SYSTEM OF A DOWN are set to have a more active year in 2025, as the band has been inactive since 2017. The American Nu-Metal band (with Armenian origin) announced a small tour in South America, which is particularly impressive given the usual stance of vocalist Serj Tankian against touring. The tour, titled “Wake Up!”, kicks off on April 24, 2025, in Bogotá, Colombia, and concludes on May 10, 2025, in São Paulo, Brazil.
The ever-growing list of SYSTEM OF A DOWN’s live performances so far is as follows:
Only SYSTEM OF A DOWN:
April 24 – Bogotá, Colombia – Nemesio Camacho El Campin Stadium
April 27 – Lima, Peru – National Stadium
April 30 – Santiago, Chile – National Stadium Park
May 3 – Buenos Aires, Argentina – Velez Sarsfield Stadium
May 6 – Curitiba, Brazil – Couto Pereira Stadium
May 8 – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – Nilton Santos Stadium
May 10 – São Paulo, Brazil – Allianz Parque
SYSTEM OF A DOWN + KORN, AVENGED SEVENFOLD, DEFTONES, POLYPHIA & WISP:
August 27 – MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ (with KORN, POLYPHIA & WISP)
August 28 – MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ (with KORN, POLYPHIA & WISP)
August 31 – Soldier Field, Chicago, IL (with AVENGED SEVENFOLD, POLYPHIA & WISP)
September 1 – Soldier Field, Chicago, IL (with AVENGED SEVENFOLD, POLYPHIA & WISP)
September 3 – Rogers Centre, Toronto, Canada (with DEFTONES, POLYPHIA & WISP)
September 5 – Rogers Centre, Toronto, Canada (with DEFTONES, POLYPHIA & WISP)
SYSTEM OF A DOWN stated:
«Wake up, South America! We woke up. We heard you. We’re coming.»
In May 2024, SYSTEM OF A DOWN’s vocalist Serj Tankian spoke on a podcast about his reluctance toward the touring lifestyle during the band’s early years.
Serj Tankian stated:
“We had incredible, unexpected success as a very eclectic Progressive Metal band with our album “Toxicity” in 2001, touring and all that. After years of touring, when we were recording our last two albums, “Mezmerize” and “Hypnotize”, which were recorded together and released as two separate albums six months apart in 2005 and 2006, before those recordings, I told the rest of the band: “Guys, this cyclical way of doing things, recording albums for a year and touring for two years at that time, all this publicity and promotion, it has to stop. I want to do my own artistic projects.
We had so much creative energy in the band, especially with Daron Malakian’s (guitarist and vocalist of SYSTEM OF A DOWN) songwriting work, and I also wanted to contribute. Over time, he became a better lyricist and I became a better composer, so there was some tension, which is good for bands because it’s a yin-yang situation. However, this has also broken up many bands. So, before “Mezmerize” and “Hypnotize”, I told the guys: “I want a break. I’m not saying I’ll never do it again, but I’m saying I can’t do it anymore right now.” They didn’t take it well at the time. But years later, we started touring again in 2011, and it became fun because we put all the issues aside and said: “We’re friends, we’re brothers. Let’s have fun and tour together.” Since then, we’ve been doing that. Not as much as the other members would like, but we do it.
In general, I’m the one who wants to tour the least. Part of it is physical fatigue, as tours are exhausting. I had back surgery a few years ago. I’m much better now, but part of my aversion to touring is artistic. After a while, it becomes “Groundhog Day,” repeating the same thing over and over. Still, I love playing with the guys, especially when it’s one-off shows. There’s no pressure for a big tour with interviews and everything. It’s like a small celebration.”
General ticket sales begun on Thursday, December 19th, 2024.