Throughout an look on the January 23 episode of SiriusXM‘s “Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk”, SYSTEM OF A DOWN bassist Shavarsh “Shavo” Odadjian spoke about final month’s announcement that he and his bandmates added second exhibits as a part of their one-of-a-kind huge stadium occasions this yr. The run of 2025 North American exhibits will kick off at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey on August 27-28 with particular company KORN, in addition to two night time at Soldier Area in Chicago (August 31-September 1) with AVENGED SEVENFOLD and a remaining cease at Rogers Stadium in Toronto on September 3 and September 5 with DEFTONES. Shavo stated (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “Actually inside a number of hours we bought out each present, and it was a shock to us. However I am very glad that the stadiums have been accessible close to these dates. We had a band convention that it bought out. My supervisor hit us up. He is, like, ‘Dude, you guys bought all of it out.’ … It floored me. Persons are, like, ‘Why ought to or not it’s so stunning to you?’ Everybody sees us a sure approach. I nonetheless see us as that band from Hollywood. I am not seeing us as this large band that would promote out MetLife twice, two nights in a row. Soccer stadiums, bro. So, we determined, ‘Let’s add one other present to every.’ And we put it on the market the subsequent day and people bought out too.”
Requested why SYSTEM OF A DOWN is barely taking part in exhibits in three cities this time round, Shavo stated: “We have not performed quite a bit collectively for some time. We have been doing one or two exhibits a yr since 2017. So, the relationships weren’t as nice as they’re now. It is simply all people wasn’t on the identical web page. We have been speaking. The whole lot’s nice, knock on wooden. Everybody’s completely satisfied. So we determined to check the waters and play some exhibits. And that is what it’s. There isn’t a technique to it, there is not any plan to do the remainder of the world simply but. I am not saying it is not gonna occur; I am not saying it is gonna occur. We advised one another, ‘Let’s play it by ear, do these exhibits, see how we really feel afterwards. If we do not wanna do any extra, we do not do any extra. If we wanna do extra, we’ll do extra.’ There isn’t any heavy duty on anybody, as a result of I really feel like a number of it’s simply pondering an excessive amount of, overthinking what might occur.”
Shavo continued: “Dangerous experiences have occurred to sure individuals, they usually form of maintain that as PTSD, I believe. And now that issues are higher, we’re older, we’re, like, ‘Dude, no strain, bro. Let’s simply do it. If we prefer it, we do. If we do not prefer it, we [don’t].’ ‘Trigger you understand what? Serj [Tankian, SYSTEM OF A DOWN vocalist] had a good time at Sick New World [festival in Las Vegas] final yr. We had such a tremendous, enjoyable present and everybody left the stage hugging. And so he referred to as again, he is, like, ‘Dude, I cherished it. Let’s do extra of those.’ In order that’s the place that occurred. We’re, like, ‘Let’s go.’ So long as everyone seems to be down. Daron [Malakian, SYSTEM OF A DOWN guitarist] was down. So we determined, ‘Let’s take a look at the waters. Let’s not simply go full blast and begin doing months. Let’s simply take a look at the waters with three exhibits.’ These three exhibits turned to 6.”
Relating to why SYSTEM OF A DOWN selected to play in these three cities particularly, Shavo stated: “We have not been there for a very long time. ‘Trigger we have been doing West Coast stuff quite a bit, as a result of we have not been leaving the West Coast. Like I stated, we have been form of dipping our toe within the water, testing the temperature of the water. So, we have been form of upsetting the East Coast. It looks like we do not like going there, however we love the East Coast. We love throughout. We love your complete nation. It is not private in any respect. So once we determined to do some additional exhibits, we stated, ‘We have to go to the East Coast. That is the place this yr must be.’ In order that’s the rationale — as a result of we the East; we actually do. We discuss it each day — John [Dolmayan, SYSTEM OF A DOWN drummer] and I discuss it each day. We’re, like, ‘We will not look forward to this.’ So we’re trying ahead to seeing the gang, being there and seeing town and having fun with it with that eye once more. We’re taking part in town once more. And to play two stadiums in every metropolis is simply — it is a present.”
Requested whether it is robust to ramp up a machine like SYSTEM OF A DOWN to taking part in at a stadium degree for simply six exhibits, Shavo stated: “We will do it. Look, for the previous couple of years, we have been doing one or two exhibits. And we go and we rehearse two weeks for one present. I believe that is not sensible. So six exhibits is best than one present to me. I will take it. I will take it, and I am not gonna ask for extra. I need it to occur organically. I believe our band is that band — we will not be advised what to do. The extra we push one another to do one thing, the much less we do. So I determine the much less we push, the extra we’ll do. It needs to be completed as a result of we wanna do it, we like to do it, and that is why we do it.”
SYSTEM OF A DOWN may even play a run of South American stadium gigs this spring. The seven-show “Wake Up! South America” tour is slated to kick off on April 24 in Bogota, Colombia on the Estadio Nemésio Camacho El Campin, adopted by a present in Cercado De Lima, Peru on the Estadio Nacional. The tour will transfer on to Chile, Argentina and Brazil, wrapping up with a run of three exhibits in Curitiba, Rio De Janieiro and São Paulo. The concert events shall be SYSTEM OF A DOWN‘s first go to to South America since 2015.
Final Might, Serj spoke to the Soul Increase With Rainn Wilson podcast about his reluctance to embrace the touring life-style that characterised SYSTEM OF A DOWN‘s early years. He stated: “We have had unbelievable, surprising success as a really far-flung form of progressive steel band with our ‘Toxicity’ report in 2001 and touring and doing what we did. And after a few years of touring, once we have been making the previous couple of information which we made collectively, ‘Mezmerize’ and ‘Hypnotize’ — these recordings have been completed on the similar time, then launched as two information inside six months of one another in 2005 and 2006 — earlier than these classes, once we first began these classes, I advised the [other] guys [in the band], ‘Guys, this sort of cyclical factor that we’re doing with making information for a yr, touring for 2 years at the moment, doing all this promo publicity,’ it was simply cyclical. It was, like, ‘I’ve gotta cease. And I additionally wanna do my very own factor. I’ve different creative adventures that I wanna get on.'”
He continued: “A part of it was we had a lot creativity and enter coming into the band, particularly with Daron‘s songwriting and me wanting to herald music as properly, as a result of, over time, he turned a greater lyricist and I turned a greater musical songwriter, a greater composer, so it turned form of like a push and pull, which is de facto good for bands, truly, ‘trigger it is a yin-and-yang form of factor — two sturdy, artistic forces. And it additionally damaged up so many bands. So, earlier than ‘Mezmerize’ and ‘Hypnotize’, I mainly advised the fellows, ‘Pay attention, I would wish to take a hiatus. I am not saying I by no means wanna do that, however I am saying I can not do that proper now anymore. And I wanna do my very own factor and likewise take day without work and have a life, and all of that stuff.’ It wasn’t taken properly on the time. I will not get into that. However years later, we began touring once more in 2011, and it turned a enjoyable factor, ‘trigger it left… Nothing was completely resolved creatively, but it surely turned a enjoyable factor as a result of we at the very least put every part to the aspect and stated, ‘Look, we’re pals, we’re brothers. We have recognized one another for a very long time. We nonetheless respect and love one another. Let’s go have enjoyable and tour collectively.’ And we have been doing that since. Not as a lot as they want, as an instance, or I am not gonna communicate for each individual of the band, as a result of that would not be truthful of me both. However usually I am the least individual that desires to tour. A part of that’s bodily, as a result of it is tiring. I’ve completed it for 20, 25 years, and I had again surgical procedure a number of years in the past. I am significantly better now and all of that. However a part of it’s that. A part of it’s that it is artistically redundant after some time, as a result of it is ‘Groundhog Day’; you are repeating your self. David Bowie stated the primary two weeks of each tour is mainly — I am paraphrasing — artistic; after that, it is redundant, form of factor, which is appropriate. So it is that. However I do get pleasure from taking part in with the fellows, and when it is a one-off, it is truly enjoyable, ‘trigger there is not any strain to do that entire rigamarang of a protracted tour or press or something. You simply rehearse collectively, make your dumb jokes, have meals collectively, after which go and play that one present and it turns into a hoorah. So that is what we have been doing. And I am grateful for that.”
Tankian, who was selling his memoir, “Down With The System”, beforehand addressed how his relationship with Malakian has developed through the years, notably because it pertains to their collaborative partnership, earlier that very same month in an interview with Tom Energy, host of “Q” on Canada’s CBC Radio One. He stated: “Effectively, altering the dynamic is mainly years of time and the development of the band, the success of the band, every part that occurred in between the day that we met and now, mainly, so 25, 30 years. Lots modifications in that point. And so I believe that is part of it.
“Daron‘s been a lifer and he is extremely severe about his music and he is extremely protecting of his music and weak as a result of his music,” Serj defined. “All of these issues form of go collectively. So it is these issues, I believe, that created a number of the artistic variations that we began discovering. And it is also our development. Pay attention, when Daron and I began working collectively, I did not actually write a number of instrumental music — I principally wrote lyrics; I used to be the lyricist; I used to be the singer. And he did not write any lyrics; he simply wrote music. However as time progressed and I performed extra musical devices and I began turning into a songwriter/composer and he began writing extra lyrics, we began form of masking one another’s territory. And I used to be okay with that. If he wrote lyrics, I used to be attempting to encourage him to write down extra, as a result of I imagine in creative progress. I imagine in development. I do not imagine in issues staying the identical approach, for music’s sake. In any other case the music turns into the identical factor again and again. That development is important in each artist’s life or in each group’s life. So I used to be very encouraging of that. And I simply want that I obtained a few of that again. And in order that wasn’t the case, and it was disappointing. And it turned a artistic distinction over the band’s path, and whatnot, over time.”
Requested why he needed to write down about this in his e book, Serj stated: “Quite a lot of it has been publicized in a really sensationalist format by media, music media principally, and I form of needed to place it in a correct perspective and grounding perspective, however with love and with stability and understanding that these items occur. That is regular. You’ve gotten a relationship and you’ve got variations in opinion as [to] the way you wanna go ahead, whether or not it is a band or a wedding or no matter it’s. And these items occur. And so I needed to take that side out, I needed to take the sensationalist side out of the entire thing and be, like, this isn’t solely what occurred, however that is how I see issues.”
Tankian additionally addressed the truth that SYSTEM OF A DOWN has toured intermittently since ending its hiatus in 2011, however has solely managed to report two songs within the final 19 years, “Defend The Land” and “Genocidal Humanoidz”. Launched in November 2020, the tracks have been motivated by the battle between Artsakh and Azerbaijan, with all proceeds supporting humanitarian efforts in SYSTEM OF A DOWN‘s ancestral homeland of Armenia. Together with different donations from followers on their social pages, they raised over $600,000.
“We have not been making new music,” Serj stated. “We solely put out two songs when the invasion of Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh occurred in 2020 by Azerbaijan, as a result of we felt just like the Azeri trolls, the government-sponsored trolls have been taking up social media and the information networks, and the victims of those assaults weren’t getting the phrase out. So we turned form of obsessive about getting the phrase out, as a result of we have been seeing our individuals undergo. So we put out these two songs due to that and we donated a number of the proceeds for that to the trigger as properly.”
Requested how he balances the love and obligation he may really feel towards his followers, those that love SYSTEM OF A DOWN, and the inner struggles inside the band, Tankian stated: “That is an extremely sensible query. It is actually exhausting catering — if you’re an artist, it is actually exhausting catering. In the event you’re an entertainer, catering is [what you do], however when you’re an artist, then you definitely’re simply creating what involves you. You are nearly unaware of what individuals need. Sure, if it is one thing heavier, you understand persons are gonna prefer it extra. However when you’re a superb songwriter, you possibly can do each. I do orchestral music, I do movie music, I do rock music — I do all of it. So I get pleasure from ’em all, however I do know that if I do rock, extra persons are going to hearken to it than a piano, instrumental orchestral piece of music, soundtrack form of music. However it doesn’t suggest that you do not do each, as an artist. So it is exhausting to actually cater to individuals’s emotions. What I like is, and I do know that I can communicate for the remainder of the fellows within the band, that it doesn’t matter what’s occurring with our artistic distinction or the band not making new music or not touring totally or no matter, everybody’s extremely appreciative of what we’ve got when it comes to the love that we get from our followers and the way in which that folks react to our music and the way in which that we get all these e-mails about the way it’s modified individuals’s lives and all of that stuff, and that’s mind-blowing. It is the most important honor. And once I meet individuals on the road, I am nonetheless extremely honored that somebody would choose me out and take a look at me in a constructive mild, not realizing who I’m personally, however realizing me by means of my music, by means of our music, as an instance. And I believe that is an excellent fucking honor. I really feel blessed for it. However it doesn’t suggest that that factor ought to proceed ceaselessly both.”
