Serj Tankian on “being pelted with coins by fans who were also raising Nazi salutes” when System Of A Down supported thrash band

nme.com:

Serj Tankian has opened up about the time System Of A Down were “pelted with coins” by fans who were “raising Nazi salutes”.The incidents occurred when the ‘Chop Suey’ hitmakers went on tour with Slayer as opening support back in 1998.

System Of A Down viewed the slot as a big opportunity since at the time, they had yet to release their debut LP.Though they were championed by many heavy metal fans, Slayer’s fan base was not too keen on the group’s slot at the gigs.

In his memoir Down With The System – which was released last year, Tankian reflected on the tour and shared (via Metal Hammer): “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.”A post shared by System Of A Down (@systemofadown)He continued: “This was a group of fans for whom ‘homemade’ knife-carved tattoos were not unusual, so when we’d turn up – me in tribal makeup, Daron [Malakian, guitarist] sporting pink hair and a glammy little outfit, they were not necessarily predisposed to welcome us with open arms.