Metal, Hardcore, Indie, Rock
Flying from Helsinki to Stockholm on a Monday for a single concert might sound excessive to some, but this was no ordinary show. System Of A Down were finally returning to Europe for their first tour in eight years, kicking things off at a sold-out Strawberry Arena in Stockholm. Opportunities like this don’t come around very often.
The last time I saw System Of A Down was at Finland’s Provinssirock festival back in 2013. To this day, that performance remains firmly in my personal top five concerts of all time. Missing the opening night of this long-awaited European run simply wasn’t an option.
Part of the plan was also to visit the band’s exclusive pop-up store before heading to the venue and pick up a tour shirt as a souvenir. However, I quickly discovered that entry required a reservation — something I hadn’t known beforehand. Luckily, fortune smiled on me. A group of three fellow Finns happened to arrive at the same time with a reservation for four people, and they kindly invited me to join them. Without their generosity, I most likely would have missed the pop-up store altogether due to the enormous queue outside. So, a sincere thank you once again to those three guys.
The location of the store couldn’t have been much better either, sitting conveniently between the airport train station and my hotel. After grabbing some food and spending a couple of hours exploring Stockholm — proudly wearing my brand-new System Of A Down shirt, of course — it was finally time to make my way towards Strawberry Arena.
Judging by the live videos I had watched on YouTube over the past few years, System Of A Down seemed to be in excellent shape again. Still, there was one question only the concert itself could answer: could they still deliver the same magic I had witnessed back in 2013?
I arrived at Strawberry Arena during Acid Bath’s performance, so unfortunately I only managed to catch a relatively small portion of their set. Even so, it was clear that the legendary sludge metal outfit had brought along its own dedicated following, with part of the audience seemingly attending the show specifically to witness their return. The marijuana-scented atmosphere, crushingly heavy sound and psychedelic visuals combined to create a completely different experience from what would follow later in the evening, making Acid Bath a fascinating opener.
Queens Of The Stone Age, meanwhile, once again demonstrated why they remain one of the world’s finest live rock bands. From the opening song onwards, the band delivered a relentlessly energetic performance packed with confidence and pure enjoyment. Josh Homme was clearly in excellent spirits throughout the set, leading the band effortlessly while letting the music do all the talking. Rather than spending much time addressing the audience, Queens Of The Stone Age simply fired one great song after another with remarkable intensity.
The setlist also rewarded longtime fans with a couple of genuine surprises. Early in the performance the band played “Run, Pig, Run” live for the first time since 2008 before later dusting off “The Fun Machine Took a Shit and Died” for its first live appearance since 2014. While the deep cuts were warmly welcomed, the biggest reaction of the evening inevitably arrived with “Go With The Flow.” The moment its unmistakable opening riff rang out across Strawberry Arena, the arena exploded. Thousands of fans sang every word, hands filled the air and the atmosphere instantly reached another level.
Queens Of The Stone Age accomplished exactly what an opening act should. Their energetic, razor-sharp performance elevated the atmosphere to its peak and prepared the sold-out Strawberry Arena perfectly for the arrival of the night’s main attraction: System Of A Down.
Long before System Of A Down took the stage, it was obvious that this was no ordinary concert. Waves continuously travelled around the sold-out Strawberry Arena as thousands of fans counted down the final minutes before the band’s arrival. The anticipation was almost tangible.
Then the lights went out.
Within seconds, the arena erupted into deafening cheers as System Of A Down walked on stage to launch their first European tour in eight years.
The band opened with “Soldier Side,” but the true ignition came moments later when “B.Y.O.B.” exploded through the speakers. Strawberry Arena immediately transformed into absolute chaos. Every lyric was shouted back at the band while the standing crowd celebrated with relentless energy. Within minutes it became obvious that this wasn’t simply another stop on a tour—it was a celebration that fans had waited years to experience.
Perhaps the biggest surprise of the evening wasn’t the setlist, but just how incredibly sharp System Of A Down sounded. Any concerns about the band’s lengthy absence from European stages disappeared almost immediately. Serj Tankian, Daron Malakian, Shavo Odadjian and John Dolmayan performed with the confidence, chemistry and precision of a band that had never been away.
The chemistry between Serj Tankian and Daron Malakian was once again one of the concert’s greatest strengths. Vocally, both delivered outstanding performances throughout the evening, while their stage presence remained as captivating as ever. At no point did the band appear to be missing anything.
In recent years, there has been occasional speculation about whether System Of A Down could continue with another vocalist if Tankian’s reluctance to record new music continued. Anyone who witnessed this performance received a very clear answer. Tankian remains such an essential part of System Of A Down’s identity and live experience that replacing him would fundamentally change the band.
The rhythm section deserves equal praise. John Dolmayan once again held the entire band together with his incredibly tight and powerful drumming, while bassist Shavo Odadjian seemed to function as the glue that keeps System Of A Down together, both musically and on stage. His infectious energy never faded throughout the evening, and watching the four musicians interact made it clear why this lineup continues to feel so unique more than three decades after the band’s formation.
One of the evening’s most emotional moments arrived during “Aerials.” The sold-out Strawberry Arena sang along to virtually every word while thousands of raised fists filled the floor section. For a few unforgettable minutes, the focus shifted from the band to the audience itself, whose passionate participation transformed the performance into one of the night’s defining moments.
Over the course of nearly ninety minutes, System Of A Down delivered an impressive 29-song journey through virtually every era of their career. The setlist balanced massive hits with deeper fan favourites in a way that kept both casual listeners and longtime fans completely engaged from beginning to end.
The closing stretch of the concert felt like one giant celebration. “Chop Suey!” once again turned Strawberry Arena into one enormous choir, but perhaps the most astonishing audience participation came during “Toxicity.” The crowd sang with such overwhelming force that there were moments when Serj Tankian’s own vocals were almost drowned out by thousands of voices echoing throughout the arena. It was one of those rare concert moments where the audience briefly took ownership of the performance.
Closing the evening with “Toxicity” followed by “Sugar” proved to be the perfect finale to a concert that rarely lost momentum from beginning to end.
Walking out of Strawberry Arena, my emotions were somewhat bittersweet. Finally seeing System Of A Down again after waiting thirteen years was worth every kilometre travelled and every euro spent. At the same time, I couldn’t help wondering whether this might have been the last time I’d ever get to experience the band live.
Hopefully it won’t be.
Setlist:
You can check out our photo gallery from the show here.
