The world famous System of a Down rocked the Republic Square in Yerevan in heavy rain overnight. Thousands of fans sang with S.O.A.D.
The band's free concert "Wake Up the Souls" commemorates the Centennial of the Armenian Genocide in Ottoman Turkey in the early 20th century. The huge screens on the stage were demonstrating animation banners telling the history of the Armenian Genocide.
Leader of the band Serj Tankian is known with his open statements on the Genocide. Before the concert in Yerevan he touched upon that tragedy and the current situation in Armenia.
"For the last few days I haven't been able to sleep well," he said. "All I can think about is my grandparents. My grandmother was very little when she went on the :. on the road with her grandmother. It was a Turkish mayor that saved my grandmother."
"The government of Turkey should be hailing these saviors as heroes instead of denying the obvious history," he said. "My grandfather was five years old when he saw his own father die and lost his sight from hunger."
The rock star went on to denounce as "appalling" the U.S. government's failure so far to describe the mass killings and deportations of Armenians as genocide. He went on to say that Armenia need not be a client state to Russia or any other country and it is the responsibility of the government of Armenia to create an egalitarian civic society, to get rid of institutional injustices and stop the depopulation of Armenia.
"We are System of a Down and it is our responsibility to tell you these things and to rock you at the same time," added Tankian.
Earlier, the rock star addressed President Serzh Sargsyan with an open letter urging the president to tackle the problems in the country - migration, corruption, injustice, fake elections - that depopulate the country easier than bombs and mines.