When it comes to having passionate fans, perhaps no heavy metal band has a more ardent following that thrash legends Slayer. System Of A Down’s Serj Tankian released his autobiography, “Down With the System,” last year, and it it he detailed that opening for Slayer in 1998 was like “going to rock ’n’ roll boot camp.”
“We were opening for Slayer, which was a massive opportunity for a band who hadn’t yet released their first album,” Tankian wrote. “That tour was like going to rock ’n’ roll boot camp. Slayer fans famously love Slayer and hate just about everything and everyone else. As their opening act, the crowd saw us as the one thing standing between them and Slayer.”
Tankian said that SOAD’s tribal makeup and flashy stage clothes didn’t help matters. “In fact, when we’d take the stage, we’d often be facing a wall of crossed arms and extended middle fingers,” he added.
Tankian recalled a show in Poland where things took an ugly turn. “We were onstage in Poland being pelted with coins by fans who were also raising N*zi salutes in our direction. At one point, I was hit in the face with a bagel and lost my sh*t. I told our lighting guy to point the lights into the audience and target the bagel-thrower. Then I launched into an angry tirade and threatened to start kicking people’s *sses. When I finished, the venue went dead silent.”
The band ended up walking off stage but has obviously gained a highly devoted following of their own in the years since.
