System of a Down recently announced a short string of stadium shows slated for next summer that will see them playing alongside some heavy hitters.
Due to high demand, they quickly unveiled a second date for each of the announced three cities, which include East Rutherford, New Jersey; Chicago; and Toronto.
The mini tour stops at Soldier Field in Chicago on Aug. 31 and Sept. 1 with Avenged Sevenfold and Polyphia.
The announcement comes after SOAD singer Serj Tankian, in a recent interview with Consequence, divulged his disdain for long tours.
“I love performing, but especially the long (tours) … I think when you do a long tour, it’s not just physically exhausting, but it’s artistically redundant after a while, repeating the same thing.
“That’s why we’re really enjoying doing these one-offs. They’re special events, special occasions. We can’t do them everywhere. We can’t do them all the time. But performing becomes fun again in a way.”
That, and the money is likely pretty good at those stadium shows, as well.
Staind, Benjamin march on
Staind and Breaking Benjamin apparently got along quite well on their 2024 tour. So well in fact that they are bringing the co-headlining Awaken the Fallen Tour back this spring.
The trek kicks off in late April and finds its way to Blossom Music Center outside Cleveland on May 19 and Riverbend Music Center in Cincinnati on May 25.
Staind are still touring in support of their 2023 album, Confessions of the Fallen.
Breaking Benjamin’s most recent full-length is 2018’s Ember, though they did release their first song in five years, “Awaken,” in October.
Wage War and Lakeview will open the shows.
Lavigne gives fans an encore
Avril Lavigne is also bringing her 2024 tour back for an encore in the New Year.
Last year, Lavigne’s career-spanning Greatest Hits Tour featured a 15-song setlist.
The announcement comes in support of Lavigne’s recently released greatest hits album.
Simple Plan and We The Kings will support when the tour stops at Riverbend Music Center in Cincinnati on June 8 and Ruoff Music Center in Noblesville on June 10.
Ra plan last headlining tour
Alternative metal act Ra will be hitting the road in January for a headlining tour, the band’s last.
Frontman Sahaj Ticotin announced via social media, “This will be my last headlining tour with Ra. Life has gotten so busy that even with months of planning, I often can’t create and promote shows to the level I’d like. As a result, the process has become more stressful than enjoyable.
“That said, I’m still open to the idea of joining as a support act if the right opportunity comes along, though nothing is currently in the works. For now, you can continue to expect new music releases as usual, and I’m planning to focus more on video content — both technical and music-based. You can look forward to covers, acoustic performances, and more in the near future. Thank you all for your continued support.”
Ra have been a Fort Wayne favorite since the release of their debut From One in 2002, and Ticotin has even made the Summit City his home, though he continues to travel the world.
Hopefully we will get one last show here, too.
If that doesn’t happen, or even if it does, make plans to see Ra headline one last time at The Winchester outside Cleveland on Jan. 28 and The Music Factory in Battle Creek on Jan. 31.
Road Notes covers concerts within driving distance of Northeast Indiana. Send your news items to info@whatzup.com.
