I Just Read About That…

[ATTENDED: August 28, 2025] System of a Down

I really liked System of a Down’s Toxicity album.  There was something about Serj Tankian’s voice that was weird and yet strangely compelling.  I’ve always assumed it was because he (and the rest of the band) are Armenian, and that he very likley keeps some traditional phrasings in his singing (of course I could be totally wrong about that),  And with that I started following them pretty closely.  I enjoyed each of their next few albums, but didn’t really ever think about seeing them live.  Especially when they kind of broke up.

A few years ago when they did some reunion shows I put them on my gotta see list, but about three years ago I decided t hat they were never playing near me and so I crossed them off the list.

Then they announced these two shows in East Rutherford.  My son is also a big fan, so I grabbed us tickets and they weren’t terrible seats either.  Because of an ADA policy, we were able to sit in a roomy section, which was pretty nice.  It did take us out of the show a bit–there’s nothing like jumping around with everyone around us.  But, heck, it was far more comfortable.

The stadium lights had been on while the crews were setting up and then, right around 9:20, they turned off an a recording of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s nest played.

Then the four guys walked out on stage and started up the frenetic energy of X followed by the opening harmonic driven notes of Suite-Pee.  I was really impressed with how great the band sounded.  These songs have wild, frenetic time changes and the band was perfect.

I was also intrigued to see that guitarist Daron did a lot of the deep growling. 

Daron is the only person who talked between songs–I don’t think Serj said anything.  He was definitely kind of a weird telling odd stories and seeming to angrily get the crowd going.  Which he did not need to do, because the crowd was insane from the get go (before they cam on, the entire arena was doing a very good Wave).  When they started the chords of Prison Song, the place erupted.  There were at least three circle pits in the crowd.  I enjoyed the way Serj and Daron played their vocals off of each other.

The one compliant I had was that I felt Serj’s vocals were not loud enough.  The guitars were thunderous and the bass and drums were suitably loud.  I wanted Serj’s voice to soar above it all, but he was mixed tightly amid the instruments.  He sounded fine, but I wanted a little boost on his voice–since, let’s face it, that’s what I was there for.,

During the quieter moments of Prison Song, Serj’s voice rang out–I guess he was just competing against the guitars.

I didn’t have any “I hope they play it” songs.  I was pretty much happy to see and hear whatever they wanted to play.  I wasn’t disappointed at all by the setlist–12 of 15 songs from Toxicity.  My son really likes Steal This Album, but they only played one song from it.

They played six songs from Mezmerize and B.Y.O.B. was outstanding. The way they played the dancey/groovy section (with great harmonies) and then blew everyone away with the loud/heavy Blast Off! part.

I was delighted to see bassist Shavo Odadjian and his braided chin beard–which he’s had for decades.  His bass sounded great.  I’m also going to give a big shout out to drummer John Dolmayan.  I’ve been really down on him ever since I learned he was an anti-vaxxer (and worse).  That was a few years ago obviously, and I’m not looking to see if he thinks differently now.  But really, when you’re in a political band like SOAD, how do you suddenly side with the powerful?  So I’m going to hope that he’s changed his mind, but either way, damn, he’s a powerful drummer.  I couldn’t get over how fast and hard he pounded the drums and then could shift gears instantly.  He was without a doubt very impressive.

The spectacle of the show was nowhere near as wild (and awesome) as My Chemical Romance’s (which we saw just 20 days ago).  There was no fire, no elaborate stage setup.  Just video screens that occasionally showed visuals and frequently showed the band members.

I was aware that Daron sang more lead vocals on the last two albums, which is a shame because I think he’s got the perfect harmonizing voice for Serj’s.  I really like when they sing together like on ATWA (the na na na na part is sublime).  Daron introduced the next song insisting that everyone bounce.  And they played one of my favorite wacko SOAD songs–Bounce, which appears to be about pogo sticks.  They also played another one of their songs with several different slow and frenetic sections, Psycho–the changes in this song are amazing.

Then came the song that everyone went crazy for Chop Suey!  The whole place erupted and there were about six circle pits that I could see down on the floor.

Daron slowed things down by singing a bit from Careless Whisper which he segued into Lonely Day (one of the few songs that he sings lead on).  For this an a few more songs, Serj was doing backing vocals and keyboards.  This led into Lost in Hollywood, another song that has Daron on lead vocals–it was a pretty long time to go without Serj, tbh.

After a brief tribute to Ozzy, the band played a (really fast) version of Black Sabbath’s Snowblind.  And Serj was back for Aerials.

Daron introduced Cigaro by singing the first verse a capella.  I don’t always know what they’re singing about and hadn’t ever noticed that this song goes “My cock is much bigger than yours.”

The end of the show was a tour de force of great songs.  The wild Forest, whose chorus is just fantastic, followed by the quiet Roulette (from Steal This Album), the calm before the storm.  This was a sweet moment with Daron and Serj singing together and then Serj giving him a hug after the song.  (There’s been a lot of friction in the band which is why they haven’t put out any new music in twenty years.  But their onstage chemistry is undeniable.

They ended the night with Toxicity–a great opportunity for Serj to sing in quiet and loud parts.  And they ended with Sugar, which made the crowd go berserk.

And that was that.  It was almost like we had the wind knocked out of us because Sugar was so great and the crowd was so into it that it felt like surely there would be more–it was like a setup for a slam dunk.  But that was it.  I guess leaving us on a high note.

The band then threw all kinds of things into the audience.  On our way back to the parking lot I saw a guy with a drumstick–lucky him.

This was our second time using the Redd’s shuttle service and I’m 100% going to use it again should we ever go to MetLife stadium again (unlikely, I assume).

I’m also assume that System of a Down will never play in this area again, and I’m okay with that.  While this was not the best way to see them (seeing them up close in a smaller venue would be ideal), the show was great and it was very cool to get to finally see them.   (It was insane that there was no merch left for them during the Polyphia set, but that’s another story.  As is the fact that their shirts (and poster) all said NYC despite them being in NJ).

Regardless of any negatives, the show was great and my son and I had a fantastic night.

			2025 MetLife Stadium
			tape Jack Nitzsche “One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest.”
			X ⊗
			Suite-Pee ψ
			Prison Song ⊗
			Violent Pornography ∅
			Soldier Side-Intro ∅
			B.Y.O.B. ∅
			Science ⊗
			Needles ⊗
			Deer Dance ⊗
			Radio/Video ∅
			Dreaming (breakdown only) ∞
			Hypnotize ∞
			ATWA ⊗
			Bounce ⊗
			Suggestions ψ
			Psycho (With “Let The Music Play” by Shannon intro) ⊗
			Chop Suey! ⊗
			Lonely Day (With ‘Careless Whisper’ Intro) ∞
			Lost in Hollywood (With ‘Won’t Get Fooled Again’ by The Who Tease) ∅
			Snowblind (Black Sabbath cover)
			Aerials ⊗
			Cigaro ∅
			Forest ⊗
			Roulette £
			Toxicity ⊗
			Sugar ψ