411 Music Summer Festival Preview: Ozzfest
Posted by Dan Marsicano on 06.26.2007
Ozzfest is coming back for its 12th year this summer with Ozzy Osbourne returning to the main stage and new bands trying to get their music across to a diverse audience. Oh and the tickets are free too!
Introduction:
Hey everybody. It's Dan Marsicano writing about one of the biggest festivals of the summer. That's right, I'm talking about Ozzfest! Ever since its formation in 1996, Ozzfest has gotten bigger and bigger every year, with bands like the famous Judas Priest and Iron Maiden gracing its stage.
This year, Ozzfest is changing it up a bit. For the first time in its history, Ozzfest will be free to the general public. How do you find tickets then? Well, for more details, go to www.ozzfest.com.
For this preview, I'm going to go through each band, what stage they are on, and my excitement level for each band. The band will be graded on a scale of 1-10 (1-Nope!, 10-Oh Wow!, etc.)
Dates:
7/12 - Redmond, WA - White River Amphitheatre
7/14 - George, WA - The Gorge
7/17 - Marysville, CA - Sleep Train Amphitheatre
7/19 - Mountain View, CA - Shoreline Amphitheatre
7/21 - Devore, CA - Hyundai Pavilion
7/24 - Phoenix, AZ - Cricket Pavilion
7/26 - Albuquerque, NM - Journal Pavilion
7/28 - Denver, CO - Coors Amphitheatre
7/30 - Bonner Springs, KS - Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
8/02 - Dallas, TX - Smirnoff Music Center
8/04 - Selma, TX - Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
8/06 - Maryland Heights, MO - Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
8/08 - Columbus, OH - Germain Amphitheatre
8/10 - Tinley Park, IL - First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
8/12 - East Troy, WI - Alpine Valley Music Theatre
8/14 - Noblesville, IN - Verizon Wireless Music Theatre
8/16 - Holmdel, NJ - Bank Arts Center
8/18 - Hartford, CT - New England Dodge Music Theatre
8/20 - Mansfield, MA - Tweeter Center
8/22 - Camden, NJ - Tweeter Center
8/24 - Burgettstown, PA - Post Gazette Pavilion
8/26 - Clarkston, MI - DTE Energy Music Theatre
8/28 - Charlotte, NC - Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
8/30 - West Palm Beach, FL - Sound Advice Amphitheatre
Main Stage
Ozzy Osbourne: While he is getting older, and the effects of years of drug and alcohol abuse have taken a toll on his voice, it is still exciting to be able to see the "Prince of Darkness" for free. Excitement Level-10
Lamb of God: Pretty surprising to see them on Ozzfest for free, considering they are a pretty popular metal band that could of went on tour by themselves for the summer and made a hefty profit. They are a good band and one I have never seen live before. Excitement Level-7
Static-X: Their new album is pretty solid and I have enjoyed their earlier material. It's good to see them in the spotlight again (they played the main stage back in 2000). Excitement Level-8
Lordi: I haven't heard much about this band, and the things I have heard have been very negative. Excitement Level-1
Second Stage
Hatebreed: They are a decent hardcore band. I really didn't care for their last album, but enjoyed their past ones. Excitement Level-5
Behemoth: Like Lordi, I have not heard much of this band. However, unlike Lordi, I have heard positive comments about this band. Behemoth is a death metal band, which is an acquired taste to me, but I will listen with an open ear. Excitement Level-3
Nick Oliveri and the Mondo Generator: I'm a huge fan of the work that Oliveri did in Queens of the Stone Age, and while I have heard nothing about this band, I'm excited to see what Oliveri can do on his own. Excitement Level-7
Second Stage (Rotating Acts)
I'm only going to talk about two bands in this section, since I know nothing about the other ones. The bands I won't talk about that are in this slot are Ankla, Circus Diablo, The Showdown, DAATH, In This Moment, and Chthonic.
Nile: One of the best death metal bands out currently, I am excited to see if they sound as good live as on record. I am expecting confusion and mass hysteria and I can't wait! Excitement Level-9
3 Inches of Blood: An interesting band that mixes today's metalcore with 1980's metal. I have heard some of their material, and while repetitive at times, still is an intriguing formula and that makes for a bit of excitement on my part. Excitement Level-6
Conclusion:
Overall, this year has some strong acts in it. No matter what your opinion of any band is, the fact still remains that Ozzfest is free this year. That is one of the best deals you can get this summer. If you have a free day, and can get tickets, Ozzfest is the place to be for some cheap head banging this summer.
