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One of the hottest tours of the summer rolled through town last night, hitting the 1st Mariner Arena in Baltimore, MD on a breezy summer night. An eclectic mix of life gathered into a packed house anxious awaiting an unlikely, but none less impressive match-up of The Mars Volta and System Of A Down.
After a quick 25 minute set from Bad Acid Trip kicked the festivities off, the wait for The Mars Volta was short. A substantial amount of the crowd seemed to be there for the group already, and whoever wasn't was quickly won over as the first notes filled the venue typically reserved for minor league soccer games and monster truck shows. As the sun set outside, the house lights dimmed inside. what followed was an hour long non-stop music session where captivating music complimented the entrancing moves of vocalist Cedric Bixler Zavala. Having been quite the buzz band the past few years, there have been few that have been able to live up to the praise like The Mars Volta have. Building upon the success of "De-Loused In The Comatorium" with their latest offering "Frances The Mute", the albums in themselves are epic, but there is no other way to truly experience the group then in the flesh. No fancy light show and a few trippy back drops were all that was needed to compliment them. Even a crappy sounding arena built for sorts could do them no wrong. The only regret of the evening is the wait that lies ahead until seeing them headline.
As the group left the stage, a black curtain with the "Mezmerize" artwork enshrouded the stage and the crowd packed in and anxiously waited. A few cheers as each song played over the PA and ended signaled they were ready to rumble. As quickly as the lights went out, the silhouette of guitarist/vocalist Daron Malakian stood alone against the curtain as he performed "Soldier Side". As the last notes dissipated, the curtain dropped and Serj, John, and Shavo emerged out of the shadows. A few dozen lights, some shiny metal plates, a few persian rugs and four guys were all that was needed for a rock show. No props, just raw energy resonated in every crevice of the building as the group roared through a well spread out mix of the hits like"Aeriels", "Chop Suey", and the new single "BYOB" amongst some oldies. A few treats were sprinkled in, as the group even previewed one or two new tracks off the groups upcoming new album "Hypnotize".
Daron and Shavo (Odadjian - bass) ran around the stage with the frantic energy of a kid in a candy store after taking a hit of speed from start to finish. Serj on the other hand seemed rather timid throughout most of the performance. As the group played around with each other, including a certain bassists ass getting hit by a drumstick amongst the hi-jinx, Serj for the most part wondered around staying close to the center of the stage, rarely getting into the energy of the performance as his counterparts were. Maybe the seemingly constant monitor problems and the gesturing to the side of the stage, or simply being worn out from constant touring, most of the energy that once beamed from the bands stint on the Pledge Of Allegiance tour seemed lost on him. Only until the last few songs did he crack a few smiles and let himself loose and knock down a few mic stands.
All nitpicking aside, one thing that could not be faulted on him or the rest of the band was musicianship. Seemingly more cohesive and a new found balance between energy and playing, the group hit every note vocally and musically, with mistakes near nonexistent. With no less then four separate pits cascading across the floor at any given moment, the crowd was the rowdiest I've seen in awhile, as they belted out the sing-a-long parts of "BYOB", "Chop Suey", "Aeriels", "Toxicity" and others.
As "Sugar" faded out and the house lights went on, everyone had a grin on their face. This was a rock show, and the place to be. As the group have announced they will be on tour for the next two years, there is ample time to make it out when it comes your way. A one-two punch by any stretch of the imagination, the odd match-up of two of mainstream music's two most eclectic artists is well worth it.
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