{"id":2044799,"date":"2026-07-14T10:30:05","date_gmt":"2026-07-14T07:30:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2044799"},"modified":"2026-07-14T10:30:05","modified_gmt":"2026-07-14T07:30:05","slug":"system-of-a-down-live-in-london-review-a-qotsa-featuring-oasis-baiting-circle-pit-party","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2044799","title":{"rendered":"System Of A Down live in London review: A QOTSA-featuring, Oasis-baiting, circle pit party"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/SOAD_TOTTENHAM_1.jpg&#8221;]<\/p>\n<article id=\"template-id-3332206\" class=\"post-3332206 tdb_templates type-tdb_templates status-publish post\">\n<div id=\"tdi_65\" class=\"tdc-zone\">\n<div class=\"tdc_zone tdi_66  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div id=\"tdi_67\" class=\"tdc-row stretch_row_1400 td-stretch-content\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_68  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_70  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_featured_image tdi_71 tdb-content-horiz-left td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_71\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"696\" height=\"442\" class=\"entry-thumb\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/SOAD_TOTTENHAM_1-696x442.jpg\" alt=\"System Of A Down live at London&apos;s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Credit: Clemente Ruiz\" title=\"System Of A Down live at London&apos;s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Credit: Clemente Ruiz\"><figcaption class=\"tdb-caption-text\">System Of A Down live at London&#8217;s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Credit: Clemente Ruiz<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tdi_72\" class=\"tdc-row stretch_row\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_73  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_75  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_breadcrumbs tdi_76 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 tdb-breadcrumbs \" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_76\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span>Reviews<\/span><span>Live Reviews<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_title tdi_77 tdb-single-title td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_77\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">System Of A Down live in London review: A QOTSA-featuring, Oasis-baiting, circle pit party<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_subtitle tdi_78 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_78\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p>Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Monday July 13: the Armenian-Americans defy and redefine what stadium rock can be at relentless mass rally<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_review_overall tdi_79 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_79\">\n<table class=\"td-review td-fix-index\">\n<tr class=\"td-review-footer rate_stars\">\n<td class=\"td-review-score\">\n<div class=\"td-review-overall\">\n<div class=\"td-review-final-score\">5<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_author tdi_80 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 tdb-post-meta\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_80\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-author-name-wrap\"><span class=\"tdb-author-by\">By<\/span> Andrew Trendell<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_date tdi_81 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 tdb-post-meta\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_81\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><time class=\"entry-date updated td-module-date\" datetime=\"2026-07-14T11:30:05+01:00\">14th July 2026<\/time><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tdi_82\" class=\"tdc-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_83  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_85  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_content tdi_86 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 td-post-content tagdiv-type\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_86\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p>\u201cWe have a song about a tapeworm,\u201d beams System Of A Down guitarist Daron Malakian, introducing the wild polka of \u2018Needles\u2019. \u201cToday, I\u2019m going to name the tapeworm \u2018Oasis\u2019,\u201d he continues, before inciting 50,000 pumped-up fans in a bellowing chant of \u201cPUUUULL OASIS OUT OF YOUR ASS\u201d. It\u2019s a decades-long feud after Noel Gallagher famously told US radio in the early \u201800s of his relief after first hearing SOAD, thinking: \u201cI\u2019m actually alive to hear the shittiest band of all time.\u201d Ouch.<\/p>\n<p>When Noel made those comments at the height of \u2018Toxicity\u2019, none could have predicted the trajectory of these Armenian-American political metal weirdos. Disbanding in 2006 after reaching arena level after five acclaimed albums, before returning to endless festival rounds in 2010, we now find ourselves here. With only a couple of new songs and a well-known struggle to make a follow-up album, it\u2019s largely down to TikTok and viral footage of the circle pit mania they inspire that they find themselves selling out stadiums across Europe in 2026 \u2013 that same phenomenon that now has Deftones and KoRn back at the top of bills.<\/p>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad0 id_ad_content-horiz-center\"><span class=\"td-adspot-title\">Advertisement<\/span><\/div>\n<p>Themselves an arena-filling, festival-headlining rock beast, Queens Of The Stone Age acting as opener only heightens the sense of occasion. You\u2019ll rarely catch them on a stage with the sun still beating down, but they seize that moment by coming out to Starlight Vocal Band\u2019s feel-good classic \u2018Afternoon Delight\u2019 over footage of Josh Homme and co\u2019s faces warping like a bad acid trip.<\/p>\n<p>They intersperse the hard-raging bangers like \u2018Sick, Sick, Sick\u2019, \u2018My God Is The Sun\u2019 and \u2018Little Sister\u2019 with some of their more desert-wandering esoteric numbers like \u2018Regular John\u2019, \u2018The Fun Machine Took a Shit and Died\u2019 and \u2018Run, Pig, Run\u2019, which seems a smart move. It showcases a lesser-sung side of QOTSA while complementing the weirder edges of SOAD and ultimately controls the temperature to keep folk from killing each other. Then, the crowds spiral for the brutal one-two-three punch closing of \u2018Go With The Flow\u2019, \u2018No One Knows\u2019 and \u2018A Song For The Dead\u2019 as an on-fire Homme calls upon London to \u201cmake yourself a night you\u2019ll never remember.\u201d We oblige.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3956866\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3956866\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3956866\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/queens_of_the_stone_age_tottenham_1.jpg\" alt=\"Queens Of The Stone Age live at London&apos;s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Credit: Alex Morton\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1270\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3956866\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Queens Of The Stone Age live at London\u2019s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Credit: Alex Morton<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cWe are System Of A Down from Los Angeles, California via Armenia, and this is the System Of A Down style of rock\u2019n\u2019roll,\u201d offers Malakian. From the soulful lament of fallen warriors on opener \u2018Soldier Side\u2019 and the mass furious questioning of \u201c<em>Why do they always send the poor?<\/em>\u201d on \u2018B.Y.O.B.\u2019 atop visuals calling out our modern passive approach to \u2018HUMAN SUFFERING, NOW IN 4K!\u2019, it\u2019s clear from the opening that this ain\u2019t gonna be your standard stadium fare.<\/p>\n<p>Whether barking back frontman Serj Tankian\u2019s lines about \u201c<em>abolishing mandatory minimum sentences<\/em>\u201d in turning the US into one giant prison, or \u2018Deer Dance\u2019 calling out police brutality (\u201cP<em>ushing little children with their fully-automatics, they like to push the weak around<\/em>\u201d), the audience came to mosh to a message \u2013 and there aren\u2019t a lot of bands offering that right now. \u201cPardon us for being angry,\u201d Malakian apologises, \u201cbut the world is kinda fucked.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad1 id_ad_content-horiz-center\">\n<h5 class=\"taboola-mid-article-title\">Recommended<\/h5>\n<\/div>\n<p>Tankian, Malakian and bassist Shavo Odadjian play like they\u2019re all competing to be frontman, with drummer John Dolmayan the stone-faced wall at the back. Spirits are high in the band, with even a tender \u201cI love you man\u201d from the guitarist to the singer. We may not need a new album with enough nights like this. Give us that absolutely crazy reaction to \u2018Chop Suey\u2019, the fevered dance of \u2018Bounce\u2019 and the spine-chilling respite of \u2018Spiders\u2019 over and over.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3956870\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3956870\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3956870\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/soad_tottenham_2.jpg\" alt=\"System Of A Down live at London&apos;s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Credit: Clemente Ruiz\" width=\"1334\" height=\"2000\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3956870\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">System Of A Down live at London\u2019s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Credit: Clemente Ruiz<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Tonight is similar to Oasis only in that every single person in this place is going totally ape-shit from start to finish, but System Of A Down ultimately defy and redefine what stadium rock is and can be. The circle pits don\u2019t relent throughout, but we know what we\u2019ve been waiting for. \u201cI\u2019m sure you\u2019ve seen this part of the show before on Instagram or bullshitgram,\u201d says Malakian before another viral-worthy series of human whirlpools kick off for \u2018Toxicity\u2019 into closer \u2018Sugar\u2019. \u201cDo you feel the moment?\u201d he yells. That\u2019s what it\u2019s about. And that you were lucky enough to be alive to see SOAD smash a stadium. Shove that up your ass.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Queens Of The Stone Age played:<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>\u2018Regular John\u2019<br \/>\n\u2018The Lost Art of Keeping a Secret\u2019<br \/>\n\u2018Do It Again\u2019<br \/>\n\u2018Sick, Sick, Sick\u2019<br \/>\n\u2018The Fun Machine Took a Shit and Died\u2019<br \/>\n\u2018Paper Machete\u2019<br \/>\n\u2018My God Is the Sun\u2019<br \/>\n\u2018Run, Pig, Run\u2019<br \/>\n\u2018Little Sister\u2019<br \/>\n\u2018Go With The Flow\u2019<br \/>\n\u2018No One Knows\u2019<br \/>\n\u2018A Song for the Dead\u2019<\/p>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad2 id_ad_content-horiz-center\"><span class=\"td-adspot-title\">Advertisement<\/span><\/div>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3956872\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3956872\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3956872\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/soad_tottenham_3.jpg\" alt=\"System Of A Down live at London&apos;s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Credit: Clemente Ruiz\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1270\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3956872\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">System Of A Down live at London\u2019s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Credit: Clemente Ruiz<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2><strong>System Of A Down played:<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>\u2018Soldier Side \u2013 Intro\u2019<br \/>\n\u2018B.Y.O.B.\u2019<br \/>\n\u2018Suite-Pee\u2019<br \/>\n\u2018Chic \u2018N\u2019 Stu\u2019<br \/>\n\u2018Prison Song\u2019<br \/>\n\u2018Aerials\u2019<br \/>\n\u2018I-E-A-I-A-I-O\u2019<br \/>\n\u2018Innervision\u2019<br \/>\n\u2018Darts\u2019<br \/>\n\u2018Genocidal Humanoidz\u2019<br \/>\n\u2018Needles\u2019<br \/>\n\u2018Deer Dance\u2019<br \/>\n\u2018Radio\/Video\u2019<br \/>\n\u2018Dreaming\u2019<br \/>\n\u2018Hypnotize\u2019<br \/>\n\u2018ATWA\u2019<br \/>\n\u2018Bounce\u2019<br \/>\n\u2018Suggestions\u2019<br \/>\n\u2018Psycho\u2019<br \/>\n\u2018Chop Suey!\u2019<br \/>\n\u2018Lonely Day\u2019<br \/>\n\u2018Lost in Hollywood\u2019<br \/>\n\u2018Streamline\u2019<br \/>\n\u2018Spiders\u2019<br \/>\n\u2018Forest\u2019<br \/>\n\u2018DAM\u2019<br \/>\n\u2018War?\u2019<br \/>\n\u2018Roulette\u2019<br \/>\n\u2018Toxicity\u2019<br \/>\n\u2018Sugar\u2019<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_tags tdi_87 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_87\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<ul class=\"tdb-tags\">\n<li><span>Related Topics<\/span><\/li>\n<li>Queens Of The Stone Age<\/li>\n<li>Rock<\/li>\n<li>Serj Tankian<\/li>\n<li>System Of A Down<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tdi_88\" class=\"tdc-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_89  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_91  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"vc_row_inner tdi_93  vc_row vc_inner wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column_inner tdi_95  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-inner-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"vc_column-inner\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper td_block_wrap vc_raw_html tdi_97 \">\n<div class=\"td-fix-index\">\n<h3>More Stories<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap td_flex_block_1 tdi_98 td-pb-border-top td_module_flex_1--card td_module_flex_1--card--highlight td_block_template_2 tdc-no-posts td_flex_block\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_98\">\n<div id=\"tdi_98\" class=\"td_block_inner td-mc1-wrap\">\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Music News<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">Here\u2019s what AC\/DC played as they kicked off their 2026 North American tour with classic-packed show<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Music News<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">Billy Corgan says he has \u201cmad respect\u201d for Las Vegas Sphere artists and says Smashing Pumpkins \u201ccould put on a show that nobody else&#8230;<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Music News<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">Beck announces new album \u2018Ride Lonesome\u2019 with haunting new single \u2018In The Night\u2019<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Music News<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">Creator and host of MTV\u2019s iconic \u2018120 Minutes\u2019 Dave Kendall has died<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Music News<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">Watch System Of A Down lead Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in chant of \u201cpull Oasis out of your ass\u201d<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Music News<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">Phil Collins talks meeting Oasis at upcoming Rock Hall Of Fame induction after Noel Gallagher called him \u201cthe Antichrist\u201d<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tdi_99\" class=\"tdc-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_100  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_102  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper td_block_wrap vc_raw_html tdi_104 \">\n<div class=\"td-fix-index\">\n<h3>You May Also Like<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><\/span><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><\/span><\/span><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><\/span><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><\/span><span><\/span><\/span><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><\/span><\/article>\n<\/p>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_content tdi_86 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 td-post-content tagdiv-type\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_86\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p>\u201cWe have a song about a tapeworm,\u201d beams System Of A Down guitarist Daron Malakian, introducing the wild polka of \u2018Needles\u2019. \u201cToday, I\u2019m going to name the tapeworm \u2018Oasis\u2019,\u201d he continues, before inciting 50,000 pumped-up fans in a bellowing chant of \u201cPUUUULL OASIS OUT OF YOUR ASS\u201d. It\u2019s a decades-long feud after Noel Gallagher famously told US radio in the early \u201800s of his relief after first hearing SOAD, thinking: \u201cI\u2019m actually alive to hear the shittiest band of all time.\u201d Ouch.<\/p>\n<p>When Noel made those comments at the height of \u2018Toxicity\u2019, none could have predicted the trajectory of these Armenian-American political metal weirdos. Disbanding in 2006 after reaching arena level after five acclaimed albums, before returning to endless festival rounds in 2010, we now find ourselves here. With only a couple of new songs and a well-known struggle to make a follow-up album, it\u2019s largely down to TikTok and viral footage of the circle pit mania they inspire that they find themselves selling out stadiums across Europe in 2026 \u2013 that same phenomenon that now has Deftones and KoRn back at the top of bills.<\/p>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad0 id_ad_content-horiz-center\"><span class=\"td-adspot-title\">Advertisement<\/span><\/div>\n<p>Themselves an arena-filling, festival-headlining rock beast, Queens Of The Stone Age acting as opener only heightens the sense of occasion. You\u2019ll rarely catch them on a stage with the sun still beating down, but they seize that moment by coming out to Starlight Vocal Band\u2019s feel-good classic \u2018Afternoon Delight\u2019 over footage of Josh Homme and co\u2019s faces warping like a bad acid trip.<\/p>\n<p>They intersperse the hard-raging bangers like \u2018Sick, Sick, Sick\u2019, \u2018My God Is The Sun\u2019 and \u2018Little Sister\u2019 with some of their more desert-wandering esoteric numbers like \u2018Regular John\u2019, \u2018The Fun Machine Took a Shit and Died\u2019 and \u2018Run, Pig, Run\u2019, which seems a smart move. It showcases a lesser-sung side of QOTSA while complementing the weirder edges of SOAD and ultimately controls the temperature to keep folk from killing each other. Then, the crowds spiral for the brutal one-two-three punch closing of \u2018Go With The Flow\u2019, \u2018No One Knows\u2019 and \u2018A Song For The Dead\u2019 as an on-fire Homme calls upon London to \u201cmake yourself a night you\u2019ll never remember.\u201d We oblige.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3956866\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3956866\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3956866\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/queens_of_the_stone_age_tottenham_1.jpg\" alt=\"Queens Of The Stone Age live at London&apos;s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Credit: Alex Morton\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1270\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3956866\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Queens Of The Stone Age live at London\u2019s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Credit: Alex Morton<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cWe are System Of A Down from Los Angeles, California via Armenia, and this is the System Of A Down style of rock\u2019n\u2019roll,\u201d offers Malakian. From the soulful lament of fallen warriors on opener \u2018Soldier Side\u2019 and the mass furious questioning of \u201c<em>Why do they always send the poor?<\/em>\u201d on \u2018B.Y.O.B.\u2019 atop visuals calling out our modern passive approach to \u2018HUMAN SUFFERING, NOW IN 4K!\u2019, it\u2019s clear from the opening that this ain\u2019t gonna be your standard stadium fare.<\/p>\n<p>Whether barking back frontman Serj Tankian\u2019s lines about \u201c<em>abolishing mandatory minimum sentences<\/em>\u201d in turning the US into one giant prison, or \u2018Deer Dance\u2019 calling out police brutality (\u201cP<em>ushing little children with their fully-automatics, they like to push the weak around<\/em>\u201d), the audience came to mosh to a message \u2013 and there aren\u2019t a lot of bands offering that right now. \u201cPardon us for being angry,\u201d Malakian apologises, \u201cbut the world is kinda fucked.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad1 id_ad_content-horiz-center\">\n<h5 class=\"taboola-mid-article-title\">Recommended<\/h5>\n<\/div>\n<p>Tankian, Malakian and bassist Shavo Odadjian play like they\u2019re all competing to be frontman, with drummer John Dolmayan the stone-faced wall at the back. Spirits are high in the band, with even a tender \u201cI love you man\u201d from the guitarist to the singer. We may not need a new album with enough nights like this. Give us that absolutely crazy reaction to \u2018Chop Suey\u2019, the fevered dance of \u2018Bounce\u2019 and the spine-chilling respite of \u2018Spiders\u2019 over and over.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3956870\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3956870\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3956870\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/soad_tottenham_2.jpg\" alt=\"System Of A Down live at London&apos;s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Credit: Clemente Ruiz\" width=\"1334\" height=\"2000\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3956870\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">System Of A Down live at London\u2019s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Credit: Clemente Ruiz<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Tonight is similar to Oasis only in that every single person in this place is going totally ape-shit from start to finish, but System Of A Down ultimately defy and redefine what stadium rock is and can be. The circle pits don\u2019t relent throughout, but we know what we\u2019ve been waiting for. \u201cI\u2019m sure you\u2019ve seen this part of the show before on Instagram or bullshitgram,\u201d says Malakian before another viral-worthy series of human whirlpools kick off for \u2018Toxicity\u2019 into closer \u2018Sugar\u2019. \u201cDo you feel the moment?\u201d he yells. That\u2019s what it\u2019s about. And that you were lucky enough to be alive to see SOAD smash a stadium. Shove that up your ass.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Queens Of The Stone Age played:<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>\u2018Regular John\u2019<br \/>\n\u2018The Lost Art of Keeping a Secret\u2019<br \/>\n\u2018Do It Again\u2019<br \/>\n\u2018Sick, Sick, Sick\u2019<br \/>\n\u2018The Fun Machine Took a Shit and Died\u2019<br \/>\n\u2018Paper Machete\u2019<br \/>\n\u2018My God Is the Sun\u2019<br \/>\n\u2018Run, Pig, Run\u2019<br \/>\n\u2018Little Sister\u2019<br \/>\n\u2018Go With The Flow\u2019<br \/>\n\u2018No One Knows\u2019<br \/>\n\u2018A Song for the Dead\u2019<\/p>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad2 id_ad_content-horiz-center\"><span class=\"td-adspot-title\">Advertisement<\/span><\/div>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3956872\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3956872\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3956872\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/soad_tottenham_3.jpg\" alt=\"System Of A Down live at London&apos;s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Credit: Clemente Ruiz\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1270\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3956872\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">System Of A Down live at London\u2019s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Credit: Clemente Ruiz<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2><strong>System Of A Down played:<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>\u2018Soldier Side \u2013 Intro\u2019<br \/>\n\u2018B.Y.O.B.\u2019<br \/>\n\u2018Suite-Pee\u2019<br \/>\n\u2018Chic \u2018N\u2019 Stu\u2019<br \/>\n\u2018Prison Song\u2019<br \/>\n\u2018Aerials\u2019<br \/>\n\u2018I-E-A-I-A-I-O\u2019<br \/>\n\u2018Innervision\u2019<br \/>\n\u2018Darts\u2019<br \/>\n\u2018Genocidal Humanoidz\u2019<br \/>\n\u2018Needles\u2019<br \/>\n\u2018Deer Dance\u2019<br \/>\n\u2018Radio\/Video\u2019<br \/>\n\u2018Dreaming\u2019<br \/>\n\u2018Hypnotize\u2019<br \/>\n\u2018ATWA\u2019<br \/>\n\u2018Bounce\u2019<br \/>\n\u2018Suggestions\u2019<br \/>\n\u2018Psycho\u2019<br \/>\n\u2018Chop Suey!\u2019<br \/>\n\u2018Lonely Day\u2019<br \/>\n\u2018Lost in Hollywood\u2019<br \/>\n\u2018Streamline\u2019<br \/>\n\u2018Spiders\u2019<br \/>\n\u2018Forest\u2019<br \/>\n\u2018DAM\u2019<br \/>\n\u2018War?\u2019<br \/>\n\u2018Roulette\u2019<br \/>\n\u2018Toxicity\u2019<br \/>\n\u2018Sugar\u2019<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>[analyse_source url=&#8221;https:\/\/www.nme.com\/reviews\/live\/system-of-a-down-queens-of-the-stone-age-tottenham-hotspur-stadium-london-review-photos-setlist-3956865&#8243;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/SOAD_TOTTENHAM_1.jpg&#8221;] System Of A Down live at London&#8217;s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Credit: Clemente Ruiz ReviewsLive Reviews System Of A Down live in London review: A QOTSA-featuring, Oasis-baiting, circle pit party Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Monday July 13: the Armenian-Americans defy and redefine what stadium rock can be at relentless mass rally 5 By Andrew [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[226,78],"class_list":["post-2044799","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-crawlmanager","tag-nme-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2044799","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2044799"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2044799\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2044799"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2044799"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2044799"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}