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Posted: Sep 02, 2005 - 04:34 PM
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Almost Member
Joined: May 20, 2004
Posts: 136
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My god, this show blew me away in every way, shape and form. The crowd never sat down, hung on to and sang every word and the night was completely majestic. I had been prepared for the boys to be a little less energetic than they were in past years but they were all over the place. Maybe not as frantically but they were moving and moving well.
Bad Acid Trip started a bit after 7, the pit still small and the seats barely filled. The singer had charisma, he was different in many ways but he carried himself well. The rest of the band was mediocre at best and even the singer wasn't too good for performance. You could tell he had the talent and you'd think there would be a good line in there somewhere but then he'd ruin it with a scream that you thought you heard last song. I was prepared for them to suck a lot more though, so it was alright. The audience gave a moderately good response but the pit was motionless. I was slightly disturbed when the singer made a 'giving head' motion to the microphone.
The Mars Volta came on shortly afterwards, I was very into seeing them because their music is unique and many people seem to like them. I have to say for the first 20 minutes or so of the non-stop music and the singers awesome dancing and microphone moves I got sick of it. Their songs are so long (4-5 played to take up the whole hour) and there is a lot of random interlude crap that makes you want to fork your ears off of your skull. I could easily see their appeal if one was stoned, but I'm not in to that. They had a mini mosh pit at the front and got great applause. They are extremely talented and have great endurance to play non-stop but you really have to be in to them to really not get pissed off with how long they take. So after a long hour they walked off and the anticipation grew.
While workers set up the stage/screen a view seated people would make random attempts to break their way into the pit. The first one this huge guy tried jumping over the metal barrier fence and he knocked it over and security was all over him. He put up a good fight but eventually three guys got on top of him and he was taken away. It was hilarious though cause as soon as the two guards left their stations to help at least a dozen people ran into the pit unnoticed. A few minutes later another guy was brought down for trying to run in. Both got great rounds of applause as they were taken away.
During this time the crowd was on their toes just waiting for the slightest movement of things. There would be random moments where the audience would come together in screams and everything. I was certain while they were setting up I could see Daron standing by the side. The man I have been waiting 5 years to see was standing right there. About 20 minutes after TMV finished, the lights went out and Daron's silhouette took form...
Soldier Side was utterly breathtaking. Daron sang it better than it was on the CD. I will never forget when the screen dropped as BYOB started.
BYOB went by so fast, I just couldn't believe the show was happening. Daron had his red coat on (which came off by the third song) and Serj had his typical black jacket thing and Shavo was in all black. I was rather worried with Serj during BYOB because he seemed to be lacking some emotion and movement and I was worried it was a sign of things to come. Boy was I wrong.
Revenga was strung right after BYOB, barely giving the audience a chance to think. All everyone could do was keep standing and singing along. I'm not one to break out and thrash and sing along but I was way too into it not to.
Know was great, I was slightly expecting Daron or Serj to do something random in the song like at Reading where Serj was like "let's fuck this place up let's fuck this place up!" But they just played the song dead on to how it was recorded. And it was beautiful.
Needles came next with Daron introducing it with saying "this is like a tapeworm coming out of your ass." Another great song with the "heys!" and everything.
Deer Dance was played amazingly but the microphones on John's drums weren't very accomodating to his crash cymbals. They weren't as loud as they should have been which seemed to me that it took away from Deer Dance a bit. It was fantastic though and Serj got a cheer when he said war was "dressed as Iraq."
Suggestions came after and it was just another song to jump to and have a great time in the moment. I think people were starting to wonder when the show would mellow out. At this time I was thinking that SOAD had taken a hint from the Mars Volta and were just gonna play non-stop. No complaints with this though with SOAD having 4 minute long songs instead of 14.
A clap started up for Psycho which was amazingly performed as well. John changed the way he plays some parts around the verse and it sounded very trippy. Very awesome. It was breathtaking as Daron did his solo and his spins at the end of the song. With all the lights out and the lone spotlight being on him as he was on his knees he started Chop Suey, amazing transition.
Chop Suey went by so quickly, it was just so beautiful. It too had a clap and the audience continued to go crazy. I don't think one person could have sat down all night. Just a beautiful showing.
Afterwards this is where Daron broke out 'My My Hey Hey' and it was alright but it suddenly became awesome as he threw it into Kill Rock n Roll. I was feeling all special cause I was the only one in the section who was singing along and wow, great song to hear live. I only remember where My My Hey Hey comes in as non-SOAD songs of the night so I'll just talk about the rest at the end of the review.
For Sad Statue I was really expected the whole red people, blue people, purple people speech but it just started without a word. It was played dead on to the CD but I wish Daron would have gotten more into the breakdown part of it linguistically but he was having too much fun on stage.
Violent Porn had a slow intro which sounded pretty awesome then it just broke out into the full song. I think they played it a tad faster than usual and the song sounded fabulous.
Mr. Jack was a huge thing that I wanted to hear all night with the crazy interlude and everything. I wasn't disappointed. The screen behind SOAD provided a nice little 'fuck u pig' to sing along with at the end. No one needed to see the words though, the entire crowd had sung along to nearly every song already.
Cigaro had the slow intro which got some laughs. I think it was almost like he was singing to some people in the pit which would have been awesome to be there. This is because he was like "can't you see that she loves my cock, can't you see that he loves my cock." Then the song started fast and was amazing.
This Cocaine was utterly just like the title. It was crazy, Serj was marvellous and John was just murdering the drums. Again, amazing.
The intro to Bounce was really cool cause it was the first time of the night inbetween songs Daron did some fun stuff with the crowd. He was mocking being a preacher and he's like "Toronto, are you with me?! Are you with me?! Can I get a hallelejuah?! AMEN! AMEN! Cause we're gonna...bounce!"
Atwa was really the first time all night the audience got to relax. I was surprised my voice was still holding up and the audience still seemed ready to go especially when Forest started.
Daron conducted the crowd to sing the first bit of Forest and seemed to enjoy pretending he was a conductor. Forest was one of the best songs of the night, perfect in every way shape and form. John's double bass really heightened the song and it was a great way to lead into what I found to be the best song of the night.
Lost in Hollywood was the best performance. Maybe it was the crowd that made it but it just gave me a chance to look around and see guys and gals holding each other, singing along and waving their arms. I hadn't looked in the seats behind me to the upper bowl and everyone was just so emotionally into it. It was moving to see.
Question! was another fantastic song on the night, maybe the three best were played in a row. Serj's acoustic guitar sounded so amazingly cool and Shavo had lit up and you could see he was really enjoying himself in all his high glory.
Now I THINK this is where another cover came in but I'm not sure. They played Sultans of Swing. This song made my night, it had been my dream to hear Daron play this even before I knew he did it in shows. It made my night, my summer, everything. It was an amazingly nostalgic experience.
War? came on next with all it's crazy interludes and changed lyrics which made it all the better. At this point I felt my voice starting to go but SOAD stayed strong, Daron was still running all over, more so than Shadow and Serj was so passionate. Fantastic.
Aerials and Toxicity were also amazing. The crowd got to sing a part of Aerials and Toxicity let John show off a bit, which I'm always up for.
The Prison Song was the most thrashing song of the night. It got so many cheers before the song was even over. Everyone was rockin and the song was an onslaught of beautiful power.
Science was good to hear, at this point I just couldn't believe they were still playing, Serj was great this song.
After Science Serj did a whole give it up for Bad Acid Trip, give it up for the Mars Volta and give it up for yourselves! He said thank you for coming out and it had been a great show. It was telling people the end was near and I was worried Sugar was going to start because it would mean the end. But then Daron pulled out Suite-Pee and the worry was taken away as we let the Messiah go all through our souls. Serj was the most into a song that I've seen since the good ol days of the first CD. He was running all over the place and rolling on the ground. Great to see him like that.
Sugar came soon after which meant the end of the night but Daron did a perfect "TORONTOOOOO LETSSSSSS GET READY TO RUMBLLLLE" intro to it. The pit was the most insane of the night even though I didn't think it could top the pits made during BYOB and Deer Dance, it did. The song ended and Serj did his bow and walked off while Daron kinda danced around for a little to give the crowd some last few moments. John hung around on stage to throw out some sticks, man he has a gun of an arm! Haha. The crowd stayed in applause for a good 3-5 minutes in hopes of an encore but as I can tell from past reviews SOAD is not in to encores. Too bad. I would have loved to hear them pull out Soil or something like that.
The concert was absolutely perfect all around, not one song was played subpar. My voice is gone, my neck is stiff and I'm dead tired. And I'm doing it all again in Hamilton on Saturday! This time in the pit too!
There was another little song done somewhere but I forget where it was in the set. Serj played the keyboard and Daron on guitar and they did a Blue-esque kind of speech thing with the world being fucked up and they sounded really cool.
For the few of you that read this whole review, I commend you cause I can barely believe I typed it. The show was worth every penny and then some. I am still in utter disbelief that SOAD was in my home town, kicking ass. |
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Posted: Sep 02, 2005 - 04:41 PM
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Almost Member
Joined: Apr 03, 2005
Posts: 138
Location: Glasgow
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| Great review! Why couldn't they play more from Mezmerize on the European tour? |
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Posted: Sep 02, 2005 - 06:22 PM
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Spider
Joined: Apr 01, 2005
Posts: 394
Location: Canada
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Awesome review!
Mine isn't as good, but here it is anyway:
My friends and I arrived just in time for the Mars Volta. There were about 8 or 9 people on stage and they just jammed the whole time. It was pretty trippy and, of course, people were lighting up all over the place. Their hour long set wrapped up and the crew started setting up for SOAD.
While we were waiting, random “System! System!” chants broke out and a guy right in front of us broke down one of the floor barriers and wrestled with a security guard, adding some entertainment. Another guy tried to jump the barricade just before the show started as well, but he fell flat on his face. Then the lights came down and the entire building was on their feet, which is how they would remain for the next 100 minutes or so. The set list was the same as the other shows:
Soldier Side – Like I’ve heard about so many times before, Daron's silhouette appeared from behind the Mezmerize curtain, and he sang Soldier Side perfectly.
BYOB – The curtain dropped and the place went fucking nuts. Daron was playing his new white SG and they were all wearing the same clothes as at the other concerts. I could finally hear what Serj was saying during the first verse clearly, too. One of the better performances of BYOB that I’ve seen/heard, made even better by the fact that I was actually there!
Revenga – Amazingly, the crowd was able to keep up with Serj during the verses.
Know – The familiar drum intro started (which John played perfectly) and Shavo extended the bass line for a couple seconds, building up into the head-banging and screams of “CURSED EARTH!” by everyone in the building.
Needles – Before the song started, Daron said something like “Now it’s time to pull that tapeworm out of your ass!”
Deer Dance – During the bridge, Serj said “dressed as Iraq” instead of “dressed in black” which was greeted by a huge cheer from the crowd.
Suggestions – Awesome vocal performance by Serj. During the first chorus, he pointed and said “That’s right buddy, your ass!”
Psycho – Without any delay, Shavo started right into Psycho. Serj got us to clap our hands during the intro. The whole band was awesome on this one, especially Daron, who pulled off the solo perfectly, and John, who did some cool fills at the end. Daron spun around for a good 10 seconds hitting notes before falling to the floor.
Chop Suey! – As soon as Daron hit the floor, he started the riff to Chop Suey! As with Psycho, Serj got us all to clap our hands during the intro. It’s amazing how 15,000+ people can all be on time with each other. Awesome performance!
Kill Rock ‘N’ Roll – Daron played “Hey Hey, My My” before starting into the song, changing the lyrics at one point to "Rock 'N' Roll is really gay." There were a surprising amount of people singing along, although only me and one of my friends were singing in our section.
Sad Statue – Sounded amazingly close to the album version.
Violent Pornography – Daron played a slow intro, similar to the Cigaro intro (which he did later). Then they started playing really fast and, once again, it was awesome. Sounded like they had been playing this song for years
Mr. Jack – Serj strapped on a guitar for this one, as Daron played the extended opening. He made the switch to keyboards for the interlude, which was awesome. “Fuck U Pig” flashed on the screens behind the stage at the end.
Cigaro – As I said earlier, Daron played the slow intro, which got some good laughs out of the crowd. Shavo played most of this song from behind John.
This Cocaine Makes Me Feel Like I’m On This Song – They started straight into this one, and they played it very well, especially John.
Bounce – This was the first time that Daron really talked to the crowd, other than yelling "TORONTO!" everyonce in a while. He pretended to be a preacher and said stuff like "My brothers! Toronto! Canada! Are you with me? Can I get a hallelejuah?!? Amen! AMEN!!" Then Daron and Serj both started shouting out the chorus before starting the actual song. Daron got us all to jump up and down like crazy during the bridge, and he started slapping his ass while Serj made some funny voices.
ATWA – Lots of lighters came out during this one. Another flawless performance
Forest – Daron got us to sing acapella, and it sounded pretty good. The band gathered around John’s kit just before going into the final chorus.
Lost In Hollywood – If there were a lot of lighters in the air on ATWA, there were tons more for Lost In Hollywood. Daron started singing by himself, while the rest of the band got water and Shavo lit up a joint. Then the rest of the band kicked in and it was awesome. Even Shavo sang some backup, with the joint hanging out the side of his mouth. Daron did an amazing job on this one.
Question! – Daron switched to his red SG and Serj brought out his acoustic. Shavo stood on top of one of the speakers, still smoking his joint, before tossing it into the crowd. Another Grade A performance.
War? – The band played a little intro and Serj gave a speech about how fucked up the world is before breaking into the song. The interlude in the middle was really cool, with Daron singing along with Serj using the robotic voice thing.
Prison Song – Another great performance. The crowd was really into this one but…
Aerials – …Aerials was not to be outdone. The entire building was into this one big time. Serj played guitar again, and told us to put our hands in the air and sing along at the end...not that he had to ask. Oh and before the song, Daron sang “Sultans Of Swing,” changing the words at one point to “We are the System of a Down.”
Toxicity – Another awesome performance…well, they were all awesome, but still…John’s drumming was dead-on and Daron, now playing his white SG again, even pulled off a little solo during the second verse.
Science – The middle was really cool, with Serj chanting in Armenian.
Suite-Pee – Before the song, Serj got us to thank the other bands and cheer, while John did a couple drum fills. He finally told us to “give it up for yourselves” and the band did various gestures of appreciation before Daron started into the song. Shavo’s bass rumbled through the building during the breakdown and Serj rolled around on the floor.
Sugar – Daron yelled out “TORONTO LETS GET READY TO RUMBLE!!” before starting into the song and the whole place went fucking nuts again, knowing that this would be the last song. Great way to end off an awesome night.
After the show, Daron fell to the ground and humped his guitar, then he raised his arms and walked off, Serj bowed, Shavo tossed his wristbands into the crowd, and John launched a bunch of sticks into the audience (I swear he must have been a quarterback at some point). The crowd cheered for a few solid minutes before the crew came on and the lights went up. I was tired, my throat was sore, my eyes were stinging from the smoke, and I had a ringing in my ears, but I'd do it all again in a heartbeat. This concert proved that SOAD is on the top of their game, and I am so fucking glad to have been a part of it. |
Last edited by Treevil on Sep 03, 2005 - 02:07 AM; edited 14 times in total
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Posted: Sep 02, 2005 - 08:21 PM
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Member
Joined: May 01, 2005
Posts: 205
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| Brillaint reviews for a brilliant show. |
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Posted: Sep 02, 2005 - 09:16 PM
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New Member
Joined: May 16, 2005
Posts: 16
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| ALSO DARON HUMPERD HIS GUITAR! |
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Posted: Sep 03, 2005 - 12:29 AM
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Spider
Joined: Apr 22, 2005
Posts: 354
Location: Kamloops B.C. Canada
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| Great review! |
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Posted: Sep 03, 2005 - 12:40 AM
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SOADFans Founder
Joined: Nov 12, 2003
Posts: 6781
Location: World Wide Garbage Can
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Posted: Sep 03, 2005 - 01:25 AM
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Spider
Joined: Apr 01, 2005
Posts: 394
Location: Canada
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Posted: Sep 03, 2005 - 02:15 AM
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New Member
Joined: May 25, 2004
Posts: 16
Location: Washington
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| These are really great reviews, and good pictures too. |
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BLEHH
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Posted: Sep 03, 2005 - 03:19 AM
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Newbie
Joined: May 17, 2005
Posts: 4
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| Great review!! You took everything I was feeling and couldn't put into words, into words. The whole night was truly amazing, better that I ever could have imagined. I too am going to see them tomorrow night in Hamilton, can't wait to see what that show brings.... |
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Posted: Sep 03, 2005 - 03:20 AM
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Newbie
Joined: May 17, 2005
Posts: 4
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| Great review!! You took everything I was feeling and couldn't put into words, into words. The whole night was truly amazing, better that I ever could have imagined. I too am going to see them tomorrow night in Hamilton, can't wait to see what that show brings.... |
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The bands I admire and respect are these that have a sound that is unique, but built on it so it’s not repetitive, like Faith No More and U2
-- Daron
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