|
THE BAND
- Ozzy Osbourne - Vocals
- Tony Iommi - Guitar
- Geezer Butler - Bass
- Bill Ward - Drums
- Adam Wakeman - Keyboards
SET LIST
War Pigs
N.I.B.
Into the Void
Fairies Wear Boots
Black Sabbath
Iron Man
Children of the Grave
Paranoid (w/ After Forever Intro)
CONCERT PHOTOS
None available - if you have any, let me know.
TOUR REVIEWS & REMARKS
From: "Friar Tuck"
Subject: Ozzfest review - Seattle
Date: Thu, 29 Jul 2004 09:15:10 -0700
Hi Joe,
I'm on vacation (not at home), so I don't have the address to send this for the
mailing list digest, but here's a review of the Seattle (White River
Amphitheatre) show.
Sabbath were in excellent form last night at the Seattle stop of Ozzfest '04.
I've read reviews of previous shows on the tour where people thought Priest put
on the better show, but I thought Sabbath was better, at least last night. The
real surprise was seeing Ozzy in such good shape, both physically and in his
singing. I couldn't see any evidence that he'd had a serious accident last year,
as he was in pretty much non-stop motion for the whole set. Between doing
jumping jacks, jumping up and down in place behind the mic (even while singing,
which made for occasionally interesting vocal effects), or just running around
the stage, he was as active as I've ever seen him. And his voice - I expected
him to be out of tune at least some of the time, given his well-documented past
problems, but not last night. You could tell he was taking this gig very
seriously and was really trying to nail his lines, and he did. He was spot-on
with the original recorded album versions of nearly all the songs they played,
unlike Halford, who lazily did some of his lines in a monotone and didn't seem
to be putting much effort into it, other than just letting out the occasional
piercing shriek, as if that was enough. Sabbath, as a band, sounded reasonably
tight, without any of the mis-cues and mess-ups that they reportedly suffered
from in earlier gigs on the tour. And you could tell they were having fun
together, with Ozzy egging them all on and getting grins in return. At one
point, Ozzy introduced the other members (as if they needed it). When he got to
Bill Ward, he introduced him repeatedly, causing him to stand up and nod to the
crowd each time. As soon as Bill would sit down, Ozzy would say again, "Mr. BILL
WARD", and up would pop Bill with a sheepish grin on his face and nodding to the
crowd. About the third time, Ozzy got the crowd into it. He'd go "Mr. BILL..."
and let the crowd finish it off with "WARD!", and Bill would have to stand up
again. Poor Bill, but it was funny. At another point, Ozzy mentioned his
accident with the ATV. He said after the accident, his doctor told him he'd
better take a year off to recuperate, and Ozzy said "You know what I said to
him, Man?" I said "FUCK YOU!" and showed us both of his middle fingers to prove
it. That got the crowd roaring. He then said "You know why I said that, Man?"
"It's because I love you all and wanted to come back and see you again", and he
said it with that dead serious, almost angry look on his face that only Ozzy can
pull off, and this was in close-up on the big-screens on either side of the
stage. This of course got the crowd roaring even louder, and loving him right
back. It was a great moment, even if the real reason might be that Sharon might
have had something to do with it. At any rate, Ozzy was in the best, most
active, most coherent, seemingly healthy state I think I've ever seen him in,
and that's going back to the 80s.
Here's the set list:
War Pigs
NIB
Fairies Wear Boots
Into The Void
Black Sabbath
Snowblind
Iron Man
Children of The Grave
Sabbath Bloody Sabbath intro teaser/Paranoid
Too short a set and proof that Sabbath is pretty much just a golden-oldies band
these days, but it was worth it just to see Ozzy in such good shape and proving
that he's still got it in him to be one of the most entertaining front men in
rock. He said Sabbath would be back next year with Ozzfest '05, but no mention
of an album or separate tour, so that remains in doubt. Oh yeah - Bill Ward
looked good, too, and was hitting the drums with authority and power all night,
in addition to having his hair back. When I saw them during the '99 reunion
tour, he'd shaved it off down to a crew-cut, but last night he had a long grey
pony-tail down his back. Nothing much needs to be said about Tony and Geezer,
but they were typically outstanding on their intruments. Sabbath just fucking
rocked, basically. Wish they'd channel that energy in a creative direction....
P.S. The water-bucket-into-the-crowd count was 4, each followed by Ozzy throwing
the empty bucket from mid-stage into the wings. The guy's an animal with those
water buckets.
Tuck
Date: Thu, 29 Jul 2004 11:30:30 -0700
From: Dan Smith
Subject: Ozzfest 7-27-04, White River Amphitheatre, Auburn, WA
Just got back from my first Ozzfest. Seattle (actually Auburn) WA -
7-27-04 What a rush!
Got there about 9:30am - since I drove 350 miles and my only choice was to
sit in a hotel room or go to Ozzfest. I saw about half the bands on the
second stage as I was in and out of that area all day. I'm not really into
the growling vocal style, but live it's not nearly as annoying. I actually
came to appreciate it as part of the show. It has more to do with the
rhythm section - since there's no melody to it. But it does look pretty
cool to see a guy scream at the top of his lungs till his veins are about
to pop - backed by bombastic metal music!
Musically - my favorites were Lamb of God and Lacuna Coil. I left during
Slipknot to make my way to the main stage. I had a Pit ticket so I wanted
to stake my claim to a good spot. Worked like a charm too as I was front
row, right up against the barrier on Iommi's side of the stage for the
entire 6 hrs!
BLS was pretty good, I couldn't hear Zakk as well as I could the second
guitarist - who's amps were right in front of me. They rocked hard though.
Next up was Superjoint Ritual. I expected not to like them, since all the
reviews complain about Phil's ranting, but I ended up being converted. I'm
not sure what he talked about at the other shows, but in Seattle, he
mentioned his support for the soldiers and the wars in Afghanistan and
Iraq - saying "If we didn't do it, no one would". He then spotted a
disabled vet in the crowd - the guy was in a wheelchair with an American
flag wrapped aroud him - and Phil had security bring him up on stage for a
couple songs, saying "Someone give that man a beer" to his roadies. It
really made the guy's day! They also, by the way, rocked hard.
Next was Dimmu Bruggir. They were actually kind of comical with their
makeup. The lead singer never did break character - keeping his "black
metal voice" even for the between song banter. The bass player was cool
though - he's about seven feet tall and he actually sings! Pretty good
too. I only really liked their last song. But it did rock hard. Next was
Slayer. They blew every Slayer wannabe from the second stage off the
grounds! They played very intense metal and had me banging my head hard to
Seasons in the Abyss - my favorite Slayer song. Needless to say - they
rocked hard!
Next was Judas Priest. Halford was on! He nailed his first scream and you
could tell that really revved him up. He was pumping his fist and mouthing
"Yes!!" The rest of the band however, seemed a little tired and stale.
They rocked hard in a couple spots, but for the most part - not. Halford
rocked hard though. Painkiller and Victim of Changes were the high notes,
Breaking the Law and Living After Midnight - the lows. Then they pulled
the curtain and it was time for Sabbath. You could feel the excitement
building in the air, and when the band's shadows appeared on the curtain
the place just erupted!
I immediately went into a total head banging frenzy. I was ten feet from
Iommi for the entire show!!! He nailed it too. I had to remind myself to
look at Ozzy, Geezer and Bill! Anyway about halfway through War Pigs I
realized I hadn't been watching the video to see if it had the anti-Bush
stuff - but I totally didn't care - I mean here they are, the Legends,
RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME - why would I watch a video?
They did the same setlist everyone else has reported - and I really
couldn't tell you if Ozzy sang good or not cause I was singing every
stinking song at the top of my lungs!!! But I can tell you he was having a
blast. He had a huge smile on his face all night, and was jumping and
running all over. He nailed me with a water bucket! Needless to say
Sabbath schooled every other band on the bill as to how it's done. THEY
ROCKED HARD!!!
Black Sabbath - Ozzy, Geezer, Ward and Iommi - with one drummer, one bass
player, one singer, and one guitar player, playing thirty year old music -
sounded more devastating than all the two guitar, multi percussion bands
that preceded them.
When I got back to my hotel room, my ears were still ringing, my voice was
gone and I went to sleep with a smile on my face.
What a night!
From: "Charles L.
Subject: Ozzfest 2004 Tour Stuff - Review of 7-27-2004 Show
Date sent: Thu, 29 Jul 2004 01:41:14 -0700
July 27th 2004 - White River Amphitheatre -
Auburn Washington
For those of you who have not purchased a ticket for an Ozzfest show near
you, it's time to get online, or get to the box office, and take care of
business. This show was worth every penny it cost, and then some.
This was my first visit to the new White River Amphitheatre near Auburn
Washington and I must say the designers/builders did a marvelous job. The
view of the main stage was excellent from any location. Two giant video
screens with amazing quality allowed us to see the finest detail including
Geezers amazing finger picking, Bill's riveting percussion work, and
Ozzy's priceless gestures. We even had many close-ups of Tony's incredible
fret work, including his repaired fingertips! Anyone who lives in or near
Washington State, make sure you catch a concert here, it is one of the
best venues I have seen and I have been to many all across the country.
The first band up was Black Label Society who cranked out an excellent
set. Perhaps they should be higher on the bill. Zack Wylde is too cool and
we enjoyed their set. Superjoint Ritual and Dimmu Borgir play that death
metal stuff that is almost always unintelligible no matter what venue it
is performed in. You cannot distinguish any of the instruments and
certainly not lyrics the vocalist sings-are they lyrics? Slayer was a
little clearer, but again not really what I came to this show for. More
power to those who like that style, it just isn't my cup of tea. Plug in
Robin Trower and Frank Marino & Mahogany Rush instead, and now you're
really talking.
Finally, we got down to business with Judas Priests! The Metals Gods
delivered the goods and then some. I liked Ripper's voice when he filled
in (didn't really like the direction the music went though) but let's face
it Rob Halford belongs in the Priest, and he showed that and then some.
Tipton and Downing were clean and precise as they laid out all of the
Priest classics. Rob Halford still has perhaps metals greatest voice;
displaying the phenomenal range and power that inspired an entire style of
metal in its own. What set the Priest apart from all the other bands that
had performed up to that point was the crisp clean sound; you could hear
clearly every word that Halford sang even though it wasn't necessary. The
crowd knew all of the lyrics and sang along on many songs. Priest has such
an incredible catalog and they are such talent musicians that they raised
the bar very high for Tony, Ozzy, Geezer, and Bill. The slightest misstep
by the Sabs and Judas Priest would take the day!
In preparation for the Sabbath set a huge semi-transparent curtain with
the winged demons was drawn across the front of the stage. Change over
between bands happened very quickly at this show, so Sabbath was ready to
step up just a little while after Priest. Suddenly the lights dimmed and
we could see the figures of Tony, Geezer, and Ozzy being cast and
amplified on the still drawn curtain. That's when Ozzy took matters into
his own hands literally. Ozzy (Ozzy's shadow really) turned sideways and
lowered the microphone to waist level and started.well you know. The place
erupted in laughter as Ozzy once again transcended beyond the music.hahaha.
True to the set list provided by previous concert goers Sabbath started
their set with the always fresh War Pigs. The sound was absolutely
outstanding, much like Judas Priest; you could hear Ozzy's lyrics
perfectly and could easily distinguish all of your favorite licks by Bill,
Tony, and Geezer.
Probably the first thing that struck me was the very strong and clear
sound of Geezer's work. To many times you go to a live concert and the
bass just doesn't make it through the mix and lacks definition and
clarity. It is a huge part of the Sabbath sound and Geezer made sure we
got what we needed. For all of you people that think you are a bass guitar
player, if you see one of these shows and the venue provides good video,
look at Geezers fret and picking technique and be amazed. No matter how
hard you try, no matter how many years you spend, you will never be that
good so learn to live with it.I did.
Now, let me be honest, I came to see Bill Ward. I know, that's a strong
statement but I have always admired Bills technique and style. He is such
a unique player; among the greatest rock percussionist of all time, in my
book, and yours too. I was so happy when that "misunderstanding" about who
would play drums for Black Sabbath was cleared up. I don't know if the
band or management read post here on Joe's marvelous site (I sure hope
they do) but I want to convey this message as strongly as I can to them.
We the fans want Bill Ward and that's final. No more fiddle faddle, when
Sabbath makes a new album.Bill Ward, when Sabbath plays a gig.Bill Ward.
To put an exclamation point on it, Bill was outstanding. he laid down the
skins as only Bill can. His one of a kind style was shining bright, and
Bill gave the fans all that they could hope for and beyond.
The last time I saw Sabbath play was January 11, 1999 at the Rose garden
in Portland. On that night Ozzy sacrificed himself and performed the
entire set with a pretty severe throat cold. It was a great show, but it
was tough on Ozzy and we appreciate him seeing it through where many
others with ego problems would have abandoned the fans in a heartbeat.not
Ozzy! At Ozzfest 2004 there was no cold and no problems! In my opinion,
Ozzy sounded better than he has is sometime. It's really amazing
considering the year Ozzy has gone through. The Oz sang the higher notes
in Snowblind and Sweet Leaf perfectly. He laughed, told stories, and
revved up the crowd like only Ozzy can. It's just amazing the effect that
Ozzy has on the fans, there is no one since the Beatles who can compare.
I'm serious; you folks that haven't gone yet are in for a real treat,
Ozzy's voice is in top form and he is master of the stage as always. Thank
you Ozzy for hanging tough and brining your fans a night to remember.
If music were ancient Greek mythology, and musicians the gods, then Tony
Iommi would be Zeus.the king of the gods. Tony flattens me each and every
time I have the honor of listening to the master ply his trade. I
sometimes sit and wonder how one man could be so consistently creative
over such a long time. And what a virtuoso performance he gave us this
night. I really appreciated the extended solos Tony took during Fairies,
N.I.B., and Black Sabbath. I don't need to tell you people that the man
was on; if you have ever seen Black Sabbath then you already know this to
be true. I think every heavy band that came after Sabbath should list Tony
Iommi for writing credits on each CD that they release since he defined
rock guitar and created the space in which other heavy band flourish.
I hope everybody finds a way to make it to a Sabbath show as they make
their way about the world. And then when you are done, go home and listen
to each and every album, and if you are missing one, go and by it. These
guys are one of the few moments of sanity that is offered above the crap
that is flooding the scene today. I hope the Sabs find the time to give us
a new album in the near future; that is really the missing piece of the
puzzle. Thank you Geezer, Ozzy, Bill, and Tony!
Great site Joe.keep it going!
Charles L.
Seattle Washington
From: "OZZY LAMA"
Subject: sabbath in seattle
Date sent: Fri, 30 Jul 2004 10:45:25 -0700
joe,
really, really short set in seattle!!!! war pigs, n.i.b, into the void,
fairies, black sabbath, iron man, children of the grave, and of course
paranoid, with the first 20 seconds of after forever before.[just a tease
ya know]
ozzy looked better than i've seen him in many, many years. in real good
health as well amazing how you can sing the same songs for thirty years
and still fuck up verses and lyrics. [wouldn't have it any other way
though]
priest was outstanding had to put that in there
From: David Rostowsky
Subject: 7/27 BS Review
Date sent: Tue, 3 Aug 2004 21:28:55 -0700 (PDT)
Joe,
I went to Ozzfest at the White River Ampitheatre and just thought Id toss
in my $0.02 on Black Sabbath's performance. In general, it was great, and
was indeed the best act of Ozzfest!! Anytime we can get the original 4
together is indeed a great event!
Ozzy is now in "fat Ozzy" mode. Not getting enough exercise post accident.
What a pot-belly, ha! Its like the Ultimate Sin tour all over again. He
looks like Bill now. Bill, put on a shirt! AH!!! Ozzy gave Bill the best
introduction of the night. Made everyone repeatedly applaude Bill. Bill
was quite happy. In fact, the entire band was in quite a gleeful mood.
Iommi was beaming through most of the set which is unusual given his usual
concentration. Ozzy did this hysterical Peter Pan-esque skipping across
the stage that had everyone in the band and crowd just rolling. That was
the most mobile thing he did all night. At times, Oz forgot to put the mic
near his mouth so the vocals would take a deep fade, but nobody really
noticed or cared, and the crowd filled in anyway.
I liked the background video considering how hastily eveything was put
together Im sure. It was really well done, and not just the same old
Sabbath images that we've all seen a zillion times.
War Pigs - We got the "censored" version of the backgound video with only
Hitler video instead of the even more "sinister" Bush comparisons. The
song was performed great. Ozzy was his usual off-key self, and the crowd
pretty much drowned him out and made it even more off key, ha. The band
played it very tight though.
NIB - Simply fantastic. I always love hearing this live. It was minus
Geezers usual intro, but oh well. Ozzy sang it great! The band was a rock!
Fairies Wear Boots - This sounded odd from the get go. Iommi's guitar
sounded like it was tuned down 5 steps, and Butler was tuned up 2 steps.
It sounded very weird and off key the whole time. It was so loud though
that I dont think anyone could tell unless you were a guitar player. They
even seemed a bit lost at times. Kind of disappointing as its one of my
personal favorites.
Into The Void - What a great performance! I love this song, and the guys
didnt disappoint.
Snowblind - The usual arm waving and great performance!
Black Sabbath - The never-ending guitar solo. Went on forever! GREAT! I
kept yelling "Iommi!!!" while everyone else yelled for Ozzy. The best song
performed all night. Classic. They could infinite loop this song and Id be
happy forever. That was the longest version of that song Ive ever heard
even from the prime-time years.
Thats all for now. I was quite happy with the show, and Im looking forward
to some new Sabbath in '05 (I hope)!!! |
