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THE BAND
- Ozzy Osbourne - Vocals
- Tony Iommi - Guitar
- Geezer Butler - Bass
- Bill Ward - Drums
- Adam Wakeman - Keyboards
CONCERT PHOTOS
None available - if you have any, let me know.
TOUR REVIEWS & REMARKS
From: david gargalino
Subject: Detroit Ozzfest Review: A Momentus Journey between Friends and Music
Date sent: Sun, 29 Aug 2004 15:03:41 -0700 (PDT)
Hey Joe, Here is my Review: A Momentous
Journey between Friends and Music.
There comes a time in life where nothing surprises you until you least
expect it. I dont need to explain how or why i went to Ozzfest 2004, its a
given that i know good music and whenever i can hear it ill be there. I've
obviously loved Black Sabbath for many years and have been truly blessed
to have been school in classic rock and metal by my father. I'mIm only 20
years old buI'veve now just seen every band that i love that is still
around.
Anyways, I have been a two yeaveteranen of Ozzfest prior to Ozzfest 2004.
Once in 2001 and last year and let me tell you this Ozzfest was the best
one by far that i went to. It is even sweeter than all the rest because of
handfulll surprises that came along the way.
I went to see Ozzfest 2001 because a good friend of mine had VIP tickets.
The seats were very nice and I had a great time seeing Ozzy for the first
time with Black Sabbath. I alwaycherisheded that moment because I truly
thought it was going to be my first and last time seeing Bill, Geezer,
Tony, and Ozzy together. All in all, Icouldn'tt have been happier. It was
one of the few bright spots in 2001 for me. For what ever reason i
ddidn'tthink i was ever going to another Ozzfest. I dont know why, maybe
because of the money; sure beats me to wonder why i would not want to go
again. Then Ozzfest 2002 came along i wanted to go really bad but the
money issue came up. I had just started college and needed the money. It
ddidn'tmatter much because the line up was nothing special for me and it
was looking like Ozzy was in doubt whether he was going to perform at DTE
music center.
Then Ozzfest 2003 was looking like it was not going to happen for me since
i had spent my money on Metallica's Summer Sanitarium tour ( remind me not
to spend my money on that tour instead of Ozzfest). It was looking like it
was not going to happen since Ozzfest was just weeks away but then my good
buddy Casey came along to bring me good news. He wanted to see Ozzy so bad
he had spent $180 on two tickets for the July 25th show. I was blown away
that he ddidn'twant any money from me. It was I that had a job since he
was just a teenager with out a job. Well lets just say I bought him
whatever the hell he wanted at Ozzfest. It was quickquicklyded after
Ozzy's set that Ozzfest 2004 was a go.
When February rolled around ( Ozzy was drastically improving daily) I knew
that Ozzfest tickets were about to be on sale pretty soon. So I kept close
knit to the radio and interInternetdetails. I pretty much decide if I was
ever going to get good seats or tickets at all for the matter ( rumored to
be the last Ozzfest) I needed to get up very early and secure a place in
line at ticketicket masterp; So the tickets were on sale at 10am on
February 28th. I had my good friend Casey with me for the surprise we were
about to experience. It was already a good time for Ozzfest, it was
announced that Judas Priest was going to be on the main stage (and as a
Co-headliner in my opinion) along with Slayer and Black Label Society. I
was a little curious to see Slipknot again since 2001 but as a fan this
time round. We woke up around 5:30 that Saturday morning and journeyed to
the local Mall a few miles south of us. Tickets went on sale during
MichigMichigan's time of the year for weather. It was quite cold to say
the least once we found out that we needed to wait outside as opposed to
inside the mall since they had moved the TicketTicket
MasterHudsonHudson'sur surprise we were the first ones in line first.
(already made my day made)
Well to make a long story short (gee....why so soon) four hours went by
with the help of making new friends and joking around. Finally 9:50 came
by and we were let in to the store and had the money ready. The
ticketicket master was very gracious and was refreshing the web page so
the page would be fresh so she could give us nice seats. So once 10 am
rolled around i asked for Center Stage and as close as she could get to
the stage. She said "How is row CCC center stage for yeah". I nearly
goddamn jumped up in the air like an idiot. Third Fucking Row!!! (That was
a classic line between me and my friend til the show) Third Fucking row to
see Ozzy!, Judas Priest! and BLS! How any better can it get!? Oh it sure
did! Oh it sure did!
About a month later, mid to later March,while i was skimming
throuthroughbermouth.net stories during my lunch break at college i ran
across a head line that announced that Geezer Butler was going to be
Ozzy's new solo bassist. I was totally stoked to know that id be seeing
two Sabbath players along with Zakk Wydle. Then i begaibeganead rumors
that Black Sabbath might be the head liners this year. To witness such a
show Bls Slayer Priest and Sabbath on the same bill, it was quite
something i have never been a witness to. It felt like nu-metal band and
newer up coming bands were taking over the mainsmain stagethe past 3-4yrs.
But 2004 was going to be different. Finally, a real metal show in the
states was going to take place at a festival. I always read about the
great metal show festivals in Europe and how Anthrax gave props to Europe
for being a better market for Metal than the States.
"Third fucking Row" rang in my head for months. It was a great feeling to
know that the PavilPavilions sold out in 15 minute and only one show was
going to be played in Detroit.(I later found out during the concert that
most of the seats we were in were mostly scaplscalped;for a lot more money
than 70 bucks). It was hard to believe that the Ozzman was going to be
well enough to even play shows any more. A few months past before it was
confirmed that Black Sabbath was going to be head lining the second stage.
I could feel it in the air that it was going to happen. First because Ozzy
almost left us and second the new 8-cd and dvd set of the remastered Black
Sabbath was released earilearlierhe year. Finally it was a go for all the
members to be on the bill. We certainly welcomed the return of our friend
Bill Ward. He has had a lot of hardships in this band and heath wise so it
was nice to see him back into the fold.
Well Summer came by very quickly and after having the pleasure of seeing
RUSH and Van Halen it was time to witness and even bigger concert. Ozzfest
has become a ritual of sorts and i had a lot of preparations to do. Monday
August 16th certainly came faster than i thought it would (much faster
than back in February). Me and my friend Casey hung out played alot of
music and went out on our journey to CVS and Meijers. I just want to say
that i am a big fan of bootlegging. I certainly dont do this for profit
but just for audio memory. I've done this for about 5 years. Almost every
concertI'vee been toI'vee been able to bootleg conerconcertsp; I get a lot
of fun out of reliving theses concerts as i transfer the songs to cd from
my computer. So any ways I bought 4 cassecassettes and 6 batteries for
bootlegging Slipknot , Black Label Society, Slayer, Judas Priest ,and
Black Sabbath. Basically all the bands that i wanted to see i bootlegged.
So i went to bed pretty early that night so i could make it up to my
friend and get to ozzfest by 9am. Last year i promised the same thing but
i ddidn'twake up til 1pm and i think that disappointed him. So in honor of
our journey we spent waiting in the bone chilling cold weather for these
tickets , where we are sitting, and who's going to be on the bill, it was
fitting that we see the whole experience.
Monday August 17, 2004 6:35 am: I can believe i just woke up this early, i
just had 5 hours of sleep,my friend had 3 hours. Oh boy, was he happy
about that. Who cares, i ddidn'twant to sleep but if i was going to endure
the all day festival i had to.
MONDAY AUGUST 17, 2004 7:15 AM: we hit the road from st. clair shores to
Clarkson michigan. A good 45 min drive up I-75. We made a stop at Farmer
Jacks to pick up some shitty ear plugs.
MONDAY AUGUST 17, 8:25 AM : I stashed the cascassettecorder and 3 tapes in
my harHarleyots, at the local shell gas station 3 blocks from DTE, so i
wouwouldntve to worry about messing around at DTE's parking lot. ( I did
the exact thing at ozzfest 2003, its becoming part of the ozzfest ritual.)
MONDAY AUGUST 17, 2004 8:45 AM: we pull in to the parking lot to discover
at least 5 thousand other crazier people at DTE at such a early hour. We
found a very long line to wait in to get in but it flowed pretty well.
Once we got in i raced to the bathroom to take the tapes out of my shoes
and pants and put them in a shirt to carry it with me all day. Then we
checked out the second stage bands starting.
MONDAY AUGUST 17, 2004 9:30 AM-4:00 PM: So for the most part of the day
before the main stage started me and my friend just watched some bands;
some were good some were eh alright and some were not worth watching. To
each their own i suppose, it just wasnt any one I wanted to see until
slipknot. We had some lunch and sat down on the lawn of the main stage
while they were doing sound checks. It was a nice get away from most of
the crowd and chill while taking the experience in. We arrarrivedck to the
second stage to see a few bands before slislipknot. Slipknot (second
stage headliner 4:05 pm): After advavoidinge massive pits in the crowds
during Hatebreed and then just getting to meet some of the members of
slipknot prior to getting dressed, i headed back to the second stage and
got my recorder ready. It took a while to get the stage prepared and the
amps and drums sound checked. I could feel that this was going to be a
crazy crowd when slipknot takes the stage. Indeed i was surely right,
ambient music of corey saying phrasing and stuff started. It was a packed
parking lot, i ddidn'thave much room to move around. So finally the intro
track of the first slipknot album began, IT WAS ON. Pure chaos was on the
way. Sure enough right when they took the stage and performed (sic), the
whole crowd turned into one pit, i dedefinitelyas not too pleased,
considering i was trying to record the concert. Hey that was my own fault
for getting into the crowd but i loved every moment. They certainly put on
a good show, just like they did in 2001. I wasnt a fan back then but i
still appreciated the show performance. I hahaven'ttop listening to there
lalatestd, Vol 3. the subliminal verse. I think its there best album to
date because it showcases Jim's and Mick's talented guitar work that was
not truly shown in there two prepreviousbums. (sic), the blister exists,
disasterpiece, duality, the herhereticthem, wait and bleed, spit it out,
people=shit, and surfacing were played. I have since put it on cd and it
dididn'tbsp;come out that bad considering where i was. (seen twice:
ozzfest 2001 and ozzfest 2004:bootlegged) 10 out of 10
Black Label Society (first main stage band) 4:45pm-5:15pm: What can i say
about this band. I always wanted to see this true metal with the legendary
Zakk Wydle. Missed them on Ozzfest 2001, wanted to go see them on Ozzfest
2002 but couldn't, and I would never go to see them at Harpos because its
not in the safest part of Detroit (if there ever is one). Since i saw the
time listings for the other shows at ozzfest i knew that i had to leave
the second stage immediately in order to not miss BLS. For some reason
when slipknot ends at 445pm the main stage starts at 445pm, which i dont
get why they would do that by anyways. I went to my set right when Zakk
and the band was starting Funeral Bell, i had my recorder ready! We
thought we were going to have third wow seats but it turned out to be
second row, to our surprise, I couldn't believe Zakk was that close to me.
It was amazing to see him play. He's on my top five list of the greatest
guitars ever. We were on the side of the bass player, James. He's a fine
bass player. Everything hit me at once, the experience of ozzfest was
here. I cant say enough of this band. I certainly wish they had played
more than 5 songs but i cant complain. It was really great to see Zakk
come out with his Randy Rhodes Jackson guitar. The put on an amazing show
and put away a lot beer as always. The Detroit Chaper rules and it was
awesome to see the Harpos DVD of the band from 2002 cranking out pure
heavy metal. Ozzy sure knows how to find the greatest guitar players.
SDMF!!!
Funeral Bell
Suffering Overdue
Stoned and Drunk
Stillborn
Genocide Junkies
(Ozzfest 2004:bootlegged and received a pick from James the bass player)
10 out of 10
Slayer 6:45-7:35: What can I say about The Kings of Thrash? Tom, Jeff,
Kerry, and Dave were at the top of their game. I have never seen Slayer
before but i have definitely listened to their music. It was pretty sweet
being about 6 feet from these metal masters. Looking back at the lawn the
there were some crazy pits going on. Jeff was getting a kick out of the
chaos. The set opened up with the intro to God Hates Us All and for the
rest of the set SLAYER! RULED. I cant wait to see these guys again. The
shear guitar attack of Jeff and Kerry was amazing and heavy as shit. \m/ I
was not too familiar with the song titles but i recognized a lot of them
thought so i wont be able to give many details of each song. But it sure
was great to hear Raining Blood and Disciple. Seeing a great Slayer Show
with the original line up was a testament of how great this year's Ozzfest
was. My friend was lucky enough to catch Jeff's pick after the show. (seen
once on Ozzfest 2004: Bootlegged set) 15/10
Hell Awaits
Threshold
Disciple
Necrophiliac
Dead Skin Mask
Hallowed Point
Spirit In Black
Payback
South Of Heaven
Raining Blood
JUDAS PRIEST 7:55pm-9:25pm: The anticipation for seeing Priest has been
with me since that fateful July 2003 summer day when it was announced that
Rob Halford had rejoined. Its just too bad that i've only been a fan of
priest and Rob Halford for only three years. But thank God I became a fan
just in time. I have previously seen Judas Priest in February of 2002 and
I saw the band HALFORD in April of 2003. Finally Rob and Priest were
united so i could see them both in action. I could not wait and it was a
major surprise to find out that they would be supporting the Ozzfest tour.
As far as i was concerned they were co-headliners with or without Black
Sabbath. I mean this was history in the making. Slayer, Judas Priest, and
Black Sabbath. ALL THE GODS OF METAL WERE IN THE HOUSE TONIGHT. Right
after Slayer, the stage was instantly morphed into The Electric Eye stage.
Scott Travis' huge drum set was positioned in the very back of the silver
stepped stage. I was in awe to see the stage set so expansive. This is
definitely the Priest in form. The lights went dark the intro to the
Hellion began and it was time to rock. Judas Priest had come to destroy
all that saw. The intro began as the screen was showing clips of the
metalogy promo. Then Scott got on his drums while the intro was still
playing then Ian Hill, KK Downing and Glen Tipton came out to finish out
the Hellion and then they kicked into The Electric Eye. Right when the
lyrics were suppose to start Rob came out of the eye behind Scott. Rob is
a first class act and i was very looking to see him live with HALFORD. His
voice is shear metal. No one can touch this guy vocally. He was in top
form. I personally thought they stole the show. Every song they played was
a hit; one right after the other. Scott is one of the best metal drummers
around, Ian Hill keeps the foundation with his solid bass playing, KK
Downing and Glenn Tipton are the most underrated guitar players in the
music industry. They showcased remarkable conviction on their guitars. The
invented the twin guitar attack. Their solos flowed like what water. I
couldnt believe the amazing intro Glen did on A Touch of Evil. He
replicated the keyboard work that was on the studio album perfectly. There
is not enough time to go into too much detail about each song. But all i
can say is that Judas Priest had the Ozzfest crowd at the palm of their
hands. For a moment i could have cared a less about Black Sabbath. It was
the Priest that took the show especially when they came back with an
encore with Halford on his Harley. The Painkiller was in amazing form as
the last four songs in the set got the crowd going. Rob is an excellent
crowd leader. He had the crowd repeat everything he said. It was like he
could turn the crowd on and off when he wanted. At the age of 52, Rob has
lost nothing. He voice is still in its prime. I actually like him better
in his older years than when he was younger. Thought it would have been a
bigger treat to hear a new song, i am definitely going to see them back in
Detroit in 2005. As far as I'm concerned the Priest are my favorite Metal
band theses days. I was so excited to see Judas Priest that i forgot that
Black Sabbath still had to play. Black Sabbath was like the final touches
of a wedding cake because the rest was already there. Thats why Ozzfest
2004 was so special, there was always something better to look forward to.
I doubt Ozzfest will ever top this year. (Seen Priest twice 2002 and 2004:
bootlegged 2004 Ozzfest set, Seen Halford Twice: HALFORD 2003 and with
Priest in 2004) 20/10
Hellion (Recorded Intro)
Electric Eye
Metal Gods
Heading Out to the Highway
A Touch of Evil
Victim of Changes
Painkiller
The Sentinel
Beyond the Realms of Death
Breaking the Law
Hell Bent for Leather
Living After Midnight
You Got Another Thing Coming'
Black Sabbath 9:35-10:35: After Judas Priest I couldnt believe that one
more band had to play. I had been at DTE for almost 12 hours and things
werent going to end any time soon which was perfectly fine with me. The
band that i thought i had seen the last of back in 2001 was about to go
on. The Almighty Black Sabbath. I think it was the perfect time for
Sabbath to come back into the realm of things. Its their 35th anniversary
as a band and I think Ozzy wanted to be with his closest friends. Black
Sabbath for Ozzy was like being back home. It was the most comfortable
position he could be in considering what had happen to him 8 months ago.
It was an extra treat that all the members were on board......So anyways,
darkness had set in over the sunny skies of a beautiful Tuesday afternoon.
The stage was instantly transformed and the drapes were down. The camera
crew was being set up and a black sabbath promo was showing on the
screens. Excitement was at an all time high, the pioneer metal masters
were on their way. Finally, everyone hears the classic Ozzy voice over the
PA. "Oye Oye Oye, I Cant Fucking Hear You!!!" Behind the curtain you can
see Iommi and Geezer coming from stage left and stage right. Bill Ward
takes position behind his drum set. Then the Silhouette of Ozzy came
before the curtain and the crowd went crazy. I was 6 feet from the action
and I never felt so good to see Black Sabbath. War Pigs started and the
stage crew ran over and removed the curtain and then was reveled BLACK
FUCKING SABBATH. The one thing that caught me eye was how smaller and
intimate the stage had become. Bills drum riser was in the middle, while
Geezer's ampeg amps were stacked together in a small area and Iommi's
trademark wall of amps was trimmed down to eight or so cabs.
This was in stark contrast to the past tours. That was ok with me, it
seemed all the more fitting to see all the guys close together. Bill has
grown out his hair again this time round compared to the short army crew
cut he had in 2001. He was still a little over weight but he looked a lot
healthier. Iommi had not changed he still was equipment with his red
Gibson SG and that trademark mustache and glasses. Geezer had not changed
one bit either but he sported a new bass (looks like a fender precision
bass body with a Larkin neck). But the one person that surprised me the
most was Ozzy Osbourne. He looked like the healthiest one and the
happiest. This night he ditched the sunglasses, the hanging jewelry, the
black sweatshirt (as i had seen previously at ozzfest 2001 and 2003). He
was wearing a silk Black shirt with blue sleeves. His previous red
highlights were gone and he sported his normal hair color. Ozzy looked
like he just came out of the mid-seventies. I don't think he has looked
better than he did tonight. He seemed to have a hell of of time and truly
enjoyed every minute. When they started War Pigs, I was instantly blown
away by the shear power of Geezer's amp. Since i was standing right in
front of him, his amps over powered the other band members. So I got to
appreciate the amazing bass work of Geezer. But altogether the band never
sounded so good. The set list was quick but to the point. Yeah i wish they
could have expanded on the set list especially leaving out the usual War
Pigs, Paranoid, and Iron Man songs. I miss The Wizard but It was great
hearing Fairies Wear Boots and hearing the intro to Sabbath Bloody
Sabbath. But all in all, I took whatever was given all in. Who's cares
what they played just to witness Black Sabbath again was all that I cared.
Ozzy had his Coffee and Tea mugs on Bill's drum riser. Oz was great and it
was nice to see him explain how the odds were against him but he was
determine to prove the doctors wrong. And indeed he did and he gave the
doctors a big time "Fuck You." Zakk was right about Ozzy, he's a soldier.
I hope the get together and make an album, if not at least another tour.
If it indeed becomes the last Ozzfest next year I think it would be
fitting to have Black Sabbath close it out. But i treasured every moment
of seeing Black Sabbath and appreciated what they had done for rock n'
roll. I also got what I wish for; a black sabbath pick from Geezer. It was
a bittersweet moment at the end because it was all over. The last 7 months
of anticipating this moment had gone by quick, but as soon as it ended, me
and my friend Casey turned to each other and said "We are doing this all
over again!!!"(Bootlegged Black Sabbath Set, Got a Geezer Butler Pick.
Previously seen Black Sabbath July 31, 2001 and Ozzy Osbourne July 25,
2003)
War Pigs
NIB
Fairies Wear Boots
Into the Void
Black Sabbath
Sweet Leaf
Snowblind
Iron Man
Children of the Grave
Paranoid
\m/ Dave \m/
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