7 Big Rock + Metal Sets From 2026 Sick New World Las Vegas

The 2026 Las Vegas edition of Sick New World is in the books and the weekend brought some spectacular performances. System of a Down and Korn sat atop the bill, but you also had Ministry, Evanescence, Mastodon, Knocked Loose and Danny Elfman among those set to provide a day of rocking entertainment for those in attendance.

Let's dig in to some of the big moments from the weekend show below. And just a reminder that Sick New World has expanded to include a Fort Worth, Texas date on Oct. 24 at the Texas Motor Speedway this year.

1. System of a Down's First Show of 2026

System of a Down still don't play many shows these days, but they seem to have a pretty solid relationship with the Sick New World. This marked their third appearance at the fest, once again as a headliner. It was also be their opening show of 2026, with only 13 other dates on the books currently.

They did not disappoint, delivering a 25-song set complete with the standard hits such as "Aerials," "B.Y.O.B.," "Chop Suey!" and the show closing "Sugar."

System of a Down Sick New World 2026 Setlist (via Setlist.fm)

1. "Suite-Pee"
2. "Chic 'N' Stu"
3. "Prison Song"
4. "Aerials"
5. "Soldier Side (Intro)"
6. "B.Y.O.B."
7. "Genocidal Humanoidz"
8. "Know"
9. "Radio/Video"
10. "Hypnotize"
11. "ATWA"
12. "Needles"
13. "Bounce"
14. "Suggestions"
15. "P.L.U.C.K."
16. "Psycho"
17. "Chop Suey!"
18. "Lonely Day"
19. "Lost in Hollywood"
20. "Streamline"
21. "Arto"
22. "Holy Mountains"
23. "I-E-A-I-A-I-O"
24. "Toxicity"
25. "Sugar"

System of a Down, "Aerials" (2026 Sick New World Las Vegas)

System of a Down, "Streamline" (2026 Sick New World Las Vegas)

System of a Down, "B.Y.O.B." (2026 Sick New World Las Vegas)

2. Knocked Loose Play "Hive Mind" for First Time, Remember Bo Lueders

Knocked Loose made sure to bring the heavy during their 2026 Sick New World appearance in Las Vegas. The band rolled through a high energy 12-song set that included the live debut of their recently issued song, "Hive Mind," which features rapper Denzel Curry on the studio version.

The set wasn't big on surprises, but it was big on moshpits as fans seemed to be making the most of the day. The group did take a moment to pay tribute to late Harms Way musician and podcast host Bo Lueders who recently passed away, dedicating their song "Counting Worms" to him.

Knocked Loose 2026 Sick New World Las Vegas Setlist (via Setlist.fm)

1. "Blinding Faith"
2. "Don't Reach for Me"
3. "Mistakes Like Fractures"
4. "Oblivion's Peak"
5. "Belleville"
6. "Piece by Piece"
7. "Billy No Mates"
8. "Hive Mind" (Live debut)
9. "Suffocate"
10. "Counting Worms" (dedicated to Harms Way's Bo Lueders)
11. "Deep in the Willow"
12. "Everything Is Quiet Now"

Knocked Loose, "Hive Mind" (Live Debut at 2026 Sick New World Las Vegas)

3. Evanescence's "Who Will You Follow" Makes Live Debut

Evanescence recently announced their sixth studio album Sanctuary and issued the first taste of new music from that album in the form of "Who Will You Follow." It turns out the Sick New World got the first chance to see the song performed live as Evanescence gave the track its live debut a little over midway into their 14-song set in Las Vegas over the weekend.

That turned out to be the lone new addition to the set, as the band relied on a hits heavy performance that included the show opening "Afterlife" and such staples as "Going Under," "Call Me When You're Sober," "Use My Voice" and the show-closing "Bring Me to Life."

Evanescence 2026 Sick New World Las Vegas Setlist (via Setlist.fm)

1. "Afterlife"
2. "What You Want"
3. "Going Under"
4. "Take Cover"
5. "Broken Pieces Shine"
6. "Call Me When You're Sober"
7. "Lithium"
8. "Wasted on You"
9. "Who Will You Follow" (Live debut)
10. "Better Without You"
11. "Imaginary"
12. "Use My Voice"
13. "End of the Dream"
14. "Bring Me to Life"

Evanescence, "Who Will You Follow" (Live Debut at Sick New World Las Vegas 2026)

Evanescence, "Bring Me to Life" (Sick New World Las Vegas 2026)

4. Korn Play a New Song Live Too + Dust Off a Rarity

Like many of the acts featured here, Korn had some new music to share. One of the bigger highlights of their 17-song Sick New World set was the arrival of the newly-issued "Reward the Scars."

The performance had a few other twists, as the group briefly segued into Sly Fox's '80s smash "Let's Go All the Way" during "Coming Undone" and they brought out "Proud" for the first time since 2011 (and first time since 1999 with Brian "Head" Welch) as the penultimate performance of the evening. It was just the 14th time Korn have played "Proud" in full, which is from the I Know What You Did Last Summer movie soundtrack.

Korn 2026 Sick New World Las Vegas Setlist (via Setlist.fm)

1. "Blind"
2. "Twist"
3. "Here to Stay"
4. "Got the Life"
5. "Clown"
6. "Did My Time"
7. "Shoots and Ladders"
8. "Coming Undone" (with snippet of Sly Fox's "Let's Go All the Way")
9. "Reward the Scars" (Live debut)
10. "Cold"
11. "Dirty"
12. "Somebody Someone"
13. "A.D.I.D.A.S."
14. "Y'All Want a Single"
15. "Falling Away From Me"
16. "Proud" (first performance since 2011, first time with Head since 1999)
17. "Freak on a Leash"

Korn, "Reward the Scars" (2026 Sick New World Las Vegas)

Korn, "Proud" (2026 Sick New World Las Vegas)

5. Mastodon Bring Out Clutch Performer for "Blood and Thunder"

The spirit of collaboration was in the air as Mastodon welcomed a special guest to the stage for their show-closing thunderous performance of "Blood and Thunder." The band played a brief six-song set, but finished out on a high note when Neil Fallon of Clutch came out onstage midway into the performance to belt out the closing stanza of the song.

Mastodon 2026 Sick New World Las Vegas Setlist (via Setlist.fm)

1. "Tread Lightly"
2. "The Motherload"
3. "Black Tongue"
4. "Crystal Skull"
5. "Mother Puncher"
6. "Blood and Thunder" (with Clutch's Neil Fallon)

Mastodon With Neil Fallon, "Blood and Thunder" (Sick New World Las Vegas 2026)

6. Ministry Welcome Back Classic Member at Sick New World 2026

It was a moment that many Ministry fans had hoped for and it happened at Sick New World 2026 in Las Vegas. Paul Barker, who handled bass, guitar and keyboards at different times during his initial Ministry tenure, was back onstage with the band for the first time since he returned to the group in 2024. He reprised his studio role of singing lead vocals on the song "Useless."

The band ripped through an eight-song setlist, with a majority of the performance centered on celebrating their Filth Pig album. Two of the songs, "Brick Windows" and "Useless," made their live debuts during the Sick New World set. The entirety of the set found Ministry playing songs they hadn't touched live in ages.

Ministry 2026 Sick New World Las Vegas Setlist (via Setlist.fm)

1. "Reload" (first since 2003)
2. "Crumbs" (first time since 2003)
3. "Brick Windows" (first time live)
4. "Dead Guy" (first time since 2004)
5. "Lava" (first time since 1999)
6. "Filth Pig" (first time since 2017)
7. "Useless" (w/Paul Barker, first time live)
8. "Lay Lady Lay" (Bob Dylan cover) (first time since 1996)

Ministry, "Useless" (Sick New World Las Vegas 2026)

Ministry, "Reload" (Sick New World Las Vegas 2026)

7. Danny Elfman Doubles Down on Live Debuts

Rocker-turned-TV and film composer Danny Elfman brought his theatrical chops to Sick New World and while he was there, he debuted a pair of new songs. Both "Sayonara" and "Making Things Better" were performed live for the first time much to the delight of the audience.

Elfman's set also featured some of his Oingo Boingo favorites ("Only a Lad," "No One Lives Forever" and more) as well as material from the movie and TV world ("This Is Halloween," "Beetlejuice Theme," "The Simpsons Theme," "The Batman Theme").

Danny Elfman 2026 Sick New World Setlist (via Setlist.fm)

1. "Sorry"
2. "Insects"
3. "In My Head"
4. "Spider-Man Main Theme"
5. "True"
6. "Monkeys on the Loose"
7. "Wednesday Main Titles"
8. "This Is Halloween"
9. "Sayonara"
10. "Happy"
11. "Beetlejuice Theme"
12. "Making Things Better" (Live debut)
13. "Kick Me"
14. "The Simpsons Theme"
15. "Only a Lad"
16. "Nothing to Fear (But Fear Itself)"
17. "The Batman Theme"
18. "On the Outside"
19. "Who Do You Want to Be"
20. "No One Lives Forever"