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THE BAND
CONCERT PHOTOS None available - if you have any, let me know. TOUR REVIEWS & REMARKS From: "D-Wal" <rwalther@smcvt.edu> I attended the Mansfield, Mass. show on June 18th. It was my first major "fest" of any sort and it lived up to all of my dreams. I had just been getting interested in hard rock/metal. After buying some live albums (including Sabbath's 1998 Reunion release and various Ozzy ventures) I was very interested to see them myself. My buddy Tobin and I arrived in Mansfield around 11am on the 18th. It was a hazy, humid day and the people were already filling the Tweeter Center to about 20% capacity. I knew it would be an interesting day. I was most impressed by Godsmack and Primus' performances. Drain STH was by far the most underrated band of this year's Ozzfest--look for them to be on the mainstage in the future. Rob Zombie summoned the darkness with his high-energy, flame spitting extravaganza, but everyone was there for the real deal, the pioneers of metal, the men who had withstood time and space only to return like the brothers they are. Age, wisdom, poise and power combined this night to prove who the greatest of the 70's bands truly is...that's right: Black Sabbath! Ozzy's voice wasn't great, but support he wanted and support he got from the capacity crowd. As the moon rose overhead, tunes like After Forever, Electric Funeral, Into the Void and Snowblind boomed over the entranced crowd. But the band members reverted to their youth with menacing, high-energy numbers like Black Sabbath, Iron Man, Children of the Grave and finally Paranoid (with a great Supernaut intro). Showing a certain maturity level and appreciation for the crowd, Ozzy asked everyone to utilize a designated driver and be safe so he could "kick our ass again next year." Let's hope Ozzfest continues and moreover, let's hope Sabbath can crank out one more studio album to cement themselves as the greatest rock band ever. Yours in Rock, Derek Walther (Vermont) |