See System of a Down Unleash Fiery "I-E-A-I-A-I-O" Performance in 2003 | Page 2 | Revolver

See System of a Down Unleash Fiery "I-E-A-I-A-I-O" Performance in 2003

Band broke out 'Steal This Album!' cut during hit-filled Reading Festival set

Steal This Album! is, without a doubt, the weirdest entry in the System of a Down legacy. Originally it circulated as a batch of low-quality MP3s on early-2000s p2p networks. The fans called it Toxicity 2, because it was primarily comprised of random outtakes and sketches that dated back to the legendary Toxicity sessions. The band was disappointed that people were listening to unfinished songs, so they rushed to give the album the full studio sheen, and bestowed it with its infamous, pejorative title on November 26, 2002.

Strangely enough, this random, offhanded record earned quite the reputation for itself. Both Serj Tankian and drummer John Dolmayan have named Steal This Album! as the favorite thing they've made together, which is quite a thing to say, because most critics at the time digested it as a little more than a collection of B-sides. System of a Down also haven't played many of the songs live, save for "I-E-A-I-A-I-O," which is where we catch the band on this balmy Reading Festival back in 2003. Watch the performance above — at the 1:04:24 mark — and celebrate the 15 year anniversary of one of the strangest origins stories in the history of heavy music.