OZZFEST
Hyundai Pavilion; Devore, CA;
07/08/06
Reviewed by Keith Guillotine and R. Scott Bolton
KG: If I had to describe the show in one word it would be, "HOT." Don't get me wrong though; the band's and the crowd were "okay." It was the fucking temperature -- 106 degrees at 10:00am and increasing on an hourly basis! No biggie. Lots of sunscreen and a hat; we were there.
RSB: I
would disagree with Keith on the "no biggie." It was hotter than hell.
We finally found a place where a weak breeze blew through some nearby hills and
we stood there most of the day. It was too hot to freaking move! I don't know
how people were able to force themselves into the moshpits, but they did. It was
brutal!
KG: One band that stood out early in the day was Walls Of Jericho. Awesome performance (and the lead singer was cute). This band was (in my opinion) more energetic than any of the other bands on Second Stage; including Ozzy himself! We'll talk about that in a minute. Anyway, go to Allhailthedead.com
for WOJ's latest tour dates and info.
RSB: We missed The Red Chord and Strapping Young Lad, which would have been fun, but we caught the last part of Between the Buried and Me's performance and, like most of the Second Stage this year, it wasn't bad. Like the vast majority of bands on this year's tour, they were all okay. Nothing really stood out. The bands that were just average included Full Blown Chaos, Bad Acid Trip, A Life Once Lost and Norma Jean. The bands that were better than average were All That Remains, Unearth and Atreyu (who had to play through a major equipment malfunction but did so with high energy). The killer bands that afternoon were Walls of Jericho and Black Label Society. The lead singer of Walls of Jericho had more energy than the other bands on the second stage that day combined. And Zakk Wylde and company kicked ass as usual. Zakk is truly one of the greatest guitarists every to grace the world of heavy metal.
KG: Now it's "The Man's" turn: Ozzy, headlining the Second Stage? What's up with that? Does Sharon not let him out after sundown now? It's Ozzfest, not System Of A Down fest! Not the best performance by Ozzy that I've seen. It was like he just didn't have any energy or he just didn't care anymore. Or maybe it was just TOO FUCKING HOT! He even sang off key. Personally I've always been a fan of Ozzy which is one of the reasons I still go to these shows, but I think he's just getting too old to deliver what the youth of America wants. Time to switch over to VH1 dude.
RSB: Yeah, Ozzy was a major disappointment this year. It seemed that, although his heart may have been into it, his body (and voice) was not. Fortunately, the band he performed with, especially Zakk Wylde on guitar, were nothing short of killer. If it weren't for the band, this might have been one of Ozzy's most embarassing performances. The crowd didn't seem to care, however. They rushed the stage and pumped their fists and sang along with Ozzy throughout the entire set. It was cool to see, even if Ozzy didn't really deliver.
KG: The Main Stage opened up with Dragon Force. On a scale of 1 to 10, they get an 8. They kind of reminded me a little of Iron Maiden (just a little). These guys started the Main Stage show with a European style of metal that got the crowd going. I talked to several people and everyone agreed that this band was awesome. I even got great opinions from people at my day job about this band who have listened to their latest CD. Check them out if you get a chance.
RSB: I
think Dragonforce were one of the two highlights of the day. Their music sounded
incredible live and the band's enthusiasm bubbled over. Seeing this show made me
want to immediately go out and buy their CD.
KG: Lacuna Coil. I'll go see this band any time, anywhere. Check out last
year's Ozzfest review here on RoughEdge.com. I can only say that they are THE best band around at this time (and it's not simply because the lead female singer is hot). This Italian based band has combined their music and vocals in a way that make them unique. Once again, a European band kicking ass here in the USA. My only grief was that the sun was setting behind the stage while they were performing. We had great seats, but I couldn't see!
Okay, my problem, I'll work on it next year.
RSB: Yeah, despite the fact the sun was setting slowly directly in front of us, hence blinding us and obliterating any view we had of the stage, Lacuna Coil were the second best highlight of the day. The band's performance was incredible: Energetic, sharp musicianship-wise and beautifully executed. The audience ate it up, too, giving the band one of the biggest responses of the day.
KG: After that band, nothing else really mattered to me. But Hatebreed and Avenged Sevenfold each took a turn on stage and just rocked! I've only recently started to like Avenged Sevenfold and I was not disappointed in any way (except for that fucking sun in my eyes).
RSB: Hate to disagree with Keith here but, although Hatebreed put on a far better show than I expected, Avenged Sevenfold, a band I like a lot, were somewhat disappointing. They just didn't sound like they do on their CDs. There was a flatness to their sound, a rawness, that made the music sound too different to me. I know it's hard for a band like that to re-create their sound in a live environment but their set just wasn't as sharp as I thought it could be.
It was at this point that a power outage stopped Avenged Sevenfold for what wound up being 45 minutes or so. After baking in the sun since ten in the morning and suffering in the direct sunlight since we headed over to the main stage, Keith and I decided to bail, despite the fact that Disturbed is one of my favorite bands. Neither Keith or I were too interested in System of a Down but it was obvious the crowd was. Every time another band invoked SOAD's name, the audience went nuts.
KG: By the way, Ozzfest Organizers: What's wrong with Static-X? Why weren't they part of the show? Make sure you get them next year. And, finally, if you were there with us this year, this should bring a smile to your face: Skeleton Eyes and Pink Stars. If you didn't see them there or you were just too fucked up to remember, just close your eyes and think of painted titties. If you've never been to Ozzfest, you need to go next year because it's still one of the best outdoor events of the year.
Copyright © 2006 by R. Scott Bolton. All rights reserved.
Revised: 06 Oct 2019 11:48:56 -0400.
