| System of a Down's tour is winding down quickly, I knew I had to see them one last time this year. So I decided to go for it and attend the Ozzfest in Raleigh, North Carolina. I had to! Anything for System of a Down, right? :) I arrived at RDU Airport at 12:30 pm. I then headed to the Alltel Pavilion. The gates to the main seating pavillion were not open yet so I had to walk around for a bit. Didn't catch any band on the second stage but I did notice that a lot of people had System of a Down t-shirts on. I knew that this crowd was going to be great! Finally, a city that wants to see SOAD rather than Disturbed! The gates finally opened at 3 pm. I went to look for my seat. AWESOME view! - 10th row from the stage (on the right side). The show started at 6 pm. I sat through four bands. Didn't really get into them. I was there for ONE reason, System of a Down! :P One of the best of many moments throughout the day was meeting Daron again :) He is the coolest guy EVER! He remembered me from the Chicago Ozzfest and even gave me a hug. We chatted for a bit. We talked about my website and he said that he liked the name "SOADomized". He said that is was funny and that he really liked it a lot. The topic of tickets came up. I was asked where my seats were located. I told him I was in the 10th row and he asked if I wanted an upgrade. He said its no problem. I said sure. He then asked if I'd rather watch the show from the stage. I had to think about it for a while....j/k. I said "Hell yeah!" So Daron arranged for me to watch the entire show from his side of the stage. Wow, I didn't think the day could've gotten any better! I said thank you, we said our goodbyes and hugged again. What is going on?? I am probably going to die in the next few months..... It was around 9:20 pm (I think) and I was led onstage. As I am walking to my spot I see Daron behind the curtain putting his guitar on and getting ready to go on. I couldn't believe I was standing on the same stage as Serj, John, Shavo, and Daron. What a surreal moment! Daron immediately walks on stage and belts out "Soldier Side" next was "BYOB". Maybe it was all the alcohol I consumed, but I think SOAD played the the beginning of "Know" then stopped and broke into "Attack". Same set list as the other shows. Except no "Sultans of Swing", "Sad Statue", or "Suite-Pee". During "Lonely Day", Daron kinda read the lyrics rather than sang them - William Shatner style - if you will. Serj said his famous "No music, just ice cream" lyrical change during "Sugar". During "Psycho" Serj said "You really don't have to be a fucking bitch!!". Serj was bouncing off the walls and did his signature dance moves. Shavo also seemed to be having fun. He was all smiles and kept going to the left and right sides of the stage. Daron was kind of mellow throughout the show. I could hardly see John because of his HUGE drum set. The crowd went wild after John's drum solo. The crowd was great! Overall it was a kickass show. This concert is definitely on my Top 3 favorite concerts list. August 9th was sorta bittersweet. The show was insanely amazing but I knew this was the last time I will see them altogether on the same stage for a while. *tears* At least they are not dissapearing like most bands who take a "hiatus" usually tend to do. Can't wait to see what the guys have in store for us in the future :) . |