System Of A Down Solna: Armenian metal legend at Strawberry Arena

You might not be able to rattle off the names of all four members, but the chunky guitar riff and Serj Tankian's shifts between screaming and falsetto in "Chop Suey!" are instantly recognisable, even if you have never set foot at a metal concert. And here is the fun part: the title itself is a dark pun. The song was originally called "Suicide", but after Columbia Records grew concerned about the title the band themselves changed the name to avoid giving radio stations a reason not to play it. It became "Chop Suey!", partly a wordplay in which "suicide" is cut in half and partly a nod to old gangster films. That is exactly the band, and the concert night that half of Sweden searched for as System Of A Down Solna played out at Strawberry Arena on 29 June 2026. It was the opening night of their 2026 European tour and the band's first European date since 2017, after eight years away from European stages.

System Of A Down Solna: how the concert night at Strawberry Arena unfolded

In short: on 29 June 2026 System Of A Down opened their entire European tour at Strawberry Arena in Solna in front of a sold-out arena, with Queens of the Stone Age as special guests and Acid Bath as support. It was the band's only Nordic show of the year.

System Of A Down kicked off their long-awaited European stadium tour on Monday 29 June 2026 with a sold-out concert at Strawberry Arena in Stockholm, marking the band's first European tour date since 2017. The last time, in 2017, the Armenian-American group undertook a 20-concert European tour that included a headline slot at the British Download festival. The fact that it landed in Solna gave the night extra weight for Swedish fans: the arena described the show as the band's only concert in the Nordic region during 2026, with Queens of the Stone Age as special guests and Acid Bath as support.

The schedule was tight and star-studded. Doors opened at 17:00, Acid Bath started at 18:30, Queens of the Stone Age took over at 19:30 and System Of A Down stepped on stage at 21:00. Those who were there got a thorough run through the career. The band delivered a setlist of 29 songs that mixed timeless classics with several deep cuts that long-time fans rarely get to hear live; the night opened with Soldier Side - Intro before heading straight into "B.Y.O.B.", and among the highlights were "Aerials", "Chop Suey!", "Lonely Day", "Toxicity" and the closer "Sugar", interspersed with rarities such as "Innervision", "Suggestions", "Forest", "DAM" and "Streamline" as well as the single "Genocidal Humanoidz". If you want to browse more upcoming shows in the same city, our concert overview is a good starting point.

The road here: from Little Armenia to the world's stages

In short: System Of A Down was formed in Los Angeles in the 1990s by four musicians with Armenian roots, broke through with "Toxicity" in 2001 and has since become one of rock's most distinctive forces.

It all began in a band called Soil, with Tankian on vocals and keyboards, Daron Malakian on vocals and guitar and Shavo Odadjian who was first brought in as manager before becoming rhythm guitarist; when Soil fell apart the trio formed System Of A Down, named after a poem Malakian had written. The band formed in 1994 but reached a large, loyal audience only with the breakthrough album "Toxicity" in 2001. That their upbringing runs deep is evident in their identity. Having grown up in Los Angeles's "Little Armenia", the Armenian genocide of 1915 casts a long shadow over their personal histories.

The breakthrough came at a fateful moment. The same week "Toxicity" debuted at number one on the American and Canadian charts, the attacks of 11 September 2001 took place. A curiosity that says something about the band's unusual creative process: what may be modern metal's most-played song was born in the back of a tour bus on a forgotten American highway, where Daron Malakian sat alone on a bunk at the back with an acoustic guitar he used to bring along. That riff idea would become one of the most recognisable pieces in rock history.

Today the group is one of the great rock acts of the era. The promoter states that the band has sold over 45 million albums worldwide, received a Grammy and has over 23 million monthly listeners on Spotify. And the pull is global: over 500,000 tickets were sold for the band's South American tour, including 70,000 for the show in São Paulo in May. Anyone wanting to see what else is happening at the arenas can find more upcoming shows in our events calendar.

Why System Of A Down sounds like nothing else

In short: the band's hallmark is throwing themselves between thrash metal, melody, Armenian folk tones and unexpected turns within a single song, on top of lyrics that take the serious stuff seriously.

It is the collision of extremes that makes the sound instantly recognisable. The title track "Toxicity" captures the band's unusual sound: spidery, haunting melodies are woven together into an intricate kind of metal alongside bouncy, almost hip-hop-like bass lines, while Tankian alternates a melodic singing voice with roaring outbursts. That voice is a chapter in itself: a study by VVN Music concluded that Tankian has a wide vocal range of 4.2 octaves.

Categorising the band is deliberately difficult. System Of A Down are hard to place both politically and musically, and regard metal as a malleable form. That very playfulness makes "Chop Suey!" just as apt a textbook example: "chop suey" is a Chinese dish made of meat or fish plus bamboo shoots, onion, rice and water chestnuts, and the band used the name because it describes their musical style with lots of things thrown together.

"Chop Suey!" and the song that almost had a different name

In short: the band's signature song was written on tour, renamed at the last moment and, after 11 September, ended up on a list of songs that American radio stations were advised not to play.

The lyrics are darker than the catchy melody suggests. Daron Malakian has explained that the song is about how people are judged differently depending on how they die: a car accident evokes sympathy, while an overdose is often met with condemnation, as if the person "deserved it" - a thought that underlies the line "I cry when angels deserve to die". In the middle of all this the Bible also appears: the bridge quotes Jesus's last words on the cross, "Father, into your hands I commend my spirit" from Luke 23:46 and "Why have you forsaken me?" from Matthew 27:46 and Mark 15:34.

Then came the collision with reality. "Chop Suey!" was the first single from "Toxicity", an album that sat at number one on the Billboard 200 during the week of the 11 September attacks, and the line "self-righteous suicide" led Clear Channel Radio to place the song on a list of titles deemed inappropriate afterwards. It was never formally banned, but stations were advised not to play the songs on the list. How big the track became is visible in the statistics: the song's music video has passed one billion views on YouTube. And the band's own relationship to the incident? The lines were quietly removed from Clear Channel's network, but guitarist Daron Malakian has said that within music it is a badge of honour.

More than metal: the genocide and the activism

In short: all four members have Armenian roots, and the fight for recognition of the Armenian genocide of 1915 runs as a common thread through both the lyrics and the band's work off stage.

This is the core of their identity, not a stuck-on image. Although System Of A Down was formed in California, all members have Armenian roots, and like many in the Armenian diaspora all have ties to the genocide when the then Ottoman Empire systematically killed around one million ethnic Armenians during the First World War. For the singer it is personal in a very real sense. Serj Tankian grew up close to the history: all four of his maternal and paternal grandparents survived the genocide, and he heard their first-hand accounts while they were alive. A dark curiosity about the word itself: the term "genocide" was coined with the Armenian genocide as its reference point, by the Polish-Jewish lawyer Raphael Lemkin in the 1930s, who looked back at what had happened to the Armenians and saw what Hitler was about to do.

The activism is concrete. In 2002 Tankian co-founded the non-profit organisation Axis of Justice together with guitarist and activist Tom Morello. The band was also a driving force in the cause that unites them all. As Tankian himself has put it, he and the members of System Of A Down have fought for awareness of the Armenian genocide since the very beginning, and in December 2019 the US Congress formally recognised the genocide, which he calls a great victory. And the music is tied to the cause: when Azerbaijan and Turkey attacked Armenia the band reunited to release their first new material in fifteen years, "Protect the Land" and "Genocidal Humanoidz", to draw attention to the conflict.

Practical information for Strawberry Arena in Solna

In short: Strawberry Arena is located in Arenastaden north of Stockholm, and the easiest way to get there is by metro, not by car. Only buy tickets through official channels.

The arena itself gives clear travel advice. Strawberry Arena is located in Arenastaden, around ten minutes north of Stockholm, and to avoid congestion the metro stations Solna Centrum, an 18-minute walk away, or Näckrosen, a 15-minute walk from the arena, are recommended. Plan your journey in advance via SL. Traffic around the arena is expected to be heavy and the number of parking spaces is limited, so the recommendation is to leave the car at home or park outside the arena area and use public transport. If you have a standing ticket, specific entrances apply: entrance Y/Gate 1 is reached by turning right from entrance A, going around the arena and past Quality Hotel Strawberry Arena, while entrance X/Gate 2 is to the left of entrance A. One thing to be aware of for younger visitors: the age limit is 13, even when accompanied by a guardian, due to Swedish regulations on sound levels for young people.

The tour did not stand on its own organisationally. It was produced by Live Nation and began on 29 June in Stockholm. Since the Solna show was sold out, official channels are the way to go if you are chasing a ticket to any of the other tour dates. Tickets are in your Ticketmaster account under "My tickets" at ticketmaster.se or in the Ticketmaster app. And stay alert: the promoters explicitly advise against buying tickets from unofficial sellers. If you are instead looking for the next big night at the same arena, there are plenty of options, for example the Latin American superstar Bad Bunny.

Other things happening in Arenastaden and Solna

In short: the same summer Arenastaden and Solna fill up with everything from reggaeton at the stadium to quieter evenings in a park setting, so there is more to discover in the area.

On the same arena that welcomed the metal legend, a completely different musical world is landing soon. BAD BUNNY plays at Strawberry Arena on 10 July 2026, and connected to that Arenastaden Goes Live - Bad Bunny Days kicks off as early as 9 July. If you want something quieter, there is Eva Lagerheim & Bosse Hülphers at Stocksundstorps Gård on 11 July and Läshäng i Hagaparken on 4 July. For those who would rather see what else is happening on the Stockholm stages, our page for festivals in Stockholm is a good starting point, as is the list of artists.

Frequently asked questions about System Of A Down in Solna

When and where did System Of A Down play in Solna?

The band played at Strawberry Arena in Arenastaden, Solna, on Monday 29 June 2026. It was the opening night of the European stadium tour and the band's first European tour date since 2017.

Who were the support acts in Solna?

The night was built up in three stages. Acid Bath opened at 18:30, Queens of the Stone Age took over at 19:30 and System Of A Down stepped on stage at 21:00. The same lineup accompanied the entire European tour.

How long was the setlist?

It spanned the entire career. The band played 29 songs and mixed timeless classics with several deep cuts that long-time fans rarely get to hear live. It is worth noting that "Toxicity" turned 25 in 2026, an album the band was keen to highlight.

Why was "Chop Suey!" originally called something else?

The title was sensitive. The song was originally called "Suicide", but since the record label was hesitant about such a provocative title for a lead single the band changed it to "Chop Suey!", a wordplay that also reflected their eclectic musical style.

What is the easiest way to get to Strawberry Arena?

Take the metro. The arena recommends the stations Solna Centrum or Näckrosen and advises against driving, as traffic is expected to be heavy and parking is limited.

Sources

• Strawberry Arena, official event page for System Of A Down (strawberryarena.se)
• Chaoszine, report from the concert on 29 June 2026
• setlist.fm and Visit Stockholm, concert and timing information
• Loudwire, Blabbermouth, Kerrang!, Radio X and Stade de France (stadefrance.com), tour facts and Live Nation as promoter
• Wikipedia (Chop Suey!, Serj Tankian), Loudersound, Songsense and 68to05, background on song and band
• NPR, New Statesman, New East Archive and The Daily Beast, background on Armenian roots and activism
• upcoming: BAD BUNNY, Arenastaden Goes Live - Bad Bunny Days, Eva Lagerheim & Bosse Hülphers and Läshäng i Hagaparken