Janna gets in the SYSTEM

February 15 2002 System of a Down came to Mesa Arizona...

No Cameras were allowed, all images were "borrowed" from someone else's page... I take no credit, With exception of images of me, and my ticket stub.
**This story has not been altered since it was written, Feb15, 2oo2**

 

Friend Tyler played me a song about a week before New Years 2001-2, it was either Chop Suey, or Sugar, (he played them both.) I went home and listened to them, and dug up a few other images of them. By the mid end of January, I knew they were coming to town, I knew Tyler would love to go... By the beginning of February, I had tickets on the way.

Tyler and I drove two and a half hours to see this concert, fisrt stocking up on soda, a sub, and ice for our moving tailgate party. We expected to sit there in the parking lot for 5 hours, since it started at 7 and we left at 2. We got there, and there was already a line. Into the line we went, watching the freaks who arrived with spiked mohawks and septum rings. When we were split into male and female lines we sat on the concrete and listened to the music coming from the KUPD booth behind us. One woman came back from there with a promo soundtrack for Queen of the Damned, I was over there like a shot. They didn't wanna give me one cause I didn't have a KUPD red shirt on... But one was nice enough to make the other one go get me one. Hehe. While waiting the rest of the hour and a half I sat on the concrete ground, and ended up singing along to the KoRn songs from the booth.

Finally the doors begin to open, and they announce "Take everything out of your pockets!" Great... and me with Kender-Pockets. Then they announce "No CDS" I was pissed. So out of line I went and back to the car like someone rejected from the line, so I could dump the trash from my pockets, and mainly protect my QOTD cd. Back I went, and one girl was nice enough to let me back in relatively close to the front after I explained myself. Tyler was already searched and in, and waiting for me of course.

Open theatre, no seats, some grass tiers, and a large open area in front. We wanted a tier to sit on, but wanted to be relatively close, but nowhere near the moshpit. We claimed our spots and I laid there for a second, before we went scouting for my lovely Tour Shirt. 30 bucks, gorgeous shirt, I put it on over the shirt I was wearing to make sure I would go home with it. Hehe. We were back at where he originally chose, and I decided I wanted to be closer, like almost on the bar. So we go up there, as close as we can. And it was interesting. The theatre filled up rather quickly, and soon the place was packed. We waited and waited, whatever local band was supposed to open had buggered out and was no longer going to play, so we waited for the opening band: Clutch. When they came on the punk looking Mohawkers banged with the best of them and crooned along. We got kinda crushed, but not too bad. A mosh pit erupted behind us, coinidently the place where Tyler had originally wanted to stand. A good move on my part then... Or so we thought. Security started spraying us with water, to cool down the insane ones. I held my left earflap closed to make sure I would be able to hear System from it when they came on; we were right on the right bank of speakers. Clutch's drummer was awesome, the singer reminded me of my dad, and they had some good shit from what I could hear. Tyler and I became too intimate with the people in front of us with the pushing. We dealt with it, but the tiers (now full) were looking better and better all the time.

When System came on it was fucking insane. The shoving was unbearable, and a crowd surfer planted his backside in the back of Tyler's head, and his boot in my face. Now kicked in the nose, and wishing I as at home rather than in the concert I had been dying to see, I asked Tyler if her thought we could move. He said "I don't think so Janna." I nodded, and proceeded to make my way out anyway. I could not stand it any longer. Tyler held onto my shoulders to make sure that he could follow me wherever I ended up, and people were SO rude, they would not move 3 inches when I asked them. So I MOVED them. I was getting out of that area. OMG that was fucking insane. We ended up on the right side bar, in a nice little empty spot. We sat a moment, and tried to determine whether or not we could enjoy the rest of the concert... We could see the Lead Singer, and Bassist (shirtless) and the guitarist (with his back to the crowd for the first half). We could neither see the drummer or the background, but as the shock of our injuries died away, and we melded with the music it became ok again. We began to have a great time again. A tiny, One-Mexican moshpit appeared beside us, and the idiot was forever bashing into the people beside us. Once he hit them so hard that they slammed the bar about a foot to the right. That scared the shit out of me. After being moved like that, whenever I saw that young man start to bounce off people, my hands were up by my face or out to ward off some kind of blow. Once when a large young man hit me because of the idiot he apologized. That was kind of him, so I will remember that.

System was so awesome. Hearing Chop Suey live so made it ALL worth it. There are so many little things that were too awesome to describe, and soo many that it would be pointless to try anyway. There was one point when I thought of My Georgie. The guitarist was playing backwards for the first half, and my Georgie had told me once that he sang part of a party/concert backwards till he warmed up to it. After a while the guitarist was shirtless and running around insane, and inciting the moshing riots. The lighting on the singer was SOOO awesome. I was so in some kind of love with the man during that concert. (Music does that.) It was very cool.

When it ended, a very satisfied Tyler and myself sat over on a grass hill to watch the mob leave. We sat and talked a bit about what was awesome, and rechecking our wounds. When it was clear enough I hit the little girls room and we went out to the car. We chilled in the front, munching on the sub and matching rock-paper-scissors on four rounds til we gave up on it. :-D Then there was the fun drive home, where Ty and I talked about the world and real life... and what was awesome. Lol..

At his house we chilled a little bit, and then I headed off home. At home I talked a bit with my Georgie, teasing him withe QOTD tracks I had (lol) and then laying down to a very exhausted sleep.

All in all...

It was FUCKING AWESOME.

Smooch!

 

© Janna Ellis Feb16-02