Reunion tour for hardcore fans, not for the average music lover

Two years ago, American nu-metal band System of a Down announced that they would be on an indefinite hiatus. Now they are back for a reunion tour, performing throughout the United States and Europe.

As aficionados of the band when we were in middle school, we thought the System of a Down concert at the Shoreline Amphitheater on May 15 seemed like it would be a perfect short trip down memory lane. In our minds, our outfits which included leather jackets, boots, skinny pants, and Converse would be enough to fit in with the hardcore metal concert-goer. Not quite.

Looking at the crowd around us on the lawn, black clothing, band t-shirts and leg tattoos were the most common trends. More extreme forms of self-expression included purple-dyed mohawks and copious amounts of body piercings.

The concert itself got off to a slow start with the opening act, Familia Undestructable, taking center stage for what seemed like an inordinate amount of time. Singing in a combination of English and Spanish, the nearly indiscernible lyrics were met with a lukewarm reception from the audience—a few feeble head-bangs and cheers of appreciation were heard, but as soon as the set change was announced, a rousing cheer was heard from the audience.

The curtain lifted at 8:47 p.m., as the band opened up with ‘Prison Song,’ off of their best-selling album ‘Toxicity.’ Seamlessly transitioning into their Grammy-winning song, “B.Y.O.B.”, the band became a little creative, often inserting their own riffs and performing some of their dance moves as they sang.

As the concert went on, the performance wore down the audience, as the band never stopped between songs — except to deliver a message about smiling to your neighbors and spreading awareness about the Armenian genocide that the Turkish government denies ever happened.  

At the height of their popularity, System of a Down was labelled as something different in the metal scene, as a band not afraid to break the norm with their political messages about Armenian genocide, eclectic instrument choices, and funky, light-hearted beats.  

With their reunion tour, they felt like yesterday’s band — bored with what they have written over the years and reluctantly performing for the fans one last time. Instead of connecting with the audience, System of a Down made their concert sound like they put their five albums on shuffle, and played their songs for the sake of getting through the concert.

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