. I arrived at 3:30 and they didn’t come on until 10:30pm, but they played almost 2 hours so it was fine. I waited in the second row without moving much. Once SOAD came on, the crowd pushed like crazy and got very wild. As a 5’0 female weighing about 115lbs, I thought I was going to suffocate, get squished to death, or get a limb broken. I DO NOT recommend the pit for people as small as me. I was pushing as hard as I could just to get a breathe of air, I was legitimately fighting/pushing to survive/breathe at one point. I eventually was able to grab on to the front row rail and get some air, but even then my body was being pushed up against the rail, I wouldn’t have been surprised if I had broken a rib or an arm, because that’s how much pain I was in by being pushed against the rail/people. People did not care if they hurt others and some were extremely rude. People who were barely arriving tried to push/shove their way to the front, trying to get in front of people who had been waiting 7 hours. The crowd was very crazy, people fighting and pushing each other left and right. Dozens of people were taken out by security, either because they were being too pushy/wild or because they were suffocating. I have been to dozens of music festivals ranging from EDM, hip hop, to rock music, no crowd has ever been as bad as this. I expected the pit to be bad, but never imagined that I would be fighting for my life. Overall, system of a down played an unforgettable show, but the crowd unfortunately, greatly ruined the experience for me. Will not be buying a pit ticket again, at least not for a band like SOAD.

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  • System of a Down, perhaps one of the most iconic names in modern rock have accumulated a cult following since their formation twenty years ago. All fans of rock are encouraged to catch a show for the sheer excitement shared by both fan and artist which is rarely matched by other performers.

    Having also had massive commercial success in their homeland, three out of five albums have topped the US Billboard charts so the gigs are full of the loyal followers from the beginning and those slightly later to the party. Either way, the instrumentals and skill of the likes of 'Psycho' and 'Hypnotise' keeps both singing the bands praises well after the show is over.

    They are an incredibly well tuned and well practised live band who have an ingenious method of blending tracks from a variety of albums to sit so well beside each other the audience are barely left with time to applaud. There appears to be compensation for this in form of an eruption of adoration during the closing riffs of 'Sugar', the very first of their elusive single releases.

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  • Nominated for four Grammys, a live performance from System of a Down is guaranteed to be a crowd pleaser even if you’re not into rock music. Without fail, every time the lights go down at a live show, the crowd erupts into a buzzing, shouting mass of dedicated fans.

    The setup of the live performances never ends to amaze me with the ease that they seamlessly flow from rocking tune and into the next. It’s the kind of atmosphere that makes the audience stay on their feet for the duration of the show, swaying and jumping around appropriately. The vocals are always clear, and the famous B.Y.O.B is an ultimate crowd pleaser every single time.

    Next time they tour, hopefully with a new album, I will definitely be getting my hands on some tickets, and if you’re a fan of their music, I can’t advise enough how much you will enjoy the gig. The lights, music, energy, it’s all fantastic and put together brilliantly.

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  • Third time seeing them, they have always brought it the other two times and this was no exception, maybe even the best one. Diverse set list, getting a little off each album, sound mix was great. And more importantly they wanted to be there. Shavo and Daron interacting with the crowd, Serj smiling and laughing. John brought his kids on stage and Serj holding them while singing! It was great to see. Serj and Daron sounded great. Serj still has it. Hitting high notes, the weird vocal ticks, and then growling like on the album. Great show, whole group agreed.

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  • System of a Down played on the most exciting, energetic, high voltage concerts I've ever seen live.

    One song leading to the next one and an amazing setlist was a sure formula to have everybody jumping around, dancing and singing along. There was a fantantic energy and nobody seemed to care we were all cold and wet from standing for hours in the rain.

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  • The show was incredible my second time

    seeing System and man they put on a

    show! Molson Ampatheatre was jam pack

    with everybody rocking out,singing to

    every song just having a blast. For

    anyone who hasn't got to go to a

    System of a down concert they are a

    must see.

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  • Nostalgic set list. Serj seemed like he wasn’t feelin’ it. Everyone else had plenty of energy.

    The light show was pretty cool. The set moved and reconfigured behind them between each song.

    Sound was great from the middle of the floor area.

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  • Excelente energía mostraron desde el inicio... una entrega total al público... musical y vocalmente excelentes! Puedo catalogarlo como mi mejor concierto! Verlos fue un hecho convertido realidad, ojala regresen pronto!

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  • It was perfect one of the best concerts that i have been..unfortunatelly i was a bit disappointed with deftones due to they setlist i almost fall sleep..i"m a huge deftones fan and they could had chosen different songs

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Past concerts

  1. Apr

    27

    North Las Vegas, NV, US

    Sick New World

  2. Apr

    27

    Las Vegas, NV, US

    Las Vegas Festival Grounds

  3. May

    13

    2023
    Outdoor Las Vegas, NV, US

    Sick New World

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System of a Down tour dates and tickets 2024-2025 near you

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System of a Down is not due to play near your location currently - but they are scheduled to play 1 concert across 1 country in 2024-2025. View all concerts.

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