How I feel when I'm around you (System Of A Down)(EN)

Different places, different events

The morning welcomes us with a grey sky, a harmless one though, and some chilly air. The area in front of the main stage is already packed with people, either just wearing t-shirts or covered in sweaters but equally electrified in the wait, matching the rush that's going on backstage and involves both techs and musicians. There are some German artists among them as well; other than waving us hello they prefer to be on their own, speaking their own language.

As the pre-concert phase starts, each one of the guys is somewhere on his own, trying to tame his own stage fright in a personal way: Shavo casually jumps on the place, John revises his pieces, Serj warms his voice up and Daron stares into the void while absent-mindedly smoking a joint – most likely the second of the day – and only when Sako gets near to tell him something he comes back to life, nodding and jumping up on his feet in a sudden euphoria.

«Hi guys!» Ozzy Osbourne comes out of nowhere, clad in his usual black clothes and round sunglasses. «It seems that you're next in the day setlist, my festival mates, so I came to wish you good luck.»

«Thank you, man» Serj thanks him on behalf of the band, smiling «think we'll meet again later.»

«Sure» he replies, looking at each one of us, me too for some reason, then leaves.

«Five minutes to go» Sako warns.

«Here we go» I say to myself while the guys engage in their collective pre-live "rituals". I bump a bro-fist with each of them as they go on stage, then I unexpectedly get a forehead kiss by the guitarist that makes my knees turn into jelly for one moment.

The guys' time has come: a little snag comes up, as a cameraman insists on staying right in front of the guitarist until he snaps at him while playing "Drugs" after the first song and only then moves, but in spite of this they start off pretty well, soon coming up with their best songs. Towards the end of the bridge in "Deer dance" Daron puts his guitar aside and climbs on an amp, then takes a jump and dives into the crowd, still headbanging and having fun while the fans keep him afloat of the human sea and – as expected – take their chance to touch their beloved guitarist. A security man runs to him, putting his hands on his head for a moment, clearly worried, some colleagues reach him and together they succeed in safely recovering the guy and putting him back on stage, where a tech immediately lends him his guitar and a new pick. In the meanwhile John is already going on with his drum solo at the start of "DDevil"; this song ends with another skit put up by Daron, who runs all the way to the other side of the stage in a disjointed way and falls down with the last notes of the song, almost crushing his guitar underneath his body, and during the next song, that is "Suggestions", he promptly turns to show his ass to the crowd when the lyrics say that precise word.

"Psycho" represents the heart of their whole set as usual, the moment in which the band's guitarist really turns into a stage beast; again, his t-shirt flies towards my exact backstage location and I can't avoid reacting as usual, I just can't help. The apex of the track is the moment in which he's in charge: Daron swings his guitar from one side to the other, smiles every now and then, before turning to Serj who's joined his solo on keyboards and approaching him on his knees; the singer's nod is the signal for the final wild twirl that only he's capable of. 

Only a second-long break happens before he goes at it again, introducing "Chop Suey!", one of my favorite songs; before the last two choruses of the song, Daron treats his fans again to an impromptu rage moment against the sky, made of fake screams, glares and a middle finger up, and another rambling series of moves. Once it's done, Rock am Ring fans get surprised, as Rock im Park ones did before, by the unexpected and short arrangement of "La isla bonita" by Madonna sung by the guys, then get all stirred up on invitation of the guitarist right before "Bounce".