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SYSTEM OF A DOWN’s JOHN DOLMAYAN: ‘Every Show We Play Is Always Special For Us, Cause There’s So Few Of Them’
SYSTEM OF A DOWN drummer John Dolmayan has discussed the band's summer 2026 European stadium tour in a new interview with Strefa Music Art, reflecting on the rarity of their shows and how dramatically venue sizes have grown since the band's earlier visits to Europe. The comments highlight the band's deliberate approach of touring sparingly while staying at home most of the time, making each performance feel significant both to the musicians and their fans, many of whom now travel internationally to attend.
The tour included two dates in Poland, on 18 and 19 July at Warsaw's PGE Narodowy, a stadium Dolmayan noted holds around 50,000 people, compared with the 15,000-20,000 capacity venues the band played there previously. Support came from Queens Of The Stone Age and reunited sludge metal act Acid Bath. Dolmayan also spoke about his musical development and revealed he no longer practises drums regularly, instead focusing his creative energy on writing, since System Of A Down has not recorded a full album since 2005's "Mezmerize" and "Hypnotize", releasing only two new songs in the past two decades.
In short
- Dolmayan says rare System Of A Down shows feel special due to limited touring
- Warsaw stadium shows drew around 50,000 fans, up from 15-20,000 previously
- Band hasn't released a full album since 2005, still touring stadiums worldwide
Explained simply
System Of A Down is a rock band that tours infrequently, spending much of its time away from the road. Because their performances are relatively rare, each show they undertake is noteworthy for both the band members and their audiences.
The scale of their performances has increased substantially over time. They have recently played European stadiums holding approximately 50,000 people, significantly larger than the 15,000-20,000 capacity venues they performed in the same regions previously.
System Of A Down has not released a full studio album since 2005, having released only two new songs across the past two decades. This extended gap in album releases reflects the band's infrequent approach to recording during this period.
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