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Posted: Feb 18, 2008 - 03:17 AM
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Peephole
Joined: Jan 19, 2005
Posts: 1688
Location: Richmond, VA, US
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I guess this is the sequel to my previous Serj review from the show on Feb 13, which you can see if you click here!
>>>>Here is the thread for the audio recording of this show, compliments of SubNoiZe<<<<
Once again, I acquired the privilege of being right up against the rail in the very front, and I was exactly in the middle of the stage. Right in front Serj's main microphone stand! It was wonderful! (I still have a bruise across my chest from being smashed against the rail! Good times!) 
At this show, there seemed to be a rather annoying abundance of people in the front that didn't know anything about Serj. At concerts, I generally have the tendency to believe that the front of the audience, near the stage, should be an atmosphere of big fans of the performing band(s). It isn't their faults, but it felt to me that many, many of them just came out on a friday night to see "the foreign guy who sings 'Empty Walls' on the local radio station" .. It just bothers me deep down when I'm surrounded by a majority of these types of people at the front of an audience. (There were about half as many attending in general at the show in Richmond, two days previous, and I think that almost all of the people that I was in earshot of in the front were legitimate Serj fans. Go Richmond!) But who knows, right?
I think that Fair to Midland definately had a weaker show; with far less on-stage moshing among the band, less acknowledgement to the crowd by the lead singer, and overall just a more loosy-goosy set. But still, they rocked nevertheless.
Serj on the other hand! I felt that Serj was much more personal with the crowd! Much more smiling, joking around, fun gestures to the audience, and so on. I think he just recieved better vibes from the Norfolk scene. The NorVa (the venue in Norfolk where Serj performed) is a big, classy, crowd-drawing venue, and a big tour-favorite of countless musical acts. Even one of Serj's roadies said that he loves the NorVa and continued to compliment the venue during their setup.
ANYWAY, Serj of course did play an identical setlist as the one in Richmond- all the songs from Elect the Dead, "Girl" by the Beatles, "Holiday in Cambodia" by the Dead Kennedys, and "Charades", most of you might know that song from the Axis of Justice DVD or CD, or on the DVD side of the Hypnotize dual disk, you can see a short clip of him playing in on piano with John on drums in the background.
Back to the beginning-
The lights went low and the FCC took the dark stage in their all-black outfits, while a recording of Serj's 'The Reverend King' played. The stage-right guitarist began the solo intro to Unthinking Majority as white-suited Serj came out behind a curtain to the front of the stage, smiling big and bobbing his head to the beat of the guitar. He arrives at the microphone stand (right in front of my face) at the exact time that the bass and drums join in, and he says "ow!" like he does in the recording. So he takes the mic off the stand (pinky underneath, naturally) and keeps his head bobbing to the music. Then "WE DON'T NEED YOUR DEMO-CRACY, EXECUTE THEM KINDLYYY FOR ME" and so forth! Again, the second song was Empty Walls, done beautifully as always.
((NOTE: I met up with SubNoiZe before the show, he's here on SOADfans, and he may have a video recording of the entire shows, which I hope we can all refer to soon, depending on whether or not he was able to sneak the camera in))
((EDIT: He's actually got the camera in and we're awaiting his uploads of the still shots and the video, which he says is of top-notch quality!))
Serj was very, very clean in his vocals and seemed to duplicate the recordings well, (more so than I've ever seen him do with SOAD). His vocals were RIGHT on key with every song. He played electric guitar for "Saving Us" and he was using some sort of effect that made it sound just like an acoustic guitar, it may have had something to do with the strange looking pickups. In "Saving Us" he played all of the guitar parts that sound like an acoustic guitar on the CD. He also played the same acoustic-simulating guitar on "Baby".. and after he sang the first verse of that song and played it on guitar, right BEFORE the chorus comes in where he sings "Baby, oh, Baby".. he says "splitting planets into thirds" and then he plays a chord on guitar that leads into chorus. But he played a completly wrong chord, and there was no hiding it! He looked up at the crowd with a strong facial expression that illustrated "oops haha" .. and the whole place was dead silent. So I cupped my hands around my mouth and shouted right at him "It's okay Serj, you the man! No worries!" and he looked RIGHT at me and smiled and laughed.
Serj played piano for "Honking Antelope" and the closer "Elect the Dead", and perhaps one other, but other than that he only sang.
I remember at some point during the show I was so hypnotized by the song and how close he was to me, that I jumped up and grabbed one of his pant legs and a bouncer quickly seized me firmly by the ends of my shoulders and placed me back down on the floor behind the rail.
It was a great, great show. It was my second and favorite Serj Tankian solo performance. I could have easily (and maybe should have) stolen the setlist sheet that was caught by the punk next to me who I knew for a fact didn't give a you-know-what about Serj Tankian. But I didn't. Life's not fair sometimes, as we all know.
If you possibly have the chance to get out and see Serj Tankian perform, do. You simply must! And keep in remembrance that this may in fact be his last solo tour. But let's all hope not! But on the other hand, I know we'd all rather see System on tour again. I'm very glad that I got to see Serj twice, even if I had to drive two hours down to Norfolk by myself! This concludes my review of Serj Tankian's performance at the NorVa in Norfolk, Virginia, US on February 15, 2008. Please check out the pictures below that I took on my camera phone! (sorry about the quality!)
FRONT ROW PICS by NOAHFERFER:
BALCONY PICS by SubNoiZe:
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_________________
^^This ridiculous pic of me
is on Systemofadown.com!
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###### Play any kind of instrument? Click here! ######
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Last edited by Noahferfer on Feb 25, 2008 - 03:17 PM; edited 13 times in total
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Posted: Feb 18, 2008 - 03:23 AM
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Cigaro
Joined: Oct 17, 2006
Posts: 2865
Location: raising the flag that jesus sells
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Posted: Feb 18, 2008 - 03:31 AM
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Peephole
Joined: Jan 19, 2005
Posts: 1688
Location: Richmond, VA, US
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it was a divine moment my friend  |
_________________
^^This ridiculous pic of me
is on Systemofadown.com!
----------------------------------------------------------
###### Play any kind of instrument? Click here! ######
----------------------------------------------------------
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Posted: Feb 18, 2008 - 03:31 AM
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Member
Joined: Oct 15, 2007
Posts: 315
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hey noah, yeah; i got the cameras in. i got most of the show recorded (minus 1 or 2 songs). it'll take me a while to get them ready to post, but they be something that everyone must download; and i am not saying that since they are mine. video quality: A, Sound quality: A.
i also plan on making an mp3 on the entire show to post for everyone as well.
i'll throw some pics up shortly. the video will have to wait a day or 2. |
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Posted: Feb 18, 2008 - 03:39 AM
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Cigaro
Joined: Oct 17, 2006
Posts: 2865
Location: raising the flag that jesus sells
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Does this mean - dare I say - a video of Charades?!?!?!?
*melts*  |
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o i am so cool
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Posted: Feb 18, 2008 - 03:40 AM
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Peephole
Joined: Jan 19, 2005
Posts: 1688
Location: Richmond, VA, US
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| ^ You the man Jason. You can put the pics on this thread if you like, also submit them to the official photo gallery as well! |
_________________
^^This ridiculous pic of me
is on Systemofadown.com!
----------------------------------------------------------
###### Play any kind of instrument? Click here! ######
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Posted: Feb 18, 2008 - 04:05 AM
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Member
Joined: Oct 15, 2007
Posts: 315
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i am gonna try and get a lil snippet of video uploaded and posted tonight as well, but i am not sure. i've just got back in my a 3.5 hour drive, so i've got loads of unpacking and shit to do. i am sure am glad that tomorrow is a holiday.
and as far as charades goes, i am pretty sure i have it. i do recall not recording sky is over since the guard behind me tapped me on my should and asked me to stop recording. i handed her a $20 bill, winked at her and she walked away... it was quite funny. i also think i missed the intro to PTLAPTA, and the intro to another one. i cant remember atm, but i will take a snippet of something now. someone give me a song, and i will give you a 30 second sample... |
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Posted: Feb 18, 2008 - 04:08 AM
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Member
Joined: Oct 15, 2007
Posts: 315
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i only shot pics while i was not recording video, and please remember that i was in the balcony since i was there with my wife and recooperating from a double knee surgery.
where do i add photos into the site gallery? |
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Last edited by SubNoiZe on Feb 18, 2008 - 12:19 PM; edited 1 time in total
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Posted: Feb 18, 2008 - 04:09 AM
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Peephole
Joined: Jan 19, 2005
Posts: 1688
Location: Richmond, VA, US
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charades charades charades!
And nice pictures! much better than mine! haha |
_________________
^^This ridiculous pic of me
is on Systemofadown.com!
----------------------------------------------------------
###### Play any kind of instrument? Click here! ######
----------------------------------------------------------
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Posted: Feb 18, 2008 - 04:20 AM
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Cigaro
Joined: Oct 17, 2006
Posts: 2865
Location: raising the flag that jesus sells
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SubNoiZe wrote:
and as far as charades goes, i am pretty sure i have it. i do recall not recording sky is over since the guard behind me tapped me on my should and asked me to stop recording. i handed her a $20 bill, winked at her and she walked away... it was quite funny.
Dude. That is so badass.  |
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o i am so cool
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I'm still in my childhood as a songwriter , so I feel that I'm still learning a lot as a songwriter
-- Daron Malakian
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