System of a Down members Serj Tankian and John Dolmayan were in San José del Cabo, Mexico, celebrating the latter’s birthday when they joined a local street band for an impromptu performance of “Aerials.”
While the liberal-minded singer Tankian and right-wing drummer Dolmayan are on opposite ends of the political spectrum, they’ve both insisted that they have remained dear friends. In fact, Tankian and Dolmayan are brothers-in-law, having married a pair of sisters. While Wikipedia listed Dolmayan as turning 49 on Friday (July 15th), the drummer noted on Instagram that he had actually celebrated his 50th birthday.
The SOAD tribute channel Victims of a Down posted footage (credited to Vrej & Cesar via Instagram) of the Mexican band Rock Medium performing “Aerials,” with Dolmayan already having joined them behind the kit. Tankian is then seen being encouraged to participate, as well, and does just that, duetting with the local band’s singer, who has an impressive voice himself.
Aside from performing on occasion and releasing two surprise new singles in 2020, System of a Down haven’t released a new album in nearly 17 years. In a recent interview, Dolmayan once again expressed his frustration at the band’s lack of musical output, saying, “We have this gift … and we’re squandering it … that’s like the worst; having the ability to do something and not doing it.”
Tankian told Heavy Consequence in 2021 that the fact that the band was able to get together to record those two new songs in 2020 gave him “hope that one day we might be able to get it together and do something again.”
In the meantime, watch Serj Tankian and John Dolmayan join the local Mexican band Rock Medium for a stirring rendition of “Aerials” below.