John Dolmayan Instagram – I was only in SOAD for a few months and we were playing one of my first shows with the band at the @thewhiskyagogo in Hollywood . @shavoodadjian came up to me excitedly and said @davelombardo was in the audience ! We were in disbelief! How did he know about us ? We were just a local band playing a local show , what would attract one of the best drummers of all time and the man responsible for one of my favorite albums , South of Heaven ! To make everything more surreal he complimented us after the show and said he was a fan of the band and that he would love to jam with us sometime. The jam actually happened but partially out of respect and mostly out of nervousness I didn’t go and just let the rest of the band experience jamming with Dave. Since those days we became friends , Dave is by far one of the nicest and fan appreciative people I know. Never an unkind word , always a fan of music with no pretentiousness. He drove two hours to see an unsigned band play a show because we incorporated eastern rhythmic themes in our style and that was something that interested him . Dave is one of the best to have picked up the sticks but he never forgot his love for drums and is always looking for inspiration irrespective of where it comes from. He is a gift and still inspires all of us ,his fans.