They eased into "Lost Hollywood," Serj Tankian adding harmonies to Malakian's lead vocal on an understated verse before it kicked into a full-blown power ballad, the audience waving their arms as their phones lights added to the atmosphere.Ī haunted snippet of "Soldier Song," delivered by Malakian alone, gave way to the intensity of "B.Y.O.B." (short for "Bring Your Own Bomb"), accompanied by images of bombs exploding and Benjamin Franklin's face on a $100 bill. Several songs started with just Malakian singing and playing guitar before exploding. Jack," "Dreaming," "Question!" and "Cigaro."īut they also made excellent use of dynamics. Most songs were played at maximum intensity, from "Prison Song" to "U-Fig," "Mr. They reached back to their self-titled 1998 debut for several songs, including the set-closing "Sugar," and touched on all their biggest hits, from "Chop Suey!" to "Lonely Day." Or 30 songs if you include that bit of "Physical," the Olivia Newton-John hit that Daron Malakian slipped between "P.L.U.C.K." and "Psycho." There's been no new material from System of a Down since their last trip to Phoenix, but that hasn't stopped them from drawing huge crowds on their first North American tour since 2015, which also features At the Drive-In and Skeletonwitch.Īnd truthfully, the fans seemed just as happy to be dealing with the songs they've known and loved for all these years, including no fewer than nine selections from the band's biggest-selling album, 2001's triple-platinum "Toxicity."Īfter setting the tone with "Innervision," the first single from 2002's "Steal This Album!," they treated the crowd to a 29-song overview of their career. The last time System of a Down played Phoenix was 2006, when Ozzfest brought the willfully eccentric, politically righteous alternative-metal sensations to town in continued support of the previous year's acclaimed companion pieces, "Mesmerize" and "Hypnotize."Īnd they were treated to a proper hero's welcome by the fans who crowded into Talking Stick Resort Arena on Tuesday, nearly every song inspiring a massive singalong, especially on hits as huge as "Aerials" and "Hypnotize."
View Gallery: System of a Down performs at Talking Stick Resort Arena
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