Ozzfest Line Up Announced
Posted by Dana Suzanne on 02.22.2004
Judas Priest And Slayer Slated For The Main Stage
The ninth annual Ozzfest will kick off on July 10 in Hartford, Connecticut.
Headliner and namesake Ozzy Osbourne will be sharing the main stage with Judas Priest, reunited with longtime singer Rob Halford; Slayer; Norwegian black metal sextet Dimmu Borgir; Black Label Society; and Superjoint Ritual, fronted by Pantera's Phil Anselmo, reports Joe D' Angelo of mtv.com.
Osbourne's participation in the two-month tour is surprising. Due to serious injuries sustained by the rock icon in an ATV accident in December, doctors estimated it would take Osbourne at least six months to recover.
Two-time Ozzfest veterans Slipknot will headline the second stage. Fans voting on www.ozzfest.com helped choose the second-stage bands, which include Hatebreed, Lamb of God, Atreyu, Bleeding Through, Lacuna Coil, Every Time I Die and Unearth. Additional artists are expected to be announced later.
Ozzfest 2004 will be the first time Judas Priest tour the States with Rob Halford since he left the band in 1992. The band will begin a brief European tour on June 5 in Bologna, Italy.
Tim "Ripper" Owens, the singer in a Priest cover band, filled the frontman slot from 1996 until last year, when Halford reunited with original members Ian Hill (bass), K.K. Downing (guitar), Glenn Tipton (guitar) and drummer Scott Travis, who joined the band for 1990's Painkiller.
A new studio album is also expected later this year from the band, which incidentally hail from Osbourne's hometown of Birmingham, England. It would mark the 30th anniversary of their debut album, Rocka Rolla.
According to its publicists, here are the current Ozzfest tour dates:
7/10 - Hartford, CT @ ctnow.com Meadows Music
7/12 - Mansfield, MA @ Tweeter Center
7/14 - Wantagh, NY @ Tommy Hilfiger at Jones Beach Th.
7/16 - Holmdel, NJ @ PNC Bank Arts Center
7/18 - Bristow, VA @ Nissan Pavilion
7/20 - Columbus, OH @ Germain Amphitheatre
7/22 - Nashville, TN @ Starwood Amphitheatre
7/24 - Englewood, CO @ Fiddler's Green Amphitheatre
7/27 - Auburn, WA @ White River Amphitheatre
7/29 - Mountain View, CA @ Shoreline Amphitheatre
7/31 - Devore, CA @ Hyundai Pavilion of Glen Helen
8/3 - Albuquerque, NM @ Journal Pavilion
8/5 - Dallas, TX @ Smirnoff Music Center
8/7 - San Antonio, TX @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
8/10 - Kansas City, KS @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
8/12 - Maryland Heights, MO @ UMB Pavilion
8/14 - East Troy, WI @ Alpine Valley Music Theatre
8/17 - Clarkston, MI @ DTE Energy Center
8/19 - Cuyahoga Falls, OH @ Blossom Music Center
8/21 - Tinley Park, IL @ Tweeter Center
8/24 - Noblesville, IN @ Verizon Wireless Music Center
8/26 - Camden, NJ @ Tweeter Center at the Waterfront
8/28 - Burgettstown, PA @ Post-Gazette Pavilion @ Star Lake
8/31 - Raleigh, NC @ Alltel Pavilion @ Walnut Creek
9/2 - Tampa, FL @ Tampa Bay Amphitheatre
9/4 - West Palm Beach, FL @ Sound Advice Amphitheatre
Source: D'Angelo, Joe "Judas Priest, Slayer, Slipknot To Join Ozzy On Ozzfest" mtv.com 20 February 2004
