System of a Down/The Mars Volta - Chicago, IL

The musical revolution will not begin with a bunch of simpering thumb suckers such as Death Wolf Arcade Furnaces. You get my drift. The nice music is never the kind to shake people awake and make them stand up and unite as one. The generational revolution that is due to hit within the next five or so years will have to step up and command from on high. Those meager bed wetters that behave well and speak tenderly from the heart now are going to get trampled on by the ones hell bent on changing the world. It is just the way it needs to be. Call it survival of the fittest. Or call it karma. All I know is that it may have started back in the clubs, but the arena is where the mighty truly rule.

And the mightiest of the moment, the kings of rock 'n roll, System of a Down, did just that as they headlined at the Allstate Arena this past Friday night. 27 songs were performed with as firm and confident a hand that few possess in a little more than an hour and a half. Nary a moment was wasted as one song barreled into the next. Energy, humor, soul, strength and fastidiousness were the key ingredients this night.

An immaculate stage ("I'm the stage janitor," proclaimed Daron Malakian as he picked up an object thrown at his feet) showcased the tightly-wound group, who marched about the stage free of wires (Cordless baby!). The arena thundered with their muscular sound, though never once straying towards being oppressive. Bassist Shavo Odadjian, atop a riser stage right, scanned the crowd by reflecting a spotlight off of his bass at one point, a maniacal smirk pasted across his face.

Lead singer Serj Tankian trance-danced and rolled lyrics off of his tongue like machine-gun fire, while Daron Malakian shattered attendees with his bombastic guitar skills. At different points, Malakian did parody versions (don't think Weird Al here) of classic songs, none better than one of Dire Straits' "Sultans of Swing," here redubbed "System of a Down." "We are the System. The System of a Down," Malakian sang before amping through a spot on version of Straits' Mark Knopfler's solo from the original.

Head banging and crowd surfing were in abundance this night and those in attendance were rocked well past their money's worth. System of a Down prove themselves the mightiest rock and roll band around right now, both with this show and their recently released masterpiece, Mezmerize (the second part, Hypnotize is due out in November). Their mastery of both heart and musical ability puts the feeble attempts of the indie-snot-rockers to shame.

Opening for System of a Down were The Mars Volta, who took to the stage with a triumphant orchestral piece and proceeded to change this reviewer's opinion of the band midway through their set. With abundant energy and an exhausting display of dexterity, the band blazed through a nearly hour-long set of experimental music combining rock, jazz, blues, soul, latin sounds including salsa and more into a furious and combustible concoction. The band, fronted by former At The Drive-In members Cedric Bixler Zavala and Omar Rodriguez-Lopez and featuring an additional six members (including Omar's brother Marcel on percussion and former ATDI and Sparta member Paul Hinojos on sound manipulation. Hinojos took over for the deceased Jeremy Ward), are another group of musicians creating bold music in an age filled with narrow vision. Omar's guitar playing is a marvel to behold, as are the band's backdrops (there are two backdrop changes at a Mars Volta concert). With meticulous lighting the backdrops appear to shift and change in form throughout the show, giving those in attendance on hallucinogens something to get off to.