System Of A Down

Nationwide Arena

Columbus, Ohio

9.25.05 

Review by O.M.O.M./ Photography by Rob Kern.

“Do you think that is appropriate?!?” inquired the elderly usher standing at my side. 

“Excuse me?” I ask. 

“What the band is saying, do think that’s a good example to be setting for these youth here tonight?” as she points with distaste at System Of A Down guitarist Daron Malakian who is chanting “We’re on drugs…” much to the glee of the thousands assembled on a Sunday night in Columbus, Ohio. 

Welcome to System Of A Down, a band that doesn’t favor fence sitters; much like KISS in the 1970’s, you either loved them or hated them and opinions on either side were pretty damned strong.  With songs that cover a wide array of polarizing topics from political to sexual to chemical to just plain goofy, SOAD (System Of A Down for the acronym impaired) draws a clear line in the sand that challenges listeners to cross and join in or step aside. 

A few thousand did just that at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio on Sunday night.  From the opening vocals of “Soldier Side” the sold out general admission floor (and those in the seats on the side) were hooked as they surged, moshed and bounced for over 90 minutes.  Hitting all points of their catalog (even tossing in “Mr. Jack” from the outtakes disc Steal This Album) System Of A Down showed today’s youth a thing or two about playing indoor sheds. 

Lets face facts; hockey arenas are tailor made for rock shows.  The antiseptic confines of 98% of today’s outdoor venues strip away the intensity and vibe of a hard rock/heavy metal show.  Sitting on a blanket in the night sky might work for watching a hippie act noodle away on stage but rock shows need the punch of an indoor sound system, the near pitch black darkness for an effective light show, the lack of a summer breeze to keep the musky smell of doobie in the air.  SOAD took full advantage of an indoor venue delivering a show that guaranteed smiles on the faces of the fans and scowls on those of the parents. 

Featuring a minimal stage set (a small line of amps, drum kit and 3 Persian rugs on the stage flooring) with a solid light show, SOAD bassist Shavo Odadjian was the most animated of the group.  Interacting with the crowd and loping about the stage, Shavo (along with drummer John Dolmayan) held down the groove and was the primary source of energy on stage.  Not to say that lead vocalist (and sometime guitarist/keyboardist) Serj Tankian and lead guitarist (and sometime lead vocalist/keyboardist) Daron Malakian were somnambular by any means.  They were just on shorter leashes as they were handling the majority of vocals and keyboard/guitar effects on the songs. 

The pacing of the songs was spot on, the band knowing just when to give the fans a breather before unleashing another round of mosh inducing mayhem.  The intro to “Cigaro” was transformed into a beautiful love song extolling “My cock is much bigger than yours…” before hitting the turbo for the rest of the tune.  Pulling heavily from their latest release Mezmerize (plus the title track from the upcoming release Hypnotize) the crowd was as responsive for newer tunes (“Violent Pornography”, “Sad Statue”) as they were for songs from the past (“Suggestions”, “War”, “Aerials”) releases. 

As the final chords of “Sugar” bounced through the rafters of Nationwide Arena, the wild-eyed “impressionable” fans poured (some literally) from the arena eager for the November release of Hypnotize and hopefully another tour stop from SOAD.  As far as setting a bad example for today’s youth, keep up the good work gentlemen.

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