CHICAGO – When the news broke that System of a Down was performing a string of US shows in 2025, I knew I had to be there. For a band with such a legendary discography, their live performances are known to be full of energy and chaos flowing through the crowd, something I knew I had to experience. The thought of missing what could be a once-in-a-lifetime experience was a risk I was not willing to take.
Upon arriving at Soldier Field and beating the droves of incoming traffic, I got to witness the venue slowly fill up for the sold out show, full of fans donning System of a Down and Avenged Sevenfold merch to celebrate their co-headlining show. The calm before the storm was a moment to appreciate, as I explored the outsides of the field and then found my way to my seat.
After regrettably arriving just after Wisp’s set, I sat down just in time for Polyphia’s set. Known for their unique blend of progressive and math rock, the band’s music filled the stadium, with constant calls for crowdsurfing during their set. Having a seat above the pit, I loved being able to see the entire crowd and the movement taking place throughout their set, which only grew throughout the night.
After Polyphia’s set concluded, I could feel the crowd’s anticipation for Avenged Sevenfold, who was co-headlining the night’s performance. As pioneers of the new wave of American metal, their influence was felt throughout the stadium, with an insane amount of attendees wearing their merch or having their iconic deathbat logo tattooed. While I am not overly familiar with their music, I enjoyed their performance and the amount of dedicated fans that were singing along to every word.
With Avenged Sevenfold’s set concluding, the lights on stage dimmed, and left me full of anticipation for System of a Down’s set. After learning the set times from their Instagram page, I was checking the clock non-stop in anticipation. While waiting, a warning appeared on the screens next to the stage, declaring that flares were not allowed during the show. and violators will be removed. After initially being very confused as to why this warning was needed, I started to research while waiting for the band’s performance. After one quick google search, I found countless articles covering the use of flares during their show, with the most recent occurrence happening at one of their performances in Brazil. Concluding the show, the band issued a statement saying “This is not a war zone, this is not a riot, this is a System Of A Down style Rock & Roll concert in Brazil!”
Concluding this, the Armenian/Californian Metal legends System of a Down’s set finally began, with a majority of the attendees standing up from their seats to witness their performance. They started their set with Soldier Side, a clever homage to the venue’s name, Soldier Field. They then abruptly flew into “B.Y.O.B,” debatably my favorite song by the band, which caught me by surprise as one of the first songs to be played. I immediately stood up from my seat in excitement, happily being able to witness the song live, while witnessing the chaos in the crowd below.
Soon after came plenty of more crowd favorites, such as Prison Song, Aerials, and Needles, all equally firing up the crowd with several mosh pits opening throughout the venue. Proceeding Needles, guitarist Daron Malakian started to make jokes about the chorus of the song, “Pull the tapeworm out of your a**,” which hinted at the crowd for what song was next. After flying through several more of their songs, they finally got to their most popular song, titled “Chop Suey!” with the energy of the crowd hitting a peak, with several more pits breaking open throughout the venue; some mosh pits, some circle pits, and no flares involved!
After reaching the later part of their set, I was torn between witnessing their last few songs, or leaving the venue to beat the crowds. Though I had to regrettably miss the band performing two more of my favorites, “Toxicity” and “ Sugar,” I decided to make their music my soundtrack as I navigated my way out of the stadium. Even though I was completely exhausted after their performance, it was the best kind of tired, having poured out every ounce of my energy during their set.
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