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SYSTEM OF A DOWN & DEFTONES
Live at Golden Gate Park
August 28, 2024 Review by Thomas Ochoa
“We may never see them together again!” This was the general consensus amongst all concert attendees on August 17th at the Polo Field in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park for System of a Down and Deftones.
When the co-headlining show was announced in April, it was easy to see that it would sell out fast. Sure enough, within an hour and a half of the tickets going on sale, the event was declared sold out. This event will easily go down as an international phenomenon as fans from all corners of the globe flocked to the San Francisco Peninsula for this one-off event which also included supporting acts The Mars Volta, Viagra Boys, and Vowws.
As my family and I pulled up to the main entrance off of 34th Street, the hordes of fans on Park Presidio Boulevard were pouring into Golden Gate Park in droves as we all attempted to make the 3 p.m. start time for the most-anticipated concert event of the summer. With the stage set, vendors prepped, and a light drizzle looming across the San Francisco midday sky, concertgoers readied themselves for a historically-groundbreaking concert.
For a concert with over 50,000 in attendance, the lines to enter moved efficiently and libations were flowing in abundance all around; every aspect was moving with relative ease – everything but merch.
The hour-long line for product was well worth the wait though, as Deftones and S.O.A.D. were both selling exclusive merchandise to commemorate the historic event, including a S.O.A.D. monkey paw foam hand and event exclusive t-shirts. These exclusive merch items will be sold on the bands’ websites for a limited time, so go snag some yourself.
It is rare to see a concert of this magnitude start precisely on time, but the bands and stagehands were on their A-game in order to deliver the highest caliber performances. As 3 o’clock struck and Vowws began to take center stage, a feeling of overwhelming exuberance began to fall upon the crowd.
Unfamiliar with their music, I quickly became a fan of the Australian duo and their gothic stylings tinged with ‘80s synth pop feels. Guitarist Matt James lit their performance with wailing solos. Vowws’ opening set completely captivated the audience and proved to be a palatable opening act for the chaos that was soon to befall.
That chaos being the second supporting act: Viagra Boys. Holy hell! What a performance by one of the zaniest Swedish punk bands around. A saxophonist who is a natural showman (Oskar Carls), a percussionist with shorts too short (Elias Jungqvist), and the leader (Sebastian Murphy) who clearly tried smoking and drinking his own weight in cigarettes and Modelos during their set, hurled the show to the next level.
Push-ups, vomit, and complete belligerence equate to unfounded brilliance on stage. Following up their performance needed to be a heavy hitter with experience in getting the crowd amped for moshing.
The Mars Volta took up the challenge and did not disappoint. The El Paso natives wasted no time in delivering exactly what the audience wanted – driving guitar riffs, piercing vocals, and psychedelic prog rock heavy enough to melt faces.
Lead singer Cedric Bixler-Zavala embraced the culture of the city by beginning their set with a few lines from Scott McKenzie’s “San Francisco” before letting the full band rip on “Roulette Dares (The Haunt Of).”
One of my favorite performances of the night came from drummer Linda-Philomène Tsoungui, putting on a clinic with her pounding solos and fills. Zavala concluded their set by throwing his golden microphone into the audience and walked off stage as the band closed with an outro of “Take the Veil Cerpin Taxt” and the audience belted on behind them.
As the fog and evening continued to carry on into the night, the concert attendees began to settle into their preferred viewing locations. With the masses well-tuned in and the moshers wanting more, the entire audience and their recording devices were locked in on front-man Chino Moreno as Deftones took the stage.
The Sacramento-based Deftones opened their set with “Be Quiet and Drive Away (Far Away)” and continued to deliver hits from their 30-year music career, which included “My Own Summer (Shove It),” “Rosemary,” “Genesis,” and “7 Words.”
Although it felt like Chino Moreno was holding back from belting too hard, Deftones delivered the same intensity that they were known for during the late ‘90s and into the 2000s.
The audience continued chanting “more” and “otra” for minutes after Deftones concluded their set.
After the fog had dissipated, allowing moonlight to fill the night sky, the moment over 50,000 fans had awaited finally came to fruition.
As each member of System of a Down took to their appropriate position, a rumbling roar filled the Polo Field without subsiding.
System of a Down opened their set for the first time ever with their 2020 single release, “Genocidal Humanoidz.”
Throughout the grounds, mosh pits were in full fury, bodies were bouncing into one another, and every participating member in attendance added their chorus to each song.
From start to finish, the System of a Down setlist built everlasting intensity especially during “B.Y.O.B.,” “Bounce,” “Chop Suey!,” and “Lost in Hollywood.”
Everyone lost their minds when guitarist Daron Malakian told the audience to begin “spinning around, round, round, spinning around,” and mosh pits across the park flurried throughout “Aerial.”
The 25-song setlist came to a close with one of my favorite songs, “Sugar,” and concluded their set with a full band hug at center stage. It felt like a chapter of their history coming to a close, yet new beginnings for each member both with System of a Down and their other projects.
This was an incredible experience as a concertgoer; seeing these bands live for the first time! But what was most fulfilling was seeing my two young men completely enthralled by Deftones and S.O.A.D.’s performance as they have been actively listening to both bands for several years prior to this event.
My youngest even took an interest in attempting music photography at the concert. It was truly a joy to see my family singing along as they felt each note pulse through their bodies and creating this everlasting memory for us to reminisce.
Up next, Dia de los Deftones in San Diego!
SHOW PHOTO GALLERY
by Thomas Ochoa Photography
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