FANS SOAKED IT UP: SYSTEM OF A DOWN’S REXALL PLACE SHOW WON’T BE FORGOTTEN
By Yuri Wuensch

Edmonton Sun, Canada
June 29 2006

System of a Down is a lot like the untouchable hot girl you knew in
high school who surrounded herself with ugly chicks so she’d appear
that much hotter.

Opening band, Bad Acid Trip, like wake-up-in-the-desert-naked bad,
is one of those tagalongs. It makes you realize and appreciate that
System’s brand of heavy metal can indeed rise above, high above,
mere furious play and unintelligible screaming.

System of a Down played a stellar, ear-splitting and sold-out show
at Rexall Place last night.

I know Hatebreed, second on the bill, was a better act than BAT,
because a Thunderdome-like circle of metallists started beating down
on each other on the concert floor. Let’s face it; you don’t try
hurting people for just any old band.

And make no mistake, System of a Down is no ordinary metal band. Why
they’re so special might not become readily apparent after seeing
last night’s show at Rexall, however.

The band’s lyrics touch on everything from over-population in the
U.S. prison system to SOAD’s roots and the genocide of Armenians
during the First World War. System has instilled thought-provoking
ideas and politics into its music and, in turn, fan base.

That the band delivers its message with the brute force of a thousand
hammers is a plus, with power chords, merciless drumming and lead
singer Serj Tankian’s punctuating vocals.

The instrumentals on many tracks also showed real nuance, like on
B.Y.O.B. (Bring Your Own Bombs). Last night, "bring your own bong"
would have been appropriate, too; the smell of weed was thick most
everywhere in Rexall. Sorry, security.

Not that the band discouraged the puff, puff, give.

At one point, a red shirt was thrown on stage, right into the arms
of guitarist Daron Malakian.

"Ew, sticky," he said. "Come on. If you’re going to throw anything,
at least throw a joint."

A barrage of items hit the stage, including to the band’s confusion, an
eraser. But a bevy of blunts eventually found their way up there, too.

"Ha. I’m such a fiend, I’m grabbing them all," laughed Malakian, who
passed a lit one around to his band mates. "Now that we’re stoned,
we’re probably going to screw this next one up."

There were few missteps, though. As the evening wore on, the band’s
musicianship shone through, with some tunes sounding like Eastern
European drinking songs.

Others took on a Middle Eastern vibe, complemented by Malakian’s chants
and the Persian rugs on the stage floor. Some of the polyrhythmic
instrumentals were just plain dizzying, fit for gypsies and whirling
dervishes.

The band apologized for its play of Old School Hollywood Baseball, the
first time it’s been performed live, they said. But it was cool, the
vocorder effect adding yet another spellbinding dimension to their act.

Needles, from System’s 2001 breakthrough album, Toxicity, like
most everything the band performed, was well met by the crowd. The
mop-topped teen beside me, eyes closed and thrusting his fist in the
air, wasn’t at a rock concert – he was at church.

If your banger buddy doesn’t acknowledge your water-cooler greeting
this morning, don’t think him rude.

He’s probably just temporarily deaf – and loving it – thanks to
System of a Down. Soak it in; the band’s on an extended hiatus after
this tour.

—

SOUND CHECK

Main Event: System of a Down In the Seats: 13,500 in Rexall Place
Note Perfect: System of a Down’s Instrumentals Sour Note: Metallic
Taste in Your Mouth From Bad Acid Trip Rating: 4.5 Suns out of 5.