Before this weekend came about, my plan was to party hard on Friday night and use Saturday to straighten out and hydrate myself. Ozzfest was Sunday! It would be hot as Hell and obviously last all day long. I needed my strength. Well, for anyone who knows me well enough or at least well enough for the boards here at D-Day's Revenge to provide, I'm sure you know that plan didn't work too well. Sure, I partied Friday night..... but it seemed to duplicate itself again Saturday. *sigh*
The alarm sounded loudly at 5:30 AM and I was off to meet my brother (dragonz4me) and sister-in-law (evil_angel) to go stand in the fucking sun for 10 hours or so. Who am I kidding though? I was really looking forward to this! I put off every other Ozzfest cause their line-ups basically SUCKED! Or at least for me. Sure, I would have enjoyed last years' for Slayer and Judas Priest, but this years lineup got me chomping at the bit. There's several bands this year that I really wanted to see.
While I was a little doubtful concerning the early departure time, I did read that the second stage line-up would rotate for each show. Normally, I would imagine that the controversial band Wicked Wisdom would open, but I guess that's not the case. I really had no idea who would open and we didn't want to chance missing a band that we wanted to see. Thank God we left when we did. Also, thank God me and my brother also carried around a gallon jug a'piece of water. It was a real pain in the ass to lug around, but it came in handy not only cause it was hot as shit but also cause they charged like $4 a bottle inside.
Anyway... we got there about an hour before the gates opened. For anyone that's been to a good metal show, you'll know that standing in a line with a shit-pile of headbangers isn't always a bad thing. Listening to the conversations, screams, and music from the car stereos made the time pass well enough.
On to the gates!
The only complaint at this point that I have is that the first band is scheduled for only 20 minutes after the gates are opened. Personally, I don't think it was even that long. Right after we entered the gate, we could hear the music. After only a few seconds, I knew it was ARCH ENEMY!!! Now I'm a nervous wreck, and I could tell that dragonz4me and evil_angel knew it. After their pause at the souvinier stand, we hustled our way down. The only good thing about Arch Enemy opening this early was that we could get down close to the stage and enjoy an almost personal time with them. By that, I mean we didn't have the thousands of people crushing the stage and each other. We were there looking up at the beautiful Angela screaming her heart out and truly feeling it. I was in heaven! This is a band that I've wanted to see for quite some time and they did not disappoint. My brother even made the comment later that Angela did the death growls better than the men. She was flawless and the band was tight. Outstanding! Now, if I only knew about the autograph protocol. It seems that you need to purchase a CD (which I would have done if I knew) and get a wristband to go through the line for an autograph after the performance. We were already through a portion of Trivium's set before we decided to go check out the tent where Arch Enemy was at. The line was really short at that time, which seemed cool, but then we were told the bad news. It was still cool though, cause I could stand like 3 feet from Angela and drool like a perverted 12 year old until they were through. Damn, she's hot! They then moved on and we got back to Trivium. I must admit that most of my energy was still focused on Arch Enemy, but I can say that Trivium did a great job and I am now a fan.
Next up was The Black Dahlia Murder. Not bad. I kind of felt sorry for the singer because he didn't have the stage moves and presense of the others, but the music wasn't bad. It was rough, loud and obnoxious, and that's why I was there. Sorry, I can't say anything about tecniques, tempos and all that shit. I'm here as a fan wanting to be blown away. Fuck all that.
The Haunted!! This is another band I wanted to check out. The crowd is really starting to grow now and I'm already feeling the heat and old age. This fucking water jug is digging into my skin and I'm pretty pissed off about that. I've drank about a third of it but the weight is obvious. Now I'm sitting it down and picturing all the dust falling in it. Oh well, it tastes fucking good when needed. The Haunted put on a good show as well and things are livening up. I'm starting to see all the freaks walking around and enjoying the fact that so many little kids actually have long hair. I was getting worried about that, but it's cool that they haven't all decided that the buzz cut is the way to go. Thank goodness. But the freaks! Oh so many...
I realize that by the fact that I have long hair and tattoos, and used to wear ripped up jeans, means that I'm a rebel of sorts. But what's up with wearing long trench coats in 100 degree weather? These guys are nuts! The many mohawks is cool though. That's real entertainment. Rock on!!
Oh, I forgot to mention my dusty sweetheart! Following the Arch Enemy set, I witness this chick come out of the crowd with dusty combat boots, a sweat soaked half shirt and even those dirt trails in the folds of her under arms when she reached up to pull her hair back. She walked with a purpose and obviously couldn't wait to get back into the mix. WOW! She was tough, not so bad looking and a rocker. Metal chicks RULE!!! I feel my heart do a pitter-pat...
Bury Your Dead comes on next. Not bad. The dust is really starting to fly now as the singing and music seems to get more aggressive. Personally, I'm starting to feel the effects of the sun and am wondering just how I'm gonna make it. I'm the editor of a metal 'zine for crying out loud! WTF???
Luckily, Wicked Wisdom is about to hit the stage. What? Are they that good? No, they SUCK! But that's good because the timing couldn't be better. We took that glorious time to find a section of shade trees to sit back and gather our strength. If not for the colony of ants that seemed to like feasting on the others, it could have been perfect. I was spared, and was thankful.
Gizmachi comes on now and really doesn't sound so bad. It's just not good enough to get us off our asses yet. We enjoyed it, don't get me wrong, but we could enjoy it on our asses as much as standing in the sun.
What can move mountains you may ask? Soilwork. It looked like Moses leading the poor Isrealites out of Egypt when Soilwork hit the stage. I had just recently introduced my faithful companions to Soilwork before we left and mentioned that they were one of the bands I wanted to see. I think the multitudes of people coming back to the stage helped to show that. I suddenly see dusty chick walk by me and start weaving her way through the burly masses to gain her place in the pit. My God, she's great. Muscle bound men move out of the way. They know better.
Soilwork doesn't dissappoint and puts on a spirited show. I was a little worried coming in about how the clean vocal / death growl mixture would go over live and they did an outstanding job. Soilwork was a definite favorite so far!
It Dies Today came next and it was almost symbolic. Why? Because we felt we would die today if we don't get some fucking food. We had to leave them to their thing as we made our way to the grub section. The lines were ridiculous for most of it, but we found a decent one at the Philly Chease Steak stand. It's during this time that we really got a good look at the crowd of people. We followed a muscle bound chick up the hill that looked like she could pick me AND my Ford Escort up over her head with no problem. We laughed at all the various Goths who had the goofy hairdo's and full black outfits in this heat. We saw WAY too many fat chicks wearing half shirts and fishnet stockings. Why?? I could picture it at a Poison show.... but why here? I guess I'm actually glad though, I need a laugh.
A Dozen Furies takes the stage. It sounds decent from where we're at, but we're not quite ready to actually walk down. We listen to the crazy clown in the dunk-tank fuck with people trying to throw the ball into that little hole to drop him into the water. I'm wishing I could go on there to talk smack so they can dunk me. Water....
It's about now that my brother and me realize that our faithful gallon jugs are now piss warm. Since he was the one to set them up, I didn't want to be the first to waste any. I had drank 2/3 of mine already, but noticed the temperature change myself. I gladly set mine down. Again, I look back and am glad that we brought them now, even though they were a REAL pain in the ass to carry around. Thank God I don't have to carry that around anymore.
Mastadon!!!! Another band I was wanting to see up close! We made our way back into the chaos for this set and immediately knew something wasn't right. Sure, they are a great band and the crowd was going ballistic, but the fucking bass was terrible! It sounded like those damn cars that drive by with the kid who must obviously be deaf or trying to impress his school chums. THUMP THUMP THUMP. It got annoying after a while. We stayed for most of it then moved on back a ways. It wasn't near as bad in the back, so I could at least enjoy them somewhat. Hopefully, they work on that.
As I Lay Dying now on. This one seems to be a blur. No, I never drank any alcohol while I was here, but I really don't remember shit. I think we looked around all the shops during this set. I must hand it to Ozzy and Sharon, there's some pretty cool stuff out there. I didn't like all the anti-Bush stuff at one booth though, but there's plenty to spend your money on if you want it. I should have had a D-Day's Revenge T-Shirt made up at this one booth, but I was too tight. I look back now and regret it. As a matter of fact, I even had a sticker in my pocket that I carried around all day and never put it anywhere. It was meant for a Port-O-John as advertisement, but slipped my mind. Now I have a wrinkly-ass sticker that served no purpose...
Now it gets going again! Killswitch Engage is next! Like the Soilwork event, people suddenly start crowding in like the fucking African animals when the water starts getting low! As luck would have it, I even see my beloved dusty girl work her way through yet again. I can picture God up there saying, "Damn dude, I keep sending her by you and you just stand there like a dumb-ass." Perhaps. Perhaps... Anyway, Killswitch Engage had a VERY energetic show! They worked the crowd like masters and had everyone going nuts. At their urging, they had people throwing articles of clothing and shoes all over and crowd surfing like crazy. I believe it was during this set that I suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, see the crowd next to me part and a big dude fell right on my foot. I thought it was a fight! No, it was a guy who just fell out from the heat. It was to be expected, and I hear there were plenty more during the day. I'd like to take this time, however, to disspell some rumors about headbangers. There were people who immediately started to douse him in water and give up their precious stash to give him to drink. People went after the staff to get him some help and I was proud. Say what you will about assholes out for blood, this was like a cool community of folks looking out for one another. Props.
What so many of them seemed to be waiting for.... Rob Zombie! I say "them" because he's not my favorite and I was concentrating on others, but I must say he had a great show. There were very few heading for the main stage because they were all cramming in to see Zombie. Again, he did a great job and he is outstanding working the crowd. Hell, I wanted to buy him a beer and party with him. What a cool guy.
Main Stage:
From what I hear about past Ozzfests is that they overlapped groups. I could be wrong, but that's what I hear. This time they didn't and that seems to make sense. We headed over to the other area after Rob and settled in for the rest of the bands without worrying about missing anyone. This is where people might begin to curse at me. I love In Flames. Seriously. But I'm hot, sweaty, tired and thirsty. The sun is still out and we're all miserable. The only place in the shade that is still left is sitting on the hill out of view of the stage. We gladly plop down and lay back as In Flames starts to play. They're right in front of us as the crow flies, but we can't see them due to the elevation. Do I care at this point? No. But let me just say that they did good. Not the best by any means, and I was even a bit dissappointed, but OK. I couldn't tell you what they looked like and don't care. Fuck the sun, the Summer, and all that goes with it! My neck is on fire, I'm pretty sure of that. Why isn't anyone throwing water on me?
Shit, Black Label Society is coming up. I need to get somewhere else. I felt guilty about missing In Flames (as far as the view) but I need to see Zakk. We move on up on the hill and find a nice spot. The sun is still beating the shit out of me, but the clouds are tagging in on my side. BLS rocks! Sure, that's cheesy to say but what can I add? I can feel a little more energy in the crowd and they damn sure appreciate it. I think he sounds better live than recorded. My buddy PMRC could maybe back me up or argue, but judging by his sound on tape, I thougt he would suck. He's definitely a must-see live. I'm impressed. Maybe he should just put out live albums. Don't get me wrong, I love his stuff. I was just amazed that his voice would carry over live. A+
Another bonus for me.... Shadows Fall!! This is definitely another high point. My second wind kicked in and I'm loving life. What can I say, but WOW? They did wonderful and really touched the crowd with all the talk. We were congratulated for the enthusiam (but who isn't?) and the crowd got even more intense. They know their stuff and played well enough to prove it. My brother and sister-in-law spent most of this time at the concessions and I was going nuts waiting for them. They missed one of the best acts out of the line-up. Shadows Fall did not disappoint me as one of my most anticipated bands. EVERYONE needs to look for one of their shows.
Interesting... Mudvayne. I'm not at all familiar with this band. Well, yeah I've heard a song or two, but still. But damn! Talk about a crowd coming to life!! I was amazed at the reaction this band got! Thousands and Thousands of people went apeshit when Mudvane hit the stage. Hell, I even perked up just from the energy! Plus, the sun was starting to shift which may have helped. I have to admit, I enjoyed the first few songs, but then it got fucking boring. The crowd as a whole was still gong apeshit, but it was boring. Sorry. I'm just not into that sort of thing. it seemed to go on forever, and I'm sure my heatstroke didn't help.
"Let Me Hear You Scream Washington!!!" OK, I'm not a fan of calling a Virginia town "Washington", but I guess we were close enough to D.C. that I can't slam Bruce. WTF? It's Iron Maiden!!! Fuck yeah!!! I've seen Maiden back in the heydey of the 80's and figured that would settle me fine, but they really impressed me on this LONG day. The sun had finally settled, and Iron Maiden simply destroyed the place! The crowd was running amok and the band was eating it up! I was SO excited to see all the younger people getting into this band. We had one asshole in front of us that got a little too excited, but luckily didn't have to personally fuck him up. One guy almost pushed him down the hill (and we laughed about it) but the dickhead somehow found his balance. At least he was doing all that shit in the name of Iron Maiden. He was overly enthusiastic, and a pain in the ass, but all while singing Maiden songs. As my sister-in-law said "There's ALWAYS one." Yep. At least it wasn't me this time. I'd have to say that Iron Maiden had the best show of the day. It will differ from my "favorites", but still the best show. I know that's hard to understand... but so am I.
Black Sabbath! This one brings up all kinds of questions, doesn't it? Ozzy. How will he look? Can he move? Can he talk? Will he fuck up? I'll answer by saying, good, yes, somewhat and no.
I didn't stay for the whole thing. Actually, we left after the 3rd song. Sorry. It's not because of the band, Black Sabbath was in good form that night and was doing a great job. We were spent, in pain, and wanted to beat the traffic. We're not as young as we used to be. But anyway, let me say again that Ozzy looked fantastic. I understand by news reports that he was sick during that time and probably was. (he would know, right?) But he certainly didn't show it. He was smiling, jumping, running and having a great time.
I was really happy to see it and it gave us 3 a very happy end to our long, long, day.
Favorites: Arch Enemy, Shadows Fall, Iron Maiden
Sucked: Wicked Wisdom
Summation: I would recommend this years Ozzfest to everyone. You'll just need to be in better shape than I, which isn't hard to do, and drink plenty of water. It's a true metal feast this year and being the 10th anniversary really seems to add to the flair.
