I can't even believe what I witnessed last night. It was almost like having an out-of-body experience seeing System of a Down last night.
My friends and I lucked out big time we got there literally the minute Deftones started playing. I was fearful we were going to miss a portion of their set due to the traffic getting there, parking, going through security, etc because their set was slated to start at 7:30. Thankfully they went on 7:45 and I didn't miss any of their set. This marked my third time seeing the Deftones and they never fail to impress. Chino is one hell of a vocalist with his stunning cleans and frantic, manic, ear-piercing screams. The set was heavy on Adrenaline material which wasn't surprising considering they were opening for System of a Down. The material from the album comes across amazing in a live environment and I was stoked they played "Root" which they haven't played every night. The new song "Rosemary" sounded great and got me really excited for the new record. It sounded like a heavier version of the slower stuff on White Pony and is one of the few times I can think of where they fused their slower and heavier sides on the same song. I want to see them again when they tour on the new album, preferably headlining in a club where they really shine.
This is a moment I still can't believed happened. I never thought I would get to chance to see System of a Down after they went on hiatus in 2006. I had been waiting for this moment since I first started listening to them when I was 12 and they not only met, but exceeded my very high expectations. It was everything I hoped it could be. The whole band sounded incredible and there was absolutely no signs of rust from their hiatus. Serj, Daron and Shavo (backing screams) all sounded amazing vocally and had not lost even an ounce of power. Serj's screams on certain songs were actually better on the studio records. They also had some great energy and stage presence. Daron has one of the weirdest yet awesome stage presences I've ever seen. The highlights included him spinning around circles for about two minutes at the end of "Psycho", standing above one of the security guards and just staring at the back of his head for the entire duration of "Suggestions" and best of all, the hilarious acoustic intro to "Cigaro" where he apologized to the crowd for how stupid the song was and to bear with him while they played it. The setlist was excellent. I could've done without the two ballads "Lonely Day" and "Lost in Hollywood" which are probably the only two System songs I don't like and they could have picked some better songs off of Mesmerize and Hypnotize, but those are only small complaints. They played nine songs off of Toxicity, which is my favorite record by them and one of my all-time favorites and all of those songs along with "B.Y.O.B", "Suite-Pee", "Cigaro" and "Sugar" (which is one of the finest set closers I've ever seen) were the standouts for me. It was an unreal performance from System of a Down and it's definitely one of the finest shows I've ever seen. I am so fucking happy that I got to see them after being a fan for so long. System of a Down is one of my all-time favorites. The concert gods definitely repayed me because one year to the day I attended the worst concert I've ever been to (blink-182) at the same venue and now I attended one of the best shows I've ever been to on the same day from a band I never thought I would see play live. If you get the chance to, you owe it to yourself to see System of a Down live.
Scores:
Deftones 8.5/10
System of a Down 10/10
Setlists:
Deftones:
Rocket Skates
Diamond Eyes
Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)
My Own Summer (Shove It)
Digital Bath
You've Seen The Butcher
Fireal
Engine No.9
Rosemary
Change (In The House Of Flies)
Root
7 Words
System of a Down:
Prison Song
Soldier Side - Intro
B.Y.O.B.
Needles
Deer Dance
Radio/Video
Hypnotize
Question?
Suggestions
Psycho
Chop Suey!
Lonely Day
Bounce
Kill Rock N' Roll
Lost in Hollywood
Forest
Holy Mountains
Aerials
Tentative
Cigaro
Suite-Pee
War?
Toxicity
Sugar
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