System Of a Down took to the stage for the first time since July 2019 last Friday, the 15th, in Las Vegas. The band treated fans to a 30-song setlist, where they played most of the songs from Toxicity , from 2001, to celebrate the album's 20th anniversary.
Of the 14 tracks on Toxicity , only 3 were left out: “Jet Pilot”, “Forest”, and “Shimmy”. On the other hand, the band performed some rarities such as “Soldier Slide”, “Chic 'N' Stu”, and “Holy Mountains”. The setlist also included the new songs “ Genocidal Humanoidz ” and “Protect The Land”, released in 2020 – the first System Of a Down material since the albums Mezmerize and Hypnotize , from 2005.
Before launching into the performance of “Genocidal Humanoidz,” guitarist Daron Malakian addressed the crowd, saying, “This is one of our newest songs. It’s about a shitty government that tried – again – to kill our people. Fuck the genocidal humanoids!”
Regarding “Protect The Land,” vocalist Serj Tankian commented: “About a year ago, joint forces from Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Syria attacked a peaceful people living in Nagorno-Karabakh who had inhabited their indigenous lands for thousands of years. This is the new people. At the time, System Of A Down released two songs to help bring attention to the cause , and what we want to do is thank you because you helped in our efforts to raise funds and draw attention to this very important event.”
Check out images from the moment:
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