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Friday 23 November 2007

Serj Tankian doing Beatles in London Astoria

I could not make it but here are impressions of tablaqueen who was lucky to be there:

"[...] They put all the lights and fog on when he came on so you couldn't really see - everyone hollered when a figure in a top hat appeared... only then we noticed that the whole band was wearing them - which looked pretty cool, but they lost them later - and then finally Serj appeared himself. Wearing a cream top hat and cream coat, white shirt and black trousers.

He actually did look quite like a ringleader and the way he behaved onstage was a bit ring-leaderish too. He had the odd mental moment but mostly he was fairly calm, just making pronouncements in sort of typical Serj fashion every so often. Anyway. He didn't play that long really, but then he hasn't got loads of solo material yet, and i gather he refuses to play any System stuff.

He did a fantastic cover of Holiday in Cambodia, which was a bit lost on the young ones in the crowd, but us old farts were dancing around to it ;), and then he said -Hey, we're in London so i have to do a Beatles song!' er, did no one ever tell Serj the Beatles were from Liverpool? i was a bit doubtful about the Beatles song but he actually did it really well - partly Beatles ish and partly mental metal style, finishing off with that howler monkey noise that death metal singers do.

So that was pretty cool. Unfortunately, i don't know the name of the song - unless there is a song called Girl? it was one i recognise but don't know that well.

i noticed on the quieter songs mostly no one waves lighters about anymore - now it's thousands of camera phones instead... i'm quite pleased about that as the lighter waving always makes me think of Bryan Adams. One or two did have them - if i'd been near them i would have blown the darn things out. One doesn't wish to be reminded of Bryan Adams at a Serj concert after all.

i did wish i had had the presence of mind to bring an Armenian flag along to wave about at him - i don't have one, but i could perhaps have made one - some others in the bottom crowd did have one and were flapping it about - i was quite jealous! [...]"

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

it's funny to see my words on your blog! :D i don't mind though.
i actually think he should record the Beatles song! (it is called Girl by the way - i found it) - i think even more than Holiday in Cambodia, because although he did a great version of that, he didn't change it much, whereas the Beatles song he really put his own stamp on.
And i was just joking about the toilets ;) but...well in my experience at least, i think gay girls are bit less likely to use perfumes etc than gay boys...;)

Rhiannon.

artmika said...

Thanks for this report from Astoria, Rhiannon! Very interesting read, I wish I could be there too :( And I wish someone would upload Serj version of Girl on YouTube :)

I know you were joking, and yes, that's true ;)

Anonymous said...

well, i would upload Serj if i could but i don't have the technology!!! My phone is the basic Nokia model preferred by grannies and doesn't even have a camera on it!!!
Rhiannon.
ps but from the number of camera phones around surely someone recorded it...

artmika said...

:) I think the best way would be if he follows you advice to actually record it. I hardly imagine how it would be a la Serj :) but what you said sounds quite something, am intrigued

Anonymous said...

it IS on youtube..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQPkoAOnGLA
there's a couple of others of it from different concerts too...and i thought he only did it here!!!
Rhiannon.

artmika said...

thank you so much, loved it! Will embed it here ;)