Here Today... Gone To Hell!

OZZFEST 2005

Main Stage
Black Sabbath
Iron Maiden
Mudvayne
Shadows Fall
Black Label Society
In Flames
Velvet Revolver

Second Stage
Rob Zombie
Killswitch Engage
As I Lay Dying
Mastodon
A Dozen Furies
The Haunted
Arch Enemy
THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER
Bury Your Dead
It Dies Today
SoilWork
Trivium
Gizmachi
Wicked Wisdom

Alice Cooper and Cheap Trick...well, that's.....interesting....

 Webmaster Joe Siegler of the BLACK SABBATH fan site Black Sabbath Online has posted the following message at his web site:

"Overnight I got an email from Adam Wakeman who handled keyboard duties (what that they were) on the Ozzfest 2004 gigs. Adam told me that he will be handling keyboards again for BLACK SABBATH during their 2005 live dates.

"I was curious about this, as keyboards have mostly been hidden ? the keyboardist in BLACK SABBATH has only once (the 1986 Seventh Star Tour) been onstage. Adam told me that other than his keyboard fills, he played rhythm guitar with Tony on 'Paranoid'. For many years (1979 or so through the last live gig in 2001), Geoff Nicholls handled keyboards for BLACK SABBATH with varying degrees of involvment. Geoff also played rhythm guitar, and even handled background vocals for several singers in the band's history (including Ozzy).

"So it appears that Geoff Nicholls isn't coming back ? I wonder what happened there after so many years?"

BLACK SABBATH's European itinerary:

Jun. 09 ? Dortmund, GER @ Westfalenhalle 1
Jun. 11 - Derbyshire, UK @ Donington Park (Download)
Jun. 14 ? Leipzig, GER @ Arena Leipzig
Jun. 16 ? M?nchen, GER @ Olympiahalle
Jun. 18 - Nijmegen, NETH @ Fields of Rock Festival
Jun. 20 - Vienna, AUT @ Wiener Stadthalle
Jun. 23 ? Sofia, BUL @ Arena Music Festival
Jun. 25 ? Athens, GRE @ Rockwave Festival
Jul. 01 - Roskilde, DEN @ Roskilde Festival
Jul. 03 - Stockholm, SWE @ Globen
Jul. 07 ? Oslo, NOR @ Oslo Spektrum
Jul. 09 ? Bergen, NOR @ Koengen

Ozzfest 2005 will hit the US with Black Sabbath & Iron Maiden headlining. Along with that will be a "classic" version (read not the current version) of Anthrax.

While it's really cool we have Black Sabbath and Iron Maiden on Ozzfest, I'm a little disturbed by the report that Anthrax has "secured a spot" by putting together an old version of the band. I have been reading rumours about that for some time now, and the one I've read the most is that Sharon Osbourne (Ozzfest tour promoter) said that Anthrax could play, but only if it was a version of the band that was responsible for their best selling albums (meaning not the current John Bush fronted version). What bothers me most about that is the precedent set where a tour promoter can say "Well, you can play, but I only want the band if this guy, this guy, and this guy are in there. The other ones can go sod off".

However, let me also add that these Anthrax/Sharon things are just rumour and speculation. I have no proof that is really the way it comes down, but even if it is just a rumour, I don't like the possibility of a tour promoter dictating band lineups. This is all also unconfirmed by Black Sabbath management, so I'm hoping to see some sort of official press release on all this soon.

Still no word on the rumour that Tony Iommi & Glenn Hughes might also have a slot on this coming Ozzfest, which for me would be a huge attraction.

Century Media recording artists SHADOWS FALL and THE HAUNTED have secured slots at this year's Ozzfest, informed sources have told BLABBERMOUTH.NET. SHADOWS FALL are expected to appear on the main stage while THE HAUNTED are said to be in the mix for the smaller second stage, which will apparently feature more non-rotating slots this summer compared to the last couple of years. Other acts believed to have been selected for the 10-year-anniversary edition of Ozzfest are BLACK LABEL SOCIETY, ROB ZOMBIE, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE and MUDVAYNE. IRON MAIDEN are strongly rumored to have nabbed the co-headlining slot alongside BLACK SABBATH, who will make a series of European live appearances in June/July prior to the Ozzfest U.S. kick-off. Also expected to perform on the main stage is the "Among the Living" lineup of ANTHRAX, who have yet to officially confirm their "reunion" plans despite having already been announced for four European festival appearances this spring/summer (Holland's Dynamo Open Air on May 7, Sweden's Sweden Rock on June 9-11, Italy's Gods of Metal on June 11-12 and France's Fury Fest on June 24-26).

Last year's Ozzfest was one of the heaviest in the tour's history, featuring SABBATH, a reunited JUDAS PRIEST, SLAYER, SLIPKNOT, LAMB OF GOD, HATEBREED, DIMMU BORGIR and others.

 Boston metalcore outfit BURY YOUR DEAD reportedly announced during their show in Rock Island, Illinois Friday night (Feb. 25) that they have secured a slot at this year's Ozzfest. The band, who are currently on the road with PREMONITIONS OF WAR, WALLS OF JERICHO and FULL BLOWN CHAOS, released their sophomore album, "Cover Your Tracks", last year via Victory Records.

 An Ozzfest representative has told BLABBERMOUTH.NET that the lineup and schedule for this year's travelling festival will be announced at a press conference "mid-March."

Although there has been no official confirmation on the matter, the 10th edition of Ozzfest is expected to be headlined by BLACK SABBATH and IRON MAIDEN. Also believed to be in the running for the festival's main stage are BLACK LABEL SOCIETY and the classic "Among the Living" lineup of ANTHRAX. Other rumored main-stage acts are MEGADETH and DISTURBED.

Over on the second stage, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE, SHADOWS FALL, THE HAUNTED, MASTODON and BURY YOUR DEAD are believed to be a "done deal," while unconfirmed reports have also mentioned ROB ZOMBIE, MUDVAYNE, TAPROOT and STATIC-X as strong second-stage candidates. Some reports have even indicated that there might be a third stage this year, presumably so that more non-rotating slots could be accomodated while still allowing this year's shows to start later than the previous 9:00 a.m. kick-off time.

ROB ZOMBIE, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE and AS I LAY DYING have secured three non-rotating slots on the second stage of this year's Ozzfest, informed sources have told BLABBERMOUTH.NET. Other acts believed to have been confirmed for the second stage include THE HAUNTED, MASTODON and BURY YOUR DEAD.

Although there has been no official confirmation on the matter, the 10th edition of Ozzfest is expected to be headlined by BLACK SABBATH and IRON MAIDEN. Also believed to be in the running for the festival's main stage are BLACK LABEL SOCIETY and the classic "Among the Living" lineup of ANTHRAX. Other rumored main-stage acts are MEGADETH, DISTURBED and SHA

BLACK SABBATH's concert at the 12,000-capacity Hartwall Arena in Helsinki, Finland on Tuesday, July 5 reportedly sold out in less than 10 minutes after tickets went on sale Monday morning (March 7).

BLACK SABBATH European shows:

Jun. 09 ? Dortmund, GER @ Westfalenhalle 1
Jun. 11 - Derbyshire, UK @ Donington Park (Download)
Jun. 14 ? Leipzig, GER @ Arena Leipzig
Jun. 16 ? M?nchen, GER @ Olympiahalle
Jun. 18 - Nijmegen, NETH @ Fields of Rock Festival
Jun. 20 - Vienna, AUT @ Wiener Stadthalle
Jun. 23 ? Sofia, BUL @ Arena Music Festival
Jun. 25 ? Athens, GRE @ Rockwave Festival
Jul. 01 - Roskilde, DEN @ Roskilde Festival
Jul. 03 - Stockholm, SWE @ Globen
Jul. 05 ? Helsinki, FIN @ Hartwall Arena
Jul. 07 ? Oslo, NOR @ Oslo Spektrum
Jul. 09 ? Bergen, NOR @ Koengen

..and i didn?t got mine.  >:(

Another Sabbath album would be great as Ozzy hasn't made a good album since "No More Tears" (1991).

Has there been any sort of announcment about the ozzfest world tour like when N' where?


 :peace:

There are rumours that it will travel outside of the U.S. but nothing will be comfirmed till mid-march

MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine has shot down rumors that the band might have secured a slot on the main stage at this year's Ozzfest alongside BLACK SABBATH, IRON MAIDEN and the "Among the Living" lineup of ANTHRAX.

The band, who completed a U.S. headlining tour last December, are expected to top a package of several "name" acts this summer. More information will be made available soon.

In other news, Mustaine has posted the following message in the "Forums" section of the group's official web site:

"Yesterday I had the privilege of talking to my awesome international agent Mr. Mike Dewdney about the upcoming European tour this summer, as well as the Japanese and Oz tour.

"I expressed to him my desire to play Poland, Russia, Greece, Turkey, France, Portugal, Israel, and the Czech Republic before we end and he confided in me that there is an offer for France, Greece, Turkey, Israel, the Czech Repulic, Iceland, and possibly another Spanish show, and that he was working on Portugal, Russia, and Poland. So keep your fingers crossed!

"Also, I asked him if we could do Perth in Oz and he said he would look into it, but any of us who are Australian, or have visited that beautiful country knows it is a world away from the East Coast of Oz. We will do our best, but right now just please be content with knowing that I am trying. We are considering going to Indonesia, and New Zealand too, because it is home to many kewl Droogs and one of my favorite singwriters (you'll prolly hate him) Neil Finn.

"So the summer is firming up fine. I will check into the all-ages things at the shows, but sometimes that is beyond my control; it is either in a place like that or nowhere. And if ya can't get into the show, hang out by the backstage area. We'd love to visit with ya, which in some cases is better."

In a subsequent posting, Mustaine wrote:

"I talked with Kevin, my manager, and found out what was up with the shows that were not 'all ages.'

"I said that if it was the building, let's find another building; if it is because they want to sell alcohol, then let's not sell alcohol; if it can't be helped, then there is nothing more to say. He told me that they are working desperately on this, but that unfortunately it is a law in Brisbane and Melbourne that there are to be no concerts for persons under the age of 18.

"He is trying to get a copy of the law for me to post here for you, so you can take this into your own hands and get the law repealed. Remember, I got a bill passed into law here in the US, so you can do it too if you want to and you get serious.

"Other than that, there is nothing more we can do, but wait and see. Until we know, please be patient and accept my apology for the law keeping us from playing in a place where you can see us. You know I would love to come and perform for you if I could."

Ozzy Osbourne will be the featured guest on NBC's "Last Call with Carson Daly" on March 30.

As previously reported, Ozzy will be stopping by Tower Records Village in New York City on Tuesday, March 22, the day of the release of his "Prince of Darkness" box set. Tower Village is located at 692 Broadway, New York, NY 10012. Phone: (212) 505-1500. This will be a meet-and-greet with the fans. Ozzy will not be signing any items, but you will be able to get a picture with the "madman."

NOTE: Contrary to Internet reports, Ozzy will NOT be appearing in Times Square on March 22 (Tower does not have a Times Square location).

Ozzy Osbourne has lined up the following appearances to promote the "Prince of Darkness" box set:

March 21 ? "The Howard Stern Show" (radio)
March 21 - CNN's "Showbiz Today"
March 21 - "Rockline" (radio show)
March 22 - "Late Night with Conan O'Brien"
March 22 ? Tower Records In-Store (New York City)
March 23 ? "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart"
March 30 - NBC's "Last Call with Carson Daly"

The "Prince of Darkness" four-CD box set is scheduled for release on March 22. The first two discs in the set will encompass re-mastered versions of Ozzy's most popular solo smash hits. The third disc (which is entitled "Oddities and Duets") is comprised of some of Ozzy's most unusual collaborations. And the special fourth disc (called "Under Covers") is comprised of newly recorded covers as only Ozzy can deliver.

The "Prince of Darkness" box set will be packaged in a weathered, collectable gothic book with new images of Ozzy taken by famed British photographer/artist Sam Taylor Wood. It will be come with a 60-page booklet that contains a complete career overview and rare Ozzy photos.

 As first reported here yesterday, MTV News has now confirmed that the Ozzfest 2005 press conference will NOT be held on Tuesday (March 15), contrary to a previous MTV announcement. A new statement on MTV.com reads as follows: "Scheduling conflicts have forced the cancellation of an Ozzfest 2005 press conference tentatively planned for Tuesday, according to a publicist for the perennial summer metal festival. Official details on the tour's dates and lineup could emerge as early as next week."

 The following *unconfirmed* Ozzfest 2005 tour dates have been leaked:

Jul. 31 - Noblesville, IN @ Verizon Wireless Music Center
Aug. 02 - Columbus, OH @ Germain Ampitheatre
Aug. 04 - Tinley Park, IL @ Tweeter Center
Aug. 06 - East Troy, WI @ Alpine Valley Music Theatre
Aug. 18 - Phoenix, AZ @ Cricket Pavilion

As previously reported, an official Ozzfest 2005 press conference to announce the tour's dates and lineup is expected to be held in the next couple of weeks. The following bands are believed to have secured slots at this year's festival:

BLACK SABBATH
IRON MAIDEN
ANTHRAX ("Among the Living" lineup)
SHADOWS FALL
BLACK LABEL SOCIETY
ROB ZOMBIE
KILLSWITCH ENGAGE
AS I LAY DYING
THE HAUNTED
MASTODON
TRIVIUM
BURY YOUR DEAD
A DOZEN FURIES ("Battle for Ozzfest" winners)

 According to Philadelphia's 94 WYSP radio station, Ozzfest 2005 will be making a stop at the Tweeter Center in Camden, New Jersey on July 19. In addition, the station is reporting that the following bands will take part in the festival: IN FLAMES, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE, SHADOWS FALL, ROB ZOMBIE, BLACK LABEL SOCIETY, IRON MAIDEN and BLACK SABBATH. Confirmed and rumored Ozzfest dates so far include:

Jul. 19 - Camden, NJ @ Tweeter Center
Jul. 31 - Noblesville, IN @ Verizon Wireless Music Center
Aug. 02 - Columbus, OH @ Germain Ampitheatre
Aug. 04 - Tinley Park, IL @ Tweeter Center
Aug. 06 - East Troy, WI @ Alpine Valley Music Theatre
Aug. 18 - Phoenix, AZ @ Cricket Pavilion

As previously reported, an official Ozzfest 2005 press conference to announce the tour's dates and lineup is expected to be held in the next couple of weeks. The following bands are believed to have secured slots at this year's festival:

BLACK SABBATH
IRON MAIDEN
ANTHRAX ("Among the Living" lineup)
SHADOWS FALL
BLACK LABEL SOCIETY
ROB ZOMBIE
IN FLAMES
KILLSWITCH ENGAGE
AS I LAY DYING
THE HAUNTED
MASTODON
TRIVIUM
BURY YOUR DEAD
A DOZEN FURIES ("Battle for Ozzfest" winners)

 Word has it that Ozzy Osbourne, Zakk Wylde and Rob Zombie took part in a photo shoot Monday (March 14) for an upcoming issue of Revolver magazine focusing on this year's Ozzfest festival.

Ozzy Osbourne's quad-biking accident in December 2003 changed his attitude to life. "I haven't fully recovered from my bike injuries ? it's gonna take another six months before I get this metal rod taken out of my chest," said the 56-year-old.

"I don't know how long I'll be doing music, but what I tend to do now is live in the present, in the now, you know.

"It wasn't my idea to go on the quad bike and kill myself, but it happened and it threw me down a bit.

"I've had to change a lot of things in my life ? I don't smoke, I don't drink and I don't do drugs any more. I used to be actively crazy, I still am a bit crazy, but now I think before I jump."

But Osbourne, best-known for spontaneous crowd-pleasing tactics like biting off a bat's head on stage, hasn't reached for his pipe and slippers just yet.

He is still dedicated to performing and will be touring with BLACK SABBATH again in June, appearing at the Download Festival in Donington Park. "It's the job, you know? I don't sit on the armchair and think, 'Woe is me, I'm f***ed'. I'd rather do a job that I love than sit there licking my wounds."

He adds: "Donington is the spiritual home of rock and I'm really happy to be playing there again. Download is going to be a fantastic show. I'm really looking forward to seeing those fans again."

As previously reported, BLACK SABBATH and IRON MAIDEN will co-headline this year's Ozzfest in the U.S. beginning on July 15 in Boston, Massachusetts.

 According to an online posting by IRON MAIDEN's webmaster, MAIDEN will play their final Ozzfest 2005 show on August 20 at the Hyundai Pavilion (at Glen Helen), just outside Los Angeles, California. The band will not take part in the last seven shows of the tour.

Ozzfest 2005 featuring IRON MAIDEN:

Jul. 15 - Boston, MA - Tweeter Center
Jul. 17 - Hartford, CT - Meadows
Jul. 19 - Camden, NJ - Tweeter Waterfront
Jul. 21 - Buffalo, NY - Darien Lakes
Jul. 23 - Pittsburgh, PA - Post Gazette
Jul. 24 - Washington, DC - Nissan
Jul. 26 - New York, NY - PNC
Jul. 30 - Chicago, IL - Tweeter Center
Jul. 31 - Indianapolis, IN - Verizon Wireless Music Center
Aug. 02 - Columbus, OH - Germain Amphitheatre
Aug. 04 - Detroit, MI - DTE Energy Music Theatre
Aug. 06 - East Troy, WI - Alpine Valley
Aug. 07 - Minneapolis, MN - Floatrite Park
Aug. 11 - Seattle, WA - White River
Aug. 13 - San Francisco, CA - Shoreline Amphitheatre
Aug. 14 - Sacramento, CA - Sleep Train
Aug. 16 - Salt Lake City, UT - USANA Pavilion
Aug. 18 - Phoenix, AZ - Cricket
Aug. 20 - Los Angeles, CA - Hyundai Pavilion at Glen Helen

Ozzfest 2005 dates without IRON MAIDEN:

Aug. 23 - Albuquerque, NM - Journal Pavilion
Aug. 25 - Dallas, TX - Smirnoff
Aug. 27 - Houston, TX - Cynthia J. Woods Pavilion
Aug. 28 - San Antonio, TX - Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
Aug. 31 - Nashville, TN - Starwood Amphitheatre
Sep. 02 - Charlotte, NC - Verizon
Sep. 04 - West Palm Beach - Sound Advice

Billboard is reporting that OZZY OSBOURNE has re-signed with Epic Records and is working on material for his next studio release. "Ozzy's writing now, and there'll be something out at the beginning of next year," his wife/manager Sharon told Billboard.com.

One item not likely to see the light of day, however, is a new BLACK SABBATH studio disc, which would be the band's first with Osbourne since 1978's "Never Say Die!"

"I could go in the studio and write a bunch of stuff, but why do an album just for the sake of [drummer] Bill [Ward], [guitarist] Tony [Iommi], me and bassist [Geezer] Butler together playing if it's not up to the BLACK SABBATH standard that I left?," Ozzy told Billboard.com. "It would f*ck it up, you know? It's so sad when you hear these monumental bands do these piece of sh*t records just because they want the money."

That said, Osbourne still revels in playing live with BLACK SABBATH, which will anchor this summer's 10th anniversary edition of the Ozzfest tour. "There is no one on the face of the earth that can play these songs," he said. "The fortunate thing about me is I have two vibes; I can do the Ozzy thing and the SABBATH thing. The SABBATH thing, when we were kids, we didn't say 'We'll, write this song called 'War Pigs' and in f*cking 25 years we'll be icons. We had no idea. We didn't have any musical education."

"The beauty of those days was, we would end the song when we wanted to f*cking stop playing," he continued. "I can honestly say that [with] BLACK SABBATH, nobody ever told us what to play or how to play. It was our gig."

The following bands threads will now be combined with this one until the tour is over

Virtual Festival is reporting that IRON MAIDEN will be playing material from their first four albums at the Carling Reading/Leeds Festival, as part of their 25th anniversary celebrations.

MAIDEN are set to headline Reading for the first time since 1982, however their stage set and choice of material may be familiar to fans who were there the first time around.

The band will only be playing material from their first four albums and the stage set will also reflect the early years of their live shows.

Singer Bruce Dickinson told Metal Hammer magazine: "This will be back to the full on metal spectacular. We've always put everything, physically and mentally, into our stage shows and this will be no exception. People are back and into real live music now and we want to make sure that the MAIDEN shows are never surpassed and an incredible experience for everyone there!"

It is believed IRON MAIDEN will close Reading Festival on the Sunday after playing at Leeds on the Saturday night. It should be confirmed on Monday night at the launch of both festivals. FOO FIGHTERS and PIXIES are believed to be the other two headliners.

Reading Festival 2005 takes place at Little Johns Farm, Reading, while Leeds Festival 2005 happens at Bramham Park, Leeds, both August 26-28.

IRON MAIDEN's "Eddie Rips Up? Europe/North America - Summer 2005 Tour" has already had tremendous on-sale reactions in Europe, with tickets for their massive show in Gothenburg's Ullevi Stadim on July 9 recently selling out all 53,500 in just 2? hours ? the second fastest sell-out ever in Sweden?s biggest venue after BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN! Tickets for their show at Helsinki's Hartwell Arena on July 6 and 7 went the same way with 22,000 tickets selling out in a day.

Comments singer Bruce Dickinson, "We've always had great support there before but this is stepping up another level entirely. This whole tour will be one of the biggest we have ever done in terms in the number of fans we are playing to and if the reaction continues like this, every show will be a truly momentous occasion.

"Following the great reception received by our DVD 'The Early Days', which chronicled the MAIDEN story over the first four albums, we decided to give the fans a special treat on this tour by playing materiel almost exclusively from these albums, including a lot of songs that fans have been asking us to play for years along with fan favourites like 'Number of the Beast', 'Run to the Hills', 'Hallowed be thy Name', 'Wrathchild' and 'The Trooper'. And it will be a lot of fun for us playing stuff we haven't played for years!!

"In keeping with this, we will be bringing over for Ozzfest the full European show, naturally including as special guest Eddie in various appropriate guises!! The stage sets, production and backdrops will recreate aspects of the shows on the tours around those albums ? 'Iron Maiden', 'Killers', 'Number of the Beast' and 'Piece of Mind'. Only bigger, much bigger!!! We don't know if anyone has done anything like this before but we think it's something the fans will really appreciate both in the choice of songs and in the production values.

"Unfortunately, we are unable to complete the full Ozzfest schedule as we were already confirmed to headline some major British festivals in that period, so apologies to fans in Texas and the Southeast. Having said that we are very much looking forward to the dates we are doing, especially with such a great bill. We're sure it will be a fantastic day out for the fans."

OZZY OSBOURNE recently spoke to Metal Edge magazine about his upcoming four-disc box set, "Prince of Darkness". An excerpt from the interview follows:

Metal Edge: The box set is obviously a career retrospective, but how long has the cover album been in the making?

Ozzy Osbourne: "Over the years, I've always wanted to do an album of other people's stuff, like some [John] Lennon. I've always wanted to do 'Whiter Shade of Pale', but I didn't do it, because everybody who does a cover album, the first track is always 'Whiter Shade of Pale'. I've had a long list, and Sharon comes up to me on the Ozzfest last year and tells me that Sony's putting together a box set of rarities and live recordings ? stuff with Dweezil Zappa, the BEE GEES, WAS NOT WAS, 'Born to be Wild' with Miss Piggy, stuff like that ? and she says, 'Why don't you do an album of cover songs?' I didn't know what it was going to sound like, but it's something different instead of another version of 'I Don't Know' done underwater in fuckin' Paris in '78! I must be the only artist with six or seven solo records, and eighty fuckin' spin-offs of the best of, in different running orders, in Chinese, whatever."

Metal Edge: "The Ozzman Cometh" and he cometh again and again and again?

Ozzy Osbourne: "And when is he going to stop comething? [Laughs] We promise you this is the last cometh! It hasn't been me, though. So I built a studio in the back of the house and I said to Sharon, 'Let me just have a go at doing the covers. If it turns into a pile of shit, nothing ventured, nothing gained.' A friend of mine, Mark Hudson, who I've known for many years and wrote some of 'Ozzmosis' with, produced it. We originally did like eight or ten songs, and they said, 'Fuckin' A, this is great, keep on going!' So we're going to do an album on the box set, then another album called 'Ozzy Undercover' or something. So there's 14 or 15 for that album, and eight or 10 for the box set. I've got to confess, it's come out a lot better than I ever expected it to. It's got balls. It's got meat."

Metal Edge: Who played on them with you?

Ozzy Osbourne: "Mark Hudson, Leslie West did 'Mississippi Queen', Jerry Cantrell, Ian Hunter did 'All the Young Dudes', and a bunch of musicians and arrangers. I was doing it on the road. We had portable ProTools and a 32-track. This album has been all over the world! I was doing it down in Florida, on tour, where they were nailing up the fucking hotel because of Hurricane Charlie, and I'm singing with a big gold bowl of Red Bulls to keep me going. It was one of those albums that started, and it just got better as we went along. If it was up to me, I'd have kept going. I wasn't going to sing 'Good Times' by THE ANIMALS ? [singing] 'I remember all the good times' ? but Sharon thought it kind of summed up my life, so I did it for her. I did JEFF BECK's 'Hi Ho Silver Lining'. I thought, if it's good enough for JEFF BECK, it's good enough for me,' but once I started doing it, I thought, 'Who the fuck wrote these lyrics?' [Laughing] 'Flies are in your pea soup, baby, and they're looking at me.' That's really an earth-shattering lyric! I mean, when I started out, we used to talk to each other and go, 'Hey man, how you doing?' Then we went from 'man' to 'dude,' and I thought, 'Who the fuck thought of 'dude'?' And I thought it must have been DAVID BOWIE in 'All the Young Dudes', and I recorded that? But then when I recorded 'Mississippi Queen', there was a line that went, 'While the rest of those dudes?' And I'm going, 'I must have really been fucking stoned, because I'd never heard 'dude' before!' [Laughing] And I did 'Fire' by ARTHUR BROWN, 'Working Class Hero' on an acoustic guitar without a big production, just a few 'oohs' and 'aahs' in the background. I did 'Rocky Mountain Way' by JOE WALSH, which is fabulous, and 'Woman' by JOHN LENNON, which is fucking beautiful? it's so much fun, because the songs have already been established, and I just fuck with them and rearrange them. I've heard cover albums before where they fuck with the songs to the point where the only thing that sounds like 'Jingle Bells' is the fucking title! It wasn't like that, but they're still me. It was some of the easiest work I ever did. So that was that?"

Will someone give me some feedback on the bands they announced?

what do yas all thijnk about the bands and dates? any thaughts?

 According to Ozzyhead.com, Ozzy Osbourne appeared on XM Radio's "Opie and Anthony" radio show Monday morning (March 21). When asked about recent rumors of plastic surgery and what he had done, Ozzy replied, "I had my dick shortened". Ozzy shot down the rumors and said "I don't know where they get this shit from."

Ozzy was also asked why BLACK SABBATH hasn't put out any new albums. Ozzy basically said that the group had gotten together in the past and put together about six new songs, but the material just didn't live up to the quality of past albums. He also added that the idea of a new album has not been laid to rest, but is on the back burner at the moment. "It just didn't feel right, but if something comes about as good as 'Paranoid' or 'Volume 4', we'll release it then."

Ozzy was also asked about his quad bike accident.

Did you see anything when your heart stopped?

"Oh, look at the bird up in the sky... doesn't my house look beautiful from down here", Ozzy replied.

Did you see the Devil?

"I'm married to her!" Ozzy replied.

Roxx Productions and Thunderground Radio managed to get a brief online interview with the legendary BLACK SABBATH drummer Bill Ward and even secured permission to broadcast his solo single, "Straws". The track will be broadcast as part of a 30-minute Bill Ward/BLACK SABBATH set that will air on ThundergroundRadio.com this Friday night, April 15 at 8:00 p.m. PST. Thunderground's interview with Ward follows:

Thunderground Radio: Why don't we start with the usual BLACK SABBATH question, What are you up to with Ozzy, Tony and Geezer, any plans on the horizon for recording or any live shows this year?

Bill Ward: "As far as I know, there are plans in the making for SABBATH to play dates in Europe, and also, this year's Ozzfest. That's really about all I can say on that. I am very excited about getting back on the road and playing live again with the band. Also, there are talks going on regarding a new album, about putting some songs together and seeing how that works out. If the songs are do-able and work out pretty good, then hopefully, we'll go on and record them."

Thunderground Radio: What inspired you to write the song "Straws"?

Bill Ward: "'Straws' was inspired by my fear of my family being attacked on American soil, my fear of the lovely town where I live being attacked and blown up, my fear of the USA being drawn into more further attacks, my fear of the current administration. Also, I wrote 'Straws' to try to overcome my feelings of powerlessness over 9/11."

Thunderground Radio: I understand copies were sent out to various government entities, to whom did you send out copies and have you received any responses from any of these? If so were they positive or negative responses?

Bill Ward: "All of the responses we've received, whether it's been through letters, or on the phone, or verbally in person, or through friends, all of them have been positive. The whole thing has been really positive and really good. I don't want to name names to be respectful, however, there are some I can mention. We did send one to President Bush. He hasn't written back yet, but who knows, maybe he will! We also sent one to British Prime Minister Tony Blair, and his office sent a very nice letter back; very polite, very positive. I can't remember exactly what it said now, but it was something in terms of good luck with what you're doing, so that was nice. Then we had some rather famous politicians write back. Their responses were very short, but very reinforcing, and finally, Ozzy loves it also."

Thunderground Radio: Besides the promotional copies you sent out, you also released a limited number of autographed copies for your fans, are these sold out or can people still get a copy of it?

Bill Ward: "Yes, 'Straws' CD are still available through the web site, BillWard.com."

Thunderground Radio: When can we expect your next solo album to be released?

Bill Ward: "It's going to be out this year. I'm absolutely at my wit's end! I want to move on to new recordings, and I can't while this recording is still unfinished. It's driving me crazy. I want to get it done, and I want to get it into the safe hands of a real good distribution or recording company who will take care of it, get behind it and help promote it so I can go out and tour."

Thunderground Radio: Any plan of doing some solo shows this year? (On a side note let us know and we would love to help promote)

Bill Ward: "If there's an opportunity at the end of the SABBATH touring, or possibly at the end of the year, I'll take the band out, provided we have the support of a recording company, and we can have some decent promotion on it. You know, you have to do that these days, if you want to get in the clubs and play. I appreciate your offer to help promote it very much, thanks."

Launch Radio Networks reports: When ROB ZOMBIE hits the road this summer on Ozzfest, his touring band will feature former MARILYN MANSON guitarist John 5. Zombie told us how he and the guitar player got together. "CAMP FREDDY asked me to do this benefit, just to play one song, at the Arrowhead Pond (in Anaheim, California) for this tsunami relief thing. And John was there, and we played one song, 'Thunderkiss', and it kicked ass and he's a supercool guy and I was like, 'This is perfect.' John said, 'Do you need a guitar player for Ozzfest?' I said, 'Yes,' he said, 'I wanna do it,' I said, 'Perfect, done.'"

Zombie's new touring band also includes longtime bassist Rob "Blasko" Nicholson and ALICE COOPER drummer Tommy Clufetos. In addition to "Thunderkiss '65", Zombie recently hinted that his Ozzfest set list might include even more old material from his former band, WHITE ZOMBIE. We asked the singer if this was still the plan. "I don't know. I mean, I haven't rehearsed yet. John 5 and Blasko have been rehearsing and learning all these old songs that I haven't played in a million years, so we'll see."

Ozzfest kicks off on July 15 in Mansfield, Massachusetts, with ROB ZOMBIE headlining the second stage.

Zombie's second feature as a screenwriter and director, "The Devil's Rejects", opens in theatres nationwide on July 22.

BLACK SABBATH and BLACK LABEL SOCIETY will be teaming up for a bunch of post-Ozzfest U.S. dates in the fall, BLS mainman Zakk Wylde revealed during an interview with Eddie Trunk of VH1 Classic.

BLACK SABBATH and BLACK LABEL SOCIETY will both be performing on the main stage at this year's Ozzfest, which is scheduled to kick off July 15 in Mansfield, Massachusetts. SABBATH are co-headlining the event with IRON MAIDEN, who will drop off the bill on August 20 due to prior touring commitments in Europe.

Ozzy Osbourne recently spoke to the SouthFlorida.com about the end of "The Osbournes", Ozzfest and his future plans, among other topics. Several excerpts from the interview follow:

On closing in on his first year of sobriety:

"I go to meetings in bars ? quite a few. It doesn't bother me. The obsession has been taken."

On "The Osbournes":

"I still don't understand the magnitude [of the show]. I'm kind of used to walking down the street and being recognized. But not by housewives and priests."

On wife Sharon being diagnosed with colon cancer during the show's second season:

"It spun me off into another world. I had a plan, you know. I thought I'd go first, considering I'm the nut-case, drunk, alcoholic wreck. She never drinks, and she ends up with colon cancer."

On his marriage:

"I absolutely adore the woman. I don't screw around, I don't go to clubs, I'm not looking for other women. Guys are weird. They get to the age of 45 and they think they've got a pair of new testicles and want to go out and test them out again. I'm not interested."

On his childhood:

Growing up poor near working-class Birmingham, England, "my folks never told me about anything, not a damn thing. Whatever I discovered was listening to my mates on the streets or reading a book or a magazine."

On his parenting style:

"I'd say, 'If and when you become sexually active, wear these, and make the people wear them, because if you come up HIV positive, your life is ? over. And so is mine.' I'm as blunt as that. If it's wrong, it's wrong."

On his future plans:

Ozzy says he'd like to try his hand at a late-night show. All the current ones, he complains, are too " -- -- boringly formulated."

"I want to do another SABBATH album. I want to do another solo album. I'll always be about."

According to Ozzfest.com, IN FLAMES have been upgraded to a main-stage slot at this year's Ozzfest. The Swedish band will open the proceedings on the main stage, where they are scheduled to go on right before BLACK LABEL SOCIETY. The festival billing is now shaping up as follows:

Main Stage:

BLACK SABBATH
IRON MAIDEN
MUDVAYNE
SHADOWS FALL
BLACK LABEL SOCIETY
IN FLAMES

Second Stage:

ROB ZOMBIE
KILLSWITCH ENGAGE
AS I LAY DYING
MASTODON
A DOZEN FURIES
THE HAUNTED
ARCH ENEMY
THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER
BURY YOUR DEAD
IT DIES TODAY
SOILWORK
TRIVIUM

As previously reported, VELVET REVOLVER are believed to have secured the "mystery band" slot on the main stage commencing on August 23 in Albuquerque, NM. VELVET REVOLVER's participation in the tour will be in lieu of IRON MAIDEN, which drops off the bill on August 20.

Ozzfest wraps up on September 4 in West Palm Beach, Florida.

MTV.com is reporting that it's been finally made official that VELVET REVOLVER will be taking over for IRON MAIDEN as one of Ozzfest's main attractions when this year's traveling festival hits Albuquerque, New Mexico, on August 23.

In mid-March, IRON MAIDEN disclosed the bad news: because of previous touring commitments they'd made overseas, the band would be no-shows for the last seven dates of this summer's Ozzfest. That announcement fired up the old rumor mill, and all along, the most popular theory has had Scott Weiland's band of former GUNS N' ROSES members filling that void. But Ozzfest organizers have been especially tight-lipped this year, trying to keep a lid on the mammoth mainstage add ? a move industry insiders have characterized as a bid to keep ticket sales stable.

There will soon be an addition to the tour's second-stage bill. That same mysterious band image, complete with those same three question marks, appears at the bottom of the site's "Bands" page. Although unconfirmed, Ozzfest watchers consider Long Island, New York's BLOODSIMPLE the safest bet for that open slot.

On his third solo release, "Fused," due July 12 via Sanctuary, Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi didn't stray too far from his quintessential metallic solo past. Most notable is the old school track "I Go Insane," which at over nine minutes in length will leave metal fans feeling right at home.

"I wanted to do a long track basically with a lot of different changes," Iommi tells Billboard.com. "And if I had had my way, they probably all would have been as long as that. I think it was good to do something finally with a bit of an extended version. I also wanted to play the album live. So, we all went into the studio together and played, which was great to do that way." While the album's release comes just as Black Sabbath kicks off its Ozzfest summer dates, Iommi is planning a fall "Fused" tour with vocalist/bassist Glenn Hughes (Deep Purple) and drummer Kenny Aronoff (John Mellencamp). Both musicians also appear on the album.

"We can draw from that album, we can draw from the [1996 release] 'The DEP Sessions' and even some 'Seventh Star' stuff," Iommi says. "I think we can even do a couple of Sabbath tunes. We don't really know exactly what we're going to play but I think there is certainly plenty of material."

Iommi's solo past is a bit convoluted, beginning with the 1986 Black Sabbath album "Seventh Star." Most fans agree this ostensibly was his first solo outing despite it being released under the Sabbath name. The guitarist's first proper solo release was a self-titled effort in 2000, which was followed up four years later by "The 1996 DEP Sessions." That set featured music recorded by Iommi and Hughes that had never received an official release.

As for Sabbath, Iommi hints that a DVD release from the summer shows could be in the works. However, it's the promise of a new Black Sabbath album that continues to keep diehards waiting.

"We've certainly talked about it," Iommi says. "But to make any definite plans as to when it's going to be is another thing. Again, it's going to come down to time because we're going to have put aside quite a bit of time to get together, rehearse and write another album. [But] I really think we owe it to the fans as well to do the album."

GIZMACHI have now officially filled one of the "mystery band" slots on the second stage of this year's Ozzfest.

GIZMACHI will release their debut CD, "The Imbuing", on May 3 on Big Orange Clown Records, an imprint of Sanctuary Records. "The Imbuing" was produced by SLIPKNOT's M. Shawn Crahan (who also founded Big Orange Clown Records), engineered by Josh Wilbur and recorded at Spin Studios in New York City. GIZMACHI is comprised of Sean Kane on vocals, Jay Hannon and Mike Laurino on guitars, Kris Gilmore on bass and Jimmie Hatcher on drums.

The band filmed the video for their first single, "The Answer", in February in New York. The video was directed by Crahan and produced by Doug Spangenberg (KILLSWITCH ENGAGE, LAMB OF GOD, EVERY TIME I DIE).

Ozzfest 2005 billing is now shaping up as follows:

Main Stage:

BLACK SABBATH
IRON MAIDEN (July 15 ? Aug. 20)
VELVET REVOLVER (Aug. 23 ? Sep. 4)
MUDVAYNE
SHADOWS FALL
BLACK LABEL SOCIETY
IN FLAMES

Second Stage:

ROB ZOMBIE
KILLSWITCH ENGAGE
AS I LAY DYING
MASTODON
A DOZEN FURIES
THE HAUNTED
ARCH ENEMY
THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER
BURY YOUR DEAD
IT DIES TODAY
SOILWORK
TRIVIUM
GIZMACHI

 In a head-to-head Sirius Satellite Radio interview with "Sound of the Beast" author Ian Christe, BLACK SABBATH guitarist Tony Iommi exclusively reveals this week that he has studio tapes of BLACK SABBATH jamming with LED ZEPPELIN during the mid-1970s.

"BLACK SABBATH used to jam with LED ZEPPELIN all the time." reports the Birmingham-born Iommi. "We'd be trying to rehearse and they'd come interrupt us. I've got some tapes floating around the house." During the exceptional in-depth session Iommi also reveals stories of having John Bonham serve as best man at his raucous first wedding, being chastised by Bill Ward's mom after setting her son on fire, his early days playing Buddy Holly cover songs in the 1960s, receiving a Gibson SG from Leslie West, and the desire to record new BLACK SABBATH material.

The interview airs twice this week (Tuesday, May 3 at 9:00 p.m. EST and Friday, May 6 at 1:00 p.m. EST) on Sirius "Hard Attack"/27's weekly "Bloody Roots" heavy metal history lesson, hosted by Christe. The show will also include rare SABBATH demo tracks, and two songs from the upcoming Iommi solo album, "Fused".

Just picked up 3 tickets to ozzfest at darien lake through the presale..Gonna be a sweet show..Finally i get to see Sabbath

What countries is Ozzfest going to if it still is going overseas


 :peace:

IrishExaminer is reporting that Ozzy Osbourne has been diagnosed with Parkin Syndrome and will have to take daily medication for the rest of his life to combat the involuntary shudders associated with the condition.

The BLACK SABBATH star was given the all-clear for Parkison's disease in 2003, after he complained his tremors were "practically destroying (his) life".

And the 56-year-old singer presumed his body shakes were a result of a lifetime of drug abuse, until doctors recently told him he has inherited the condition from his relatives.

He says: "I'd always assumed it was the booze and stuff. Now I've found it all stems from the family. It's called Parkin but it's not Parkinson's. Anything to do with the central nervous system has the word Parkin in it.

"A doctor in Los Angeles tried to tell me I had multiple sclerosis. And I believed him until I had a second opinion.

"When I told my sisters she said: 'Not you as well? Mum had that and Auntie Elsie and your grandma.'

"I'm like, 'Thanks for fucking telling me'. Me walking around thinking I've got some drug paralysis."

Cant Wail Till Ozzfest..Anyone else got tickets?

Launch Radio Networks reports: Will there ever be a new BLACK SABBATH studio album? The question is asked frequently, especially when the legendary quartet regroups to play live, as it will on this summer's Ozzfest. Frontman Ozzy Osbourne told Launch he'd like to do another album with SABBATH, but that it would have to meet a certain standard. "There's talk of us maybe ? maybe, and I say maybe, and I don't want anybody to go 'Oh, here we go again' ? doing a SABBATH album if, and I want to reassure this, if it's up to the same standards as it was before I left. Then we'll do it. But we've tried on a couple of occasions and, for whatever reason, it hasn't worked out."

Osbourne was kicked out of BLACK SABBATH in 1979. He started a successful solo career while the band continued with other singers, including Ronnie James Dio and DEEP PURPLE's Ian Gillan.

SABBATH reunited for a tour and live album in 1997 and has headlined several of the Ozzfest tours.

The group has six European dates scheduled for June before starting Ozzfest 2005 on July 15 in Mansfield, Massachusetts.

Launch Radio Networks reports: Since pulling the plug on their MTV reality series, "The Osbournes", Ozzy Osbourne and his family are free of ubiquitous TV camera crews. As he prepares for this year's Ozzfest, Osbourne said that he doesn't miss the constant surveillance. "At first when I started doing 'The Osbournes', it was a lot of fun," he said. "And then things started to happen, like my kids couldn't handle it, I couldn't handle it, my wife got sick with cancer. Wherever you go it's full of somebody with a boom mic or a wire and a camera. You get kind of freaked out, 'cause you start looking around the house for hidden cameras and whatever, you know."

The program chronicled Sharon Osbourne's battle with cancer, as well as younger children Kelly and Jack Osbourne's stints in rehabilitation for drug and alcohol abuse.

Ozzfest 2005 begins on July 15th in Mansfield, Massachusetts. Osbourne will be performing with BLACK SABBATH this year, topping a bill that includes IRON MAIDEN, MUDVAYNE, ROB ZOMBIE and, on the last seven shows, VELVET REVOLVER.

ContactMusic.com is reporting that Ozzy Osbourne has assured cynical critics the reformed BLACK SABBATH will steer clear of the recording studio, unless they write a batch of tunes on a par with their rock classics.

The charismatic singer ? who is touring with the band this summer ? is aware a new disc of "half-assed" SABBATH songs will leave music journalists in no doubt they're only back together to make easy money.

However, Osbourne insists if the songwriting skills that launched them to prominence in the 1970s are still there, they may have another album to add to their discography.

He says, "We've grown up, we've all changed. But whether we could make another album together... If we started writing and came up with the next 'Master of Reality' or 'Sabbath Bloody Sabbath', I'd be a fucking idiot not to put it out.

"But I will not do a new SABBATH album just because of the name. I don't wanna do something half-assed and have everybody go, 'Oh, they only did it for the money...'"

Ozzfest 2005 has scheduled a second date at PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, NJ on July 27. The travelling festival had previously announced a July 26 date at the same location. The complete itinerary is now as follows:

Jul. 15 - Mansfield, MA @ Tweeter Center for the Performing Arts
Jul. 17 - Hartford, CT @ CTNOW.com Meadows Music Centre
Jul. 19 - Camden, NJ @ Tweeter Center at the Waterfront
Jul. 21 - Darien Center, NY @ Darien Lake Performing Arts Center
Jul. 23 - Burgettstown, PA @ Post Gazette Pavilion
Jul. 24 - Bristow, VA @ Nissan Pavilion
Jul. 26 - Holmdel, NJ @ PNC Bank Arts Center
Jul. 27 - Holmdel, NJ @ PNC Bank Arts Center
Jul. 30 - Tinley Park, IL @ Tweeter Center Chicago
Jul. 31 - Noblesville, IN @ Verizon Wireless Music Center
Aug. 02 - Columbus, OH @ Germain Amphitheater
Aug. 04 - Clarkston, MI @ DTE Energy Music Theatre
Aug. 06 - East Troy, WI @ Alpine Valley Music Theatre
Aug. 07 - Somerset, WI @ Float-Rite Amphitheatre
Aug. 11 - Auburn, WA @ White River Amphitheatre
Aug. 13 - Mountain View, CA @ Shoreline Amphitheatre
Aug. 14 - Marysville, CA @ Sleep Train Amphitheatre
Aug. 16 - West Valley City, UT @ USANA Amphitheatre
Aug. 18 - Phoenix, AZ @ Cricket Pavilion
Aug. 20 - San Bernardino, CA @ Hyundai Pavilion at Glen Helen
Aug. 23 - Albuquerque, NM @ Journal Pavilion
Aug. 25 - Dallas, TX @ Smirnoff Music Center
Aug. 27 - Woodlands, TX @ Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
Aug. 28 - Selma, TX @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
Aug. 31 - Antioch, TN @ Starwood Amphitheatre
Sep. 02 - Charlotte, NC @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre Charlotte
Sep. 04 - West Palm Beach, FL @ Sound Advice Amphitheatre

Ozzfest 2005 billing:

Main Stage:

BLACK SABBATH
IRON MAIDEN (July 15 ? Aug. 20)
VELVET REVOLVER (Aug. 23 ? Sep. 4)
MUDVAYNE
SHADOWS FALL
BLACK LABEL SOCIETY
IN FLAMES

Second Stage:

ROB ZOMBIE
KILLSWITCH ENGAGE
AS I LAY DYING
MASTODON
A DOZEN FURIES
THE HAUNTED
ARCH ENEMY
THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER
BURY YOUR DEAD
IT DIES TODAY
SOILWORK
TRIVIUM
GIZMACHI

I've now got me a ticket for the Ozzfest Day at the Download Festival at Castle Donington in June. :peace:

 According to Germany's Rock Hard magazine, EMI will be releasing a brand-new IRON MAIDEN "live box" CD/DVD set, entitled "Death on the Road", on August 29. No further information is currently available.

IRON MAIDEN will co-headline this summer's Ozzfest with BLACK SABBATH beginning on July 15 in Mansfield, Massachusetts. The band will drop off the trek on August 20 due to touring commitments in Europe.

IRON MAIDEN have confirmed they are to release a double DVD and live album titled "Death On The Road" through EMI Records on August 29, 2005.

The show was filmed at the Westfalenhalle Arena, Dortmund, Germany during the "Dance of Death" European tour in December 2003 and fully captures the magnificent stage production and electricity of the band?s performance. Steve Harris once again took weeks personally editing the footage, and like "Rock in Rio", this means thousands of cuts right into the heart of the action.

Says Steve Harris, "The shows on that tour were perhaps far more theatrical than some of our recent tours so it has a very different feel than that of, say, 'Rock in Rio', which was a massive festival environment. The 115-minute show was originally filmed by Viva TV in Germany to broadcast across their national TV network a few days afterwards. However TV and DVD are always very different, mainly owing to the time restrictions. So we've spent time starting from the bare bones to create a full-length concert feature that captures the excitement of the show but also the drama as well. I think when people see songs like 'Paschendale' and 'Dance Of Death' they?ll be blown away by the spectacle. At the same time there are some great moments in 'Journeyman' that I think will surprise a few people. IRON MAIDEN with acoustic guitars?! I'm really happy with the end result as it captures the dark and lighter moments perfectly."

The album and PCM Stereo / 5.1 Surround sound for the DVD has been mixed and produced by Kevin "Caveman" Shirley and co-produced, as always, by Steve Harris.

The double DVD also features a full 70-minute documentary directed by Matthew Amos charting the album's creation and then subsequent preparations for the following tour. The feature length program includes candid and personal footage of the band during the recording and writing of the album, which is the first time it's ever been filmed.

Says manager Rod Smallwood, "The documentary is something quite special for the fans as it really is a very revealing portrait of how MAIDEN work together recording and it took me hours to persuade them to let the cameras in the recording studio. Previously they'd never allowed any of that to be filmed but this time we decided to have a camera floating around to try and capture the MAIDEN recording process. A lot of it was filmed by the Kevin Shirley and the band themselves. I think it's a great representation of the talent, effort and humour of a MAIDEN recording session. The documentary also covers what it takes to set up a major world tour and has various interviews with our Killer Krew and hopefully it will be as insightful and interesting as the well received 'Early Days' documentary footage.

"As usual we have crammed as much as possible into the DVDs with a host of extras including all of the promo videos from the album, footage of the band performing in South America, background interviews with members of the production crew and fans along the tour, artwork and photo galleries. Many hours of MAIDEN mayhem.

"Like 'Rock in Rio' we have again decided to release a DVD and CD. Those who have DVD players will presumably opt for the DVD but we wanted to ensure all fans could get at least the audio of this tour and many countries of the world do not have widespread capacity to play DVDs."

The full set list from the show is:

01. Wildest Dreams
02. Wrathchild
03. Can I Play With Madness
04. Trooper
05. Dance Of Death
06. Rainmaker
07. Brave New World
08. Paschendale
09. Lord Of The Flies
10. No More Lies
11. Hallowed Be Thy Name
12. Fear Of The Dark
13. Iron Maiden
14. Journeyman
15. The Number Of The Beast
16. Run To The Hills

The release of the DVD and live album coincides with IRON MAIDEN's headlining performance at this year's Reading and Leeds Festivals which sold out within hours of going on sale. Reading Festival holds a special place in MAIDEN history. The band played their first headlining show there in 1980 and the following year a certain Bruce Dickinson was famously approached backstage for the job of vocalist before returning in 1982 for IRON MAIDEN's second headlining appearance, this time as the front man.

The Reading and Leeds appearances will complete their busy summer touring schedule that includes top billing at major European Festivals and their own headlining stadium dates like their record breaking show in Gothenburg at the 55,000-capacity Ullevi Stadium that sold out in a mere two and a half hours. Just prior to Reading and Leeds the band will be joining BLACK SABBATH on Ozzfest in North America, plus a handful of arena headline dates.

ABC ePrep reports: ROB ZOMBIE says he's hoping to wrap up work on his next album after he finishes this summer's Ozzfest tour. He says he had originally wanted to finish the disk before the outing, but he simply doesn't have time.

Among the people who have played on the record so far are LIMP BIZKIT guitarist Wes Borland, M?TLEY CR?E drummer Tommy Lee and A PERFECT CIRCLE drummer Josh Freese. Former MARILYN MANSON guitarist John 5, who just joined Zombie's touring band, will also contribute to the album.

Zombie will headline the second stage of this summer's Ozzfest, beginning on July 15 in Mansfield, Massachusetts.

Zombie's second movie as a director, "The Devil's Rejects", opens in theatres on July 22.

 According to EMI Spain, IRON MAIDEN are contemplating the release of "The Trooper" CD single to launch their upcoming "Eddie Rips Up The World Tour". The single may also serve as the promo single for the forthcoming "Death on the Road" DVD/CD, to be released on August 29.

Launch Radio Networks reports: MUDVAYNE wraps up its current North American tour on May 18 in South Carolina, after which the band heads to Europe for a month before returning home to kick off Ozzfest with BLACK SABBATH and IRON MAIDEN. MUDVAYNE bassist Ryan Martinie told Launch what aspect of Ozzfest the band is most looking forward to. "We're ready for MAIDEN, which is the biggest surprise, I think, to us ever, as well as, like, the biggest honor, I would say, beside the fact that we've opened for METALLICA and OZZY," he said. "We can pretty much close the book on bands that, you know, we've always dreamed of opening for. You know, I mean, what else do you say?"

MUDVAYNE will perform its current single, "Happy?", on NBC-TV's "Late Night With Conan O'Brien" on Friday, May 20.

SLIPKNOT have been added to the San Bernardino Ozzfest date on August 20. The Des Moines-based nine-piece will be playing the San Bernardino date ONLY. The KNOT will go on between MUDVAYNE and IRON MAIDEN on the main stage. You can see the commercial for the date with SLIPKNOT in it on the Ozzfest.com Oz TV page.

Rob Zombie recently spoke to RollingStone.com about his in-progress third album. The follow-up to 2001's "The Sinister Urge" features the shock rocker backed by an all-star band: guitarist Wes Borland (LIMP BIZKIT), drummer Tommy Lee (M?TLEY CR?E) and bassist Chris Chaney (ex-JANE'S ADDICTION).

"It's very raw and very live," says Zombie. He's worked up about twenty-five songs for the album so far and plans to return to the studio in the fall when he finishes his stint on this summer's Ozzfest.

The rocker-turned-filmmaker's second movie, "The Devil's Rejects", hits theaters July 22. The sequel to Zombie's 2003 blood-soaked "House of 1000 Corpses" is more violent and more psychologically intense than his first film. Unlike the first installment, which featured an original soundtrack by Zombie, this slasher will showcase the rootsy stylings of the ALLMAN BROTHERS and LYNYRD SKYNYRD.

Rob Zombie told Launch Radio Networks that it's too early to tell what direction his next solo album is going to take. "You know, it's not done yet, so it's really hard to say," he said. "I mean, for the first time ever, I have about 26 songs in some state. Usually I have exactly what's on the record. This time there's a lot more songs, they're a lot more varied in style and vibe and sound, but the main thing is, all of it is live band work. There's no computer-generated things. That I'm not doing this time."

Zombie told RollingStone.com last week that he'll wait until after he's done touring on Ozzfest at the end of the summer to resume working on his third solo album. Zombie has been recording the disc in fits and starts over the last year, but also took time out to direct his second film, "The Devil's Rejects".

Among the people who have played on the record so far are LIMP BIZKIT guitarist Wes Borland, M?TLEY CR?E drummer Tommy Lee and A PERFECT CIRCLE drummer Josh Freese. Former MARILYN MANSON guitarist John 5, who just joined Zombie's touring band, will also contribute to the project.

Zombie will headline the second stage at this summer's Ozzfest, which begins on July 15 in Mansfield, Massachusetts.

"The Devil's Rejects", which stars Sid Haig, Bill Moseley, Sheri Moon Zombie, and a number of horror film veterans, opens in theatres on July 22.

 According to Ozzfest.com, WICKED WISDOM ? the five-piece band featuring actress Jada Pinkett Smith (wife of Will Smith) ? has been confirmed as the final "mystery act" on the second stage of this year's Ozzfest.

The band, which includes "Pocket" on guitar, "Rio" on bass, Cameron Graves on keys, Satnam Ramgotra on drums, and Jada performing the lead vocals, reportedly has a rock edge with a slight metal influence. Background singers Devin Vasquez and La Shanda Dendy are said to be "a perfect complement" to Jada's strong persona.

Chris Harris of MTV.com has issued the following report:

In one of the most unusual summer-tour pairings in recent memory, the Ozzfest Web site announced Monday night that there will be one final act added to this year's second-stage lineup: actress Jada Pinkett Smith's rock group, WICKED WISDOM.

The addition of the Christian-leaning rock-and-soul hybrid to a summer touring package that boasts ferocious metal merchants like BLACK SABBATH, IRON MAIDEN, SHADOWS FALL, MUDVAYNE, IN FLAMES and THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER is unexpected, to say the least.

WICKED WISDOM is an EVANESCENSE-esque act that Pinkett Smith, the band's frontperson and the wife of actor/rapper Will Smith, has said is influenced by ANI DIFRANCO, PRINCE, TORI AMOS and SEVENDUST. The group also includes a guy named Pocket on guitar, another fellow named Rio on bass, keyboardist Cameron Graves and drummer Satnam Ramgotra. This summer's Ozzfest stint will mark WICKED WISDOM's first North American tour: The group primarily performs club gigs in and around Los Angeles, although it has opened for PAPA ROACH and was the support act for BRITNEY SPEARS' 2004 European tour.

 According to MusicTap.net, a new IRON MAIDEN "greatest hits" album, "Essential Iron Maiden", is scheduled for release on July 5.

This best-of album will apparently only be released in North America by Columbia/Legacy in conjunction with the band's appearance at this year's Ozzfest. 30-second commercials will feature on Fuse and MTV2.

"Essential Iron Maiden" track listing:

Disc One:

01. Paschendale
02. Rainmaker
03. The Wicker Man
04. Brave New World
05. Futureal
06. The Clansman
07. Sign of the Cross
08. Man on the Edge
09. Be Quick or Be Dead
10. Fear of the Dark (Live)
11. Holy Smoke
12. Bring Your Daughter... To The Slaughter
13. The Clairvoyant

Disc Two:

01. The Evil That Men Do
02. Wasted Years
03. Heaven Can Wait
04. 2 Minutes To Midnight
05. Aces High
06. Flight of the Icarus
07. The Trooper
08. The Number of the Beast
09. Run To The Hills
10. Wrathchild
11. Killers
12. Phantom of the Opera
13. Running Free (live)
14. Iron Maiden (live from Dance of Death tour, previously unreleased)

The CD booklet will include extensive liner notes, detailed discography and rare photos.

All music is digitally remastered from the original master tapes.

This double CD will come out only two months ahead of the new IRON MAIDEN CD and DVD, entitled "Death on the Road".

A dozen furies... is that the band who actually appeared on BATTLE FOR OZZFEST the reality show?

i cant beleive crappy silpknot have gotten in it, possiblie one of the lamest so called metal bands ever.

Wish i could go to the show to see VR, Iron maiden and BLS though. But its in america. Damn you americans lol getting the goodness of these lvie acts.

Slipknot was added to ONE show

 According to a post at MaidenFans.com, a song from IRON MAIDEN singer Bruce Dickinson's upcoming solo album, "Tyranny of Souls", will be featured on the official CD sampler that will be released as part of the marketing campaign to advertise this year's Ozzfest festival. No further information is currently available about which track will be included on the CD.

"Tyranny of Souls" is scheduled for release on May 24 (one day earlier internationally) via Sanctuary Records.

IRON MAIDEN have been confirmed as the co-headliners of Ozzfest 2005, which is scheduled to kick off July 15 in Mansfield, Massachusetts. MAIDEN will be replaced by VELVET REVOLVER on the last seven shows of the tour.

IN FLAMES's upcoming DVD, "Used and Abused... In Live We Trust", has had its release date pushed back to July 18 from the previously announced June 20. No reason was given for the delay. IN FLAMES are currently mixing their new album, "Crawl Through Knives", at Tonteknik studio Ume?, Sweden for a late 2005 release via Nuclear Blast Records. 13 songs are being recorded for the follow-up to 2004's "Soundtrack to Your Escape", including "Crawl Through Knives", "Dead End", "Leeches", "Surrender?", "Reflect the Storm" and "Take This Life".

IN FLAMES singer Anders Frid?n recently told Nuclear Blast magazine that the upcoming album "will be more uptempo" and will feature "more guitar harmonies" than was the case with the group's last CD.

IRON MAIDEN frontman Bruce Dickinson's last three solo outings have seen him raid both his library and his DVD collection for thematic muse. Science-fiction-inspired metal is hardly a novel concept, but in mining this well-worn seam Bruce has delved deep into history and chosen a quintessentially British take on all-things fantastical.

"'Quatermass and the Pit', a Hammer classic, is a very inspirational movie for me," Bruce explained to the U.K.'s Terrorizer magazine. "Nigel Kneale is one of my big inspirations ? I just watched 'The Stone Tape' [a team of scientists eager to discover a new recording medium take over a brooding gothic mansion only to discover that an ancient and malevolent force lies beneath the stonework]. I've got all the 'Quatermass' TV series and all the movies, but 'Quatermass and the Pit' for me sums up so much of Nigel Kneale's thing about the human condition and about the need for man to survive by his own wits. It's what the heart and soul of this album's about.

"'Navigate the Seas of the Sun' is about carrying on, to go and not return, to raise families, to colonize... 'River of No Return' is the same deal but it's a spaceship on which two people are sent out. They're partners but there's a guilty secret and as they go on through eternity, the secret pushes them apart. It's an allegory of lousy relationships.

"I watch loads of old sci-fi movies and when I started writing this album I had an idea that I wanted to write about the beauty of technology; the beauty of well-crafted machinery and engineering.

"And the idea of space, literally 'the final frontier' and 'we boldly go' and all that. It's kinda what we're here for. Mankind is here to carry on, to survive and we're not gonna survive if we stay on this ball of rock forever. The only way we're going to survive is by technology ? that's our future. Mankind is destined to survive; we must keep that in vision, all of us. We mustn't regress to this idea that we must stand still in our muddy boots and eke out a living until finally this ball of rock dissolves when the sun burns out. We're bigger than that."

Look for an in-depth interview with Bruce Dickinson in the new issue of Terrorizer magazine, out on May 26.

BLACK SABBATH will play an exclusive U.K. warm-up show for their appearance at this year's Download festival on June 6 at the Aylesbury Civic. The offer is available to Download ticket buyers and is limited to four tickets per person.

Download festival takes place June 10-12 at Donington Park in Leicestershire, England.

BLACK SABBATH have been confirmed as the headliners of this year's Ozzfest beginning on July 15 in Mansfield, Massachusetts.

BLACK SABBATH guitarist Tony Iommi has issued the following personal note via his official web site:

"First and foremost, I want to thank my good friend Geezer Butler for his kind words about my new album. Geezer's been working very hard himself this year on his new album 'Ohmwork', which was released this week. It's great to see him out there doing his own stuff, and I think this one is his best album yet.

"Glenn [Hughes, ex-DEEP PURPLE, BLACK SABBATH] and I have spent the past week doing promotion for the 'Fused' album in the UK and Europe. We also spent a few days in New York recently talking to American press and radio.

"During the next few weeks I'll be getting ready for the SABBATH tour. I'm really looking forward to getting back on the road.

"See you over the summer!"

According to a posting on his official web site, producer Kevin Shirley will be doing the final audio edits for IRON MAIDEN's new CD, "Death on the Road" on Tuesday, May 24.

Due on August 29, the "Death on the Road" DVD/CD will feature a live performance filmed at the Westfalenhalle Arena, Dortmund, Germany during the "Dance of Death" European tour in December 2003. The set is said to "fully capture the magnificent stage production and electricity of the band's performance."

 According to Monsters and Critics, the soundtrack album to "The Devil's Rejects", the follow up to Rob Zombie's gritty, violent smash horror hit, "House of 1000 Corpses", will be released on June 28, 2005. Written and directed by Zombie, "The Devil's Rejects" reunites the homicidal members of the Firefly family, tracing their bloody flight from an outlaw sheriff hell-bent on revenge...

Deftly blending classic western violence with macabre humor and terrifying suspense, "The Devil's Rejects" is a shocking portrait of outlaw justice and the soundtrack album is as twisted and fascinating as the film itself ? bringing together '70s rock classics, tracks from long-forgotten rocker TERRY REID, country and blues gems, and a rarity from BANJO & SULLIVAN, the country duo who disappeared following a grisly murder committed by killers depicted in the film. Lions Gate Films will release the film on July 22, 2005 nationwide.

Presented as a DualDisc (one side CD, other side DVD), a first-ever for soundtracks, "The Devil's Rejects" (Hip-O/UMG Soundtracks/UMe) is available in explicit and edited versions. The DVD side includes a 20-minute "Making Of The Devil's Rejects" feature, trailers, a photo gallery and the album in High Resolution Stereo (DVD-Audio players) and Dolby Digital Stereo (standard DVD players). Dialogue snippets and two vintage BANJO & SULLIVAN radio ads are interspersed on the CD album side.

The rock classics are 1970's "Midnight Rider" from THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND; "Shambala", the gold Top 5 pop smash from THREE DOG NIGHT; "Fooled Around And Fell In Love", ELVIN BISHOP's gold Top 5 from 1976; "Funk #49", THE JAMES GANG's 1970 fave; the Top 40 "Rocky Mountain Way" from JOE WALSH's 1973 post-JAMES GANG solo debut; "Rock On", the 1973 Top 5 from cult pop star DAVID ESSEX, and "Free Bird", LYNYRD SKYNYRD's 1973 cut that is one of the most requested in album rock radio history.

Reid is heard with "Brave Awakening", "To Be Treated Rite" and the title track from his Graham Nash-produced 1976 album "Seed of Memory". The singer-songwriter-guitarist is legendary for rejecting the lead singer gig for the band that became LED ZEPPELIN, as he later did an offer from DEEP PURPLE. He opened for the ROLLING STONES on their 1969 U.S. tour but at age 20 his career stalled, and he has hardly recorded since the '70s.

Chicago bluesman OTIS RUSH contributes his 1956 R&B Top 10 "I Can't Quit You Baby". From country are KITTY WELLS' "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels", a 1952 country #1; BUCK OWENS' 1966 honky tonk hymn "Satan's Got To Get Along With Me", and BANJO & SULLIVAN ("I'm Home Getting Hammered (While She's Out Getting Nailed)").

Jeff Kerby of KNAC.COM recently conducted an in-depth interview with BLACK SABBATH bassist Geezer Butler. Several excerpts from the interview follow:

KNAC.COM: It seems that the new GZR record contains lyrics that typically deal with alienation and darkness. Do these lyrics reflect more about the band personally or is it more of a representation of society as a whole?

Geezer: "Well, the lyrics come from me and Clark [Brown, vocals]. He has led sort of a bleak life up there in Massachusetts where he is from, while I'm sort of stating more of a worldwide view with the war in Iraq and the troubles in the Middle East and how religion has poisoned everybody. It just seems as though people never learn from their past mistakes. I can't believe that people can't just get on with each other, but it seems like there always has to be violence. I know it might be a bit na?ve, but those are the feelings in my songs."

KNAC.COM: You mentioned working with Clark ? is there almost always a period when you are collaborating with someone new where the other person invariably has to get over the fact that they are, in fact, working with "Geezer Butler of BLACK SABBATH?" Does it take a little longer than normal to get on a personal level?

Geezer: "Yeah, I think it wasn?t so bad this time, but Clark on the last album got really nervous, which is bad in way because people get frightened and only want to take the easy way without trying anything different because they might mess up. That is sort of the way he was at first on the last album, but then, after we worked together for a while, he realized I wasn't this big monster or anything. The fact is that I respect his input as much as I respect anyone's input, and once he realized that, things came much easier for him, and he really came out of himself and felt relaxed a lot more."

KNAC.COM: What is it like to realize that you have that type of effect on other people or fellow musicians? Or is it just something you have had to deal with for so long?

Geezer: "It's hard for me to realize it. I've played with the guys in SABBATH for years, and we've grown up together and have just always been around each other. When you meet other people, it's hard to think that they think that you're something more than just an ordinary person. They soon realize though that I don't have this big ego or anything."

KNAC.COM: When you tour with GZR versus SABBATH, is this harder because it is more personal for you?

Geezer: "With SABBATH, it is really comfortable because the emphasis is not on me. You get to go out and play songs that everyone has heard before ? most people just tend to look at Ozzy anyway. When it is a case where I'm on stage with my band, sometimes I get really uncomfortable when I realize that everyone is looking at me. [Laughs] I start to get paranoid."

KNAC.COM: Really?

Geezer: "Yeah, it was like that. One night, I was on tour and I just started thinking about it and it just occurred to me that everyone was looking at me. It had never really occurred to me before. Then I couldn't stop thinking about it."

KNAC.COM: Yeah, I?m sure you were wishing that the thought had never come into your mind.

Geezer: "It got to the point where I wanted to hide behind the amp. It was like stage fright. I had never experienced that before. It is much easier for me to go on in front of twenty thousand people when I feel fairly anonymous than it is to go out in front of sixty people in a club."

 According to a posting on the IRON MAIDEN fan site MaidenFans.com, French drum magazine Batterie recently published an interview with MAIDEN drummer Nicko McBrain in issue #14, dated May 2005. In the interview, Nicko revealed the following information:

* The next IRON MAIDEN album will be a concept album along the lines of "Seventh Son of the Seventh Son"

* Nicko has an instructional drum DVD in the works; no release date has yet been given for this project

* MAIDEN track "Prodigal Son" will be rehearsed prior to the summer tour and if it sounds good enough, it may be included in the group's setlist. (Note that at the time of the interview no rehearsal sessions had yet taken place).

* MAIDEN's plans for the upcoming studio album are to begin writing in November 2005 and to start the recording process in January 2006

(http://membres.lycos.fr/yetteh/Av/Press/B14-2005-p1.jpg)

 ContactMusic.com has issued the following report: Jada Pinkett Smith is set to infuriate heavy rockers even more as she considers including hip-hop husband Will Smith in her Ozzfest tour plans.

Ozzfest headliner Ozzy Osbourne caused controversy earlier this month when he added the actress' metal group WICKED WISDOM to the touring festival.

Enraged fans suggested the move would cause a riot when they sent hate mail to the Ozzfest web site ? and now Pinkett Smith plans to add insult to injury with an idea to bringing her husband onstage.

She says, "We're thinking about it. He's really become a real metalhead lately. He fell in love with OTEP the other night, so that was really interesting. He wanted to get in the pit.

"Now he's all excited and wants to be down with it."

Whether or not the Ozzfest dates come off for the Hollywood couple, Smith will join his wife and her group when they tour Europe in November

The Associated Press has issued the following report:

April 20 marked the one-year anniversary of sobriety for rock's seemingly indestructible icon, Ozzy Osbourne. Now he's found a new passion to feed his addictive personality: working out.

To get himself in shape for Ozzfest, now in its tenth year, the "Mad Man of Rock" is hitting the elliptical machine, the track and the weights instead of the bottle.

"I absolutely ... love it," Osbourne told The Associated Press, with his trademark profanity of course. "I get a normal endorphin, it's as good as any drug. I'm addicted to (that), and being yelled at by my wife."

Osbourne, who is still recovering from an all-terrain vehicle accident last year on his England estate, is working hard to stay healthy.

"I'm getting myself in shape. I no longer smoke, I no longer drink, I no longer use dope," Osbourne said. "I'm still ----ing crazy. On the surface I'm pretty normal. I just don't want to drink or be (intoxicated) anymore."

Although Osbourne spent the majority of his life teetering on the razor's edge of death, he's in great shape for the 26-city tour, which kicks off July 15 in Boston, with BLACK SABBATH and IRON MAIDEN as the co-headlining acts.

"I'm trying to get nutritional stuff in my body," said the 56-year-old legend. "The grim reaper will be knocking down my door soon. I want to be around a lot longer."

But don't let Osbourne's newfound healthy habits fool you. His devil-may-care attitude is still going strong, even if he's popping vitamins instead of painkillers. "I did try retirement a few years back but then I realized when you retire you've got to have something to retire to."

He does, however, plan to retire one day.

"Have you heard of death?" he asked.

i feel sorry for the ozzman, shame all these great muscians have to age.  :no:

IRON MAIDEN kicked off their "Eddie Rips Up the World" tour Saturday night (May 28) in Prague, Czech Republic. According to MaidenFans.com, "The Ides of March" is the taped introduction played before the band launch into set opener "Murders in the Rue Morgue". The stage set is said to be related to the first DVD of the history series MAIDEN is putting out out, and an "Eddie Rips You Up" backdrop was prominently displayed, as were several others. Pyrotechnics were reportedly used on five songs. Fire was used during "The Number of the Beast", and, as rumored, girls dressed up as devils were seen running on stage during the same song. Eddie appears behind the set in his "Iron Maiden" role. Then later in the show, a traditional walking giant Eddie makes an appearance. Finally, singer Bruce Dickinson dresses up as a trooper during "The Trooper".

IRON MAIDEN's concert in Prague ran for one hour and 45 minutes and included the following tracks:

01. Murders in the Rue Morgue
02. Another Life
03. Prowler
04. The Trooper
05. Remember Tomorrow
06. Run to the Hills
07. Charlotte the Harlot
08. Revelations
09. Where Eagles Dare
10. Die With Your Boots On
11. Phantom of the Opera
12. The Number of the Beast
13. Hallowed Be Thy Name
14. Iron Maiden
15. Running Free
16. Drifter
17. Sanctuary

IRON MAIDEN frontman Bruce Dickinson is planning on recording an all-covers album with longtime collaborator/guitarist Roy Z, the singer told the French magazine Hard & Heavy during a recent interview. Dickinson told the magazine that he knows exactly which covers he wants to record, but offered no further details on the project.

During the same interview, Bruce revealed that he originally planned on issuing a solo DVD prior to the release of his new solo album, "Tyranny of Souls", but changed his mind. He did not, however, confirm that he will release the DVD in the fall, as has been widely speculated. Dickinson also stated that he may schedule several European festival appearances during the summer of 2006.

In other news, Bruce told Hard & Heavy that IRON MAIDEN will be recording various shows on their current summer tour for an upcoming DVD. No further information is currently available.

 A number of photos from the first show of IRON MAIDEN's "Eddie Rips Up the World" tour, which took place Saturday night (May 28) in Prague, Czech Republic, have been posted
(http://www.ceskyrock.cz/clanky/foto/649_1446_im1.jpg)
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31/05/2005Nicko in Prague

On Board Jet from Stansted to Prague, Czech Republic.
Time: 3:10pm
28th May 2005.


Well, well, well,
How the blazes are you all?
I haven?t written a diary in such a long time!
Wow! I have almost forgotten how to work me computer it?s been so long.

Well, here we all are on our first journey as we start our new ?Eddie Rips Up Europe? tour. But more on that in a while.

On the 4th of May this year I left Miami for the shores of Blighty.I had a most splendid flight over with the best airline in the world, Virgin Atlantic. I got to see the wonderful, Layla, and the crew at the check in, in Miami, and was given a warm send off for me tour.

Last year, I had committed to do the London Guitar show with me old pals, Phil Hilborne, and Geoff Whithorn.
The shows were scheduled for the 7th and 8th of May at the Wembley Conference centre.
I arrived into London on the morning of the 5th.
I headed home to me drum in North London. I had had it rented out for the last year but the tenants left at the end of March. It was nice to go back and stay in the old place.
I dropped me stuff of and freshened up while I waited for a rental car to be delivered. My old jam jar is sitting in me sisters drive whilst I decide what to do with it. Avis were delivering a mini for me. Alright, I know it?s not a Jaguar, but hay, it gets me where I need to be OK!!!!!!!
After it arrived I got a few things together and headed over to Phils gaff in Essex.
I arrived a little after 6 ?o?clock and set up me tubs for a rehearsal.
Phil has built a small studio next to his drum; very nice it is as well. I had a great rehearsal with Phil and Andy Frost.
Yes I did say Andy Frost.
Andy was with Phil from way back in the late 80?s and we called him out of married bliss in Dorset to come work the two shows that weekend.
We normally use, Jaz Lockerie on bass, but he had another commitment.
It was great to see Andy again, and more so to play together after so many years.
We have a history together. Phil, Andy, and I used to play a lot of my drum shows together.
After rehearsal we went to the local Indian for a most splendid meal. Of course we popped into the local Rubber-dub for a wee libation before dinner.

The next day we kicked off the rehearsal at around 1 o?clock, but not before Phil had cooked us a most splendid breakfast, the full English I may add.
Geoff joined us for a couple of hours before he had to run off to do a gig with Elkie Brooks. We had a great time running through the program for the weekend.
After the rehearsal I headed back to London via----------------------------------------------


Yes you guessed it----------------------------------------------------------


TOFF?SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS, YEAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There are two things I really, really miss when I?m over in the States. The first is a good pint of, REAL ALE, the second is me visits with me pals Costa and Andy and all at Toff?s
I was in Heaven when I sat there and tucked into me beautiful Haddock and chips with, baked beans no less.
Yummy.
Isn?t it amazing what great pleasure we can glean from such small offerings and the like.

Well, after dinner I went home and relaxed in front of the glue tub and then went for a reasonably early night.
The next day I had to get to Wembley and help set up me tubs.
I have a new drum tech for this tour as Rusty has retired from active duty and the like. He?s back in Australia working a different job.
God Bless you Pete and Cindy.

Well, me new guys name is Charlie Charlesworth.
Good lad, young and adventurous, well he has to be working for me AAAHHHHEEEEE!!!!!!

We set the tubs up and were done in good time for a wee relax before the show at 4 o?clock pm.
We hit the stage and opened with Zeps? ?The Immigrant song? followed by Joe Saurian? ?War?. It was great.
We played for 45mins.

Sunday was a hoot. We kicked off at 3 o?clock.
Bruce came along and sang a few tunes with us but not before Jazz Lockerie played.
He got up and did, Wishing Well, by Free.
Bruce sang, ?All the Young Dudes?, (Mott the Hoopla,) ?Burn?, (Deep Purple,) and ?Run to the Hills?. WHO!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It was great, the place went bonkers.
My friend, Clive Morton, who runs the event was very happy and he invited us all, yet again, to play the event next year.
We graciously accepted.

After the show I took my friends to the ?Ugly Duckling? restaurant for a wee spot of nosebag.
There was Phil, Emma, Andy Frost, Andy Lumm and myself.
We had a great dinner. Great food there.
After dinner I went home and then to bed.


Well, that?s enough of this then, I know you lot are waiting for the news of the boys thus far.
Well, as you have gathered I started to write this here diary on the plane flying out to our fist show, but not before we had a bunch of rehearsals.

On board we have Steve, ?they better ?kin win? Harris, Dave, ?I?ll have a pint? Murray, Adrian, ?It weighed 2 pounds honest? Smith,
Jan, ?Hartlepool rule? Gers, Bruce, ?I?ll be home tomorrow? Dickinson, Rod, ?make mine a pint as well? Smallwood, Ian, ?that will cost ya a fiver? Day, Steve, ?we?ll make the game,honest? Gadd,
and me good self.

We arrived into Prague at around 5 o?clock local and went straight to the hotel.
I had a wee rest before heading out to the gig at 7:30.
When we arrived at the venue you could feel the excitement and nerves from everyone, more so from me self. I was feeling great but had an awful case of nerves and of coarse Boomer was out in fine form.
Oh well better to have than have not AAAAHHHHEEEE!!!!!!!

I went up on stage to check me tubs out. Charlie had done a great job setting them up. Everything was where it was supposed to be.
Oh yes I have a new kit for the tour. It?s a beautiful Premier series set. Same sizes as all my other tubs but a special artwork on the shells.
You will see it when you come to a show won?t you boys and girls??????????

So 20 minuets before show time we?re all getting ready for the show. The vibe was great in the dressing room.
We all felt a wee bit of nerves but as I said before you have to have them or else you could easily lose your edge.
We hit the stage at 8:30 in front of a capacity crowd of 15.000 total Maiden fans. You guys were FANTASTIC I can tell you.
The gig went great, although I made a ?Kin massive mistake right on the first song. ?Kin marvellous!!!! I went to come out of the second solo in ?Murders? a whole bar too soon and made the guys work to keep it together, but after that it all settled down and we blazed through the rest of the set with renewed passion.
It really was great to be back on stage with me mates, rocking with some of the best classic tunes from our past.
The set worked fairly well in its running order, but as usually is the case, we?re fine tuning that as we go. We find that we will have to change a song, or where it is in the set, just to make things flow a wee bit more.
Well, after the show we headed back to the hotel and then met in the bar. We all felt that the crowd made the night for us as we all had a few problems through the evening. Nothing to severe but just a wee bit below par so to speak. Well, it was our first gig!!!!!!!!!!

Thank you to all you crazy Billies out there in Prague.
You made our night!!!!!!!!!!


Well, I?m in me hotel room in Graz at this present time.

(7:30pm 30th May)

I did however write a wee bit of the diary on the plane from Katowice in Poland.

We played there last night and man was it fantastic. A brilliant evening was had and delivered.
We had made a change to the running order of the set but it still needs a wee tune up so to speak.
We hit the stage at 9:30 and had a great night. We played a lot tighter than the night before and were very happy with the way we all played.
The crowd were absolutely nuts. At one time towards the end of the evening they were chanting out something SSSOOO load, for so long that it sent a goose bump up me back.
We later found out that it meant THANK YOU!!!!!!
What a buzz I can tell you!!!!
27000 Polish fans singing with us and chanting things, it was truly a momentous evening.
After the show we went back to the hotel and met in the bar for a wee nightcap.
Dragonforce joined us; they had opened the show for us.
Nice bunch of chaps they are as well!!!
After a couple of glasses of Ducru I went to me bed.
Thank you to all of our friends in Poland for making us so welcome as usual. You are very special to Maiden.
THANK YOU ALL so much.


Well, as a lot of you will probably know West Ham United had there premiership final against Preston North End today!
Our Austrian promoter had set up a sports bar in Graz for us to watch the match this afternoon. We made it in time for kick off.
Most of our English crew turned up so it was a real party atmosphere I can tell you!
Harry was on tender hooks all day about it.
We settled in with a beer and pizza and watched the match unfold.
Brilliant it was as well.
No score in the first half but West Ham were definitely all over Preston.
Into the second half and Zamora put a blinding goal into Prestons net, 1-nil then.
It stayed that way for the duration. Great game and a great sigh of relief from Harry when they blew the final whistle.
After that there was revelry and celebration. Well deserved.
I?m very happy for WHU that they are back in the Premiership.
So tomorrow should bring a renewed vigour to the proceedings, don?t ya think??????????????

Well, it?s time for me dinner now.
It?s wonderful to be back on the road again and a pleasure to be doing me diaries.
Hope you enjoy
God Bless you all.
Stay safe and well.
Love
~Nicko~

Iron Maiden, 29/05/2005, Chorzow, Silesia Stadium (Mystic Festival)
(+ DragonForce, Frontside, Primal Fear, Behemoth, Kreator, Nightwish)

"We salute you, Poland!"

The setlist:
1. Ides Of March
2. Murders in the Rue Morgue
3. Another Life
4. Prowler
5. The Trooper
6. Remember Tomorrow
7. Run to the Hills
8. Charlotte the Harlot
9. Revelations
10. Where Eagles Dare
11. Die With Your Boots On
12. Phantom of the Opera
13. The Number of the Beast
14. Hallowed Be Thy Name
15. Iron Maiden
16. Running Free
17. Drifter
18. Sanctuary

According to a post at MaidenFans.com, IRON MAIDEN will be releasing a new CD single, "The Trooper", this summer. It's already certain that it will be released in Spain this month ahead of the Lorca Rock festival, with other territories to follow.

The first song one the single is the orginal tune from the "Piece of Mind" album (1983), in celebration of the band's current "Early Days" tour. The second track is a live recording of that same song made in 2003, in anticipation to the release of the forthcoming "Death on the Road" DVD, slated to hit stores shelves on August 29.


(http://www.maidenfans.com/forum/uploads/post-202-1117666979_thumb.jpg)

BLACK SABBATH fans have launched a petition to ask BLACK SABBATH founding members Tony Iommi, Ozzy Osbourne, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward to consider the possibility of recording a live, acoustic album. The text of the petition reads as follows:

"We, BLACK SABBATH fans, are humbly asking you to consider the possibility of recording a live, acoustic album. Not only would an 'unplugged' album be a wonderful opportunity to re-visit (and breathe some new life into) some BLACK SABBATH classics, but it would allow Mr. Osbourne to perform on a successful live album while avoiding the vocal strain that may have contributed to Ozzy's debilitating bronchitis on last year's BLACK SABBATH tour. Many of us agree that we would love to hear acoustic renditions of (among others) SABBATH classics such as 'Lord of this World', 'Scary Dreams', 'Electric Funeral', and 'Behind the Wall of Sleep' and we would be greatly honored if you would take our suggestion into consideration."

Rock AM Ring Setlist

0) The Ides of March (tape) 8:49
1) Murders in the Rue Morgue 10:29
2) Another Life 13:57
3) Prowler 17:35
4) The Trooper 21:57
5) Remember Tomorrow 27:45
6) Where eagles dare 34:09
7) Run to the hills 39:21
8) Revelations 43:32
9) Wrathchild 49:43
10) Die with your boots on 52:42
11) Phantom Of The Opera 58:27
12) The Number Of The Beast 1:07:05
13) Hallowed Be Thy Name 1:12:02
14) Iron Maiden 1:19:40
---
15) Running Free 1:28:34
16) Drifter 1:35:47
17) Sanctuary 1:40:28

does it annoy you how hardly anyone replies to you on here anymore except myself?

Can you tell me the current line up of black label society please and the current line up of ozzys solo group.

Yes lol..But im sure lots of people read it and im sure id get more replesi if it was in a different thread

BLACK SABBATH warmed up for their upcoming European tour (which kicks off June 9 in Dortmund, Germany) Monday night (June 6) in front of 1,000 lucky fans at the Aylesbury Civic Centre in the United Kingdom. The group's setlist was as follows:

01. NIB
02. After Forever
03. War Pigs
04. Dirty Women
05. Fairies Wear Boots
06. Symptom of the Universe / Sweet Leaf / Electric Funeral
07. Iron Man
08. Into the Void
09. Black Sabbath
10. The Wizard
11. Sabbath Bloody Sabbath / Paranoid
12. Sleeping Village / Children of the Grave

BLACK SABBATH have been confirmed as the headliners of this year's Ozzfest beginning on July 15 in Mansfield, Massachusetts.

Hey it's good news to see that Prodigal son its going to be release soon and be singing by Bruc?, The tracklist it's awsome I've never heard Where eagles dare live so it's gonna be a mack  ;D. Can't wait for more Maiden concerts. I think that its good news that Roy Z colaborates with Maiden, he's such a great producer and maybe he can bring maiden another vision of music just like BD uses in his records.  :peace:

Launch Radio Networks reports: With his second movie, "The Devil's Rejects", opening in July and a new studio album still to be completed, you might think Rob Zombie has enough on his plate. But instead, Zombie is also headlining the second stage of Ozzfest 2005. The rocker-turned-filmmaker told Launch why he decided to spend his summer on the road. "The timing was good, because the movie will be completely done," he said. "There'll be nothing more to do and I'll have enough time where I wouldn't jump into the next thing yet. And the main thing was just the idea of headlining second stage, is what really attracted me."

Ozzfest 2005 begins on July 15 in Mansfield, Massachusetts.

Written and directed by Zombie, "The Devil's Rejects" is a loose sequel to his 2003 directorial debut, "House Of 1000 Corpses". The film opens in theatres on July 22.

Zombie recently told Rolling Stone that he'll finish his new album this fall after Ozzfest is over. Among the people who have played on the record so far are LIMP BIZKIT guitarist Wes Borland, M?TLEY CR?E drummer Tommy Lee and A PERFECT CIRCLE drummer Josh Freese.

Subject: Tiny Warm-up Sabbath Gig
Date: Tue Jun 7, 2005

Hi Joe,

I hope you're finding fatherhood fun - sleepless nights and all that.

I've posted on the list more than once in the past moaning about the same-ness of the set list Sabbath play these days. I saw them at the reunion gig in Birmingham in 1999 and have seen them twice since that time. My moans culminated in my saying that I wouldn't be going again unless there was some new material etc... the same gripes a lot of readers have.

Last night Sabbath played a tiny venue in Aylesbury, England as a warm up to the three day Download festival this weekend at which they are headlining. This gig wasn't publicised at all and was only available to ticket holders for the Download festival and subscribers to a website that promotes extremely small venues in the home counties area of England. The capacity of the venue was 1,000 - all standing. There was no support band, just Ozzy, Tony, Geezer and Bill on stage.

They absolutely rocked. It was, again, a "greatest hits" set, but the intimacy of the venue made it superb. I was two rows away from the front and have never experienced such an awesome gig. All members of the band seemed to be having a blast, as did everyone at the event. Sabbath ripped through their set. They played Dirty Women, which they dropped from the set the last couple of times I saw them, but reduced Sabbath Bloody Sabbath to part of a montage which included part of Symptom of the Universe, which I haven't heard them play since they reformed.

They completely won me over. I feel privileged to have seen them at such a small venue, and doubt that I (or many others)will ever get to see them play such a small gig again. It was a superb night. My throat is sore, my neck aches and I've probably caught pneumonia from all the buckets of water Ozzy threw and I was hit with. Was it worth it? Absolutely.

Regards,

Steve Beach.

Christa L. Titus of Billboard.com has issued the following report:

Since the news broke in mid-May that WICKED WISDOM, the group fronted by actress Jada Pinkett Smith, will play at this year's Ozzfest, little has been heard about the act or how it landed such a coveted gig. But whatever its music sounds like, it convinced tour organizer Sharon Osbourne to put the band on the bill.

"I wasn't sure what to expect when I went to see Wicked Wisdom play last April in a tiny [Los Angeles] club at midnight," Osbourne says. "But let me tell you, I was blown away. When you see and hear Jada with her band it's apparent that she has nothing but love and respect for this genre of music. I totally respect that the band wants to pay their dues playing the second stage on Ozzfest."

WICKED WISDOM is writing all the material for its debut album, which it is co-producing with Ulrich Wild (P.O.D., INCUBUS, STATIC-X). The group is managed by James Lassiter and Miguel Melendez at Overbrook Entertainment, the production/management company owned by Pinkett Smith's actor/rapper husband, Will Smith.

Ozzfest isn't WICKED WISDOM's first high-profile gig: In April and May 2004 the act opened dates on the European leg of BRITNEY SPEARS' Onyx Hotel tour. A spokesperson for WICKED WISDOM says the group ? rounded out by Fish (drums), Pocket (guitar), Rio (bass) and Korel (guitar/keyboards) ? is "locked down" in a studio recording the album.

Photos from SABBATH's warm-up show for their European tour, which took place Monday night (June 6) in front of 1,000 lucky fans at the Aylesbury Civic Centre in the United Kingdom.
(http://www.black-sabbath.com/gallery/albums/060605/Sabbath_19.sized.jpg)
(http://www.black-sabbath.com/gallery/albums/060605/Sabbath_29.sized.jpg)
(http://www.black-sabbath.com/gallery/albums/060605/Sabbath_43.sized.jpg)
(http://www.black-sabbath.com/gallery/albums/060605/Sabbath_48.sized.jpg)
(http://www.black-sabbath.com/gallery/albums/060605/IMG_2630_1.jpg)

 June 9, 2005
Westfalenhalle 1
Dortmund, Germany

SET LIST

   1. NIB
   2. After Forever
   3. War Pigs
   4. Dirty Women
   5. Fairies Wear Boots
   6. Symptom of the Universe / Sweet Leaf / Electric Funeral
   7. Iron Man
   8. Into the Void
   9. Black Sabbath
  10. The Wizard
  11. Sabbath Bloody Sabbath / Paranoid
  12. Children of the Grave (as encore)

Hi,

Last night I saw Black Sabbath at the Westfalenhalle in Dortmund, Germany. It was my third Sabbath gig with original line-up. The concert was not completely sold out (standing area was), second ring at the arena was not used. But it was very busy. Support act was really a "throw-away" band, I really don't like Soulfly.

Sabbath played the same setlist as at the warm-up gig earlier this week, with exception of the Sleeping Village part at the encore. I have to say that Symptom..., Sweet Leaf and Sabbath bloody Sabbath were really only snippets that were played (sadley). During Into The Void Ozzy sang a part of Electric Funural, Geezer sarted laughing immediatly, that was really funny, Ozzy was looking as if he wanted to say "What's wrong"... During the concert there was a photographer running around and shooting pictures, these will show up in the future Ozzfest tour program I think. Was a very good show! The band looked good. 90 minutes show (including intro tape). Best regards,
John Gerritsen
Netherlands

Good to see some additions to last year's set.  Sad to see Snowblind gone, but if they play The Wizard when they come to Jersey I'll piss my pants.  Definitely my all-time favorite Sabbath tune.

Rob Zombie recently spoke to Ain't It Cool News about "The Devil's Rejects", the follow up to Zombie's gritty, violent smash horror hit, "House of 1000 Corpses". A couple of excerpts from the interview follow:

Ain't It Cool News: I liked how you felt free to play around with some of the elements of the first film. And you didn't feel the need to present them in exactly the same way. For example, the house. The actual "house of 1000 corpses". It's not even the same type of fa?ade as the one in the first film, is it?

Rob Zombie: "It's a totally different house in a totally different location. The first house in the first film is kind of a cooler looking house. This house is a much more ordinary looking farmhouse, but the location of the other house is terrible for shooting at. There's not enough land around it and I wanted to shoot this big scene with all these police cars coming in. I knew that the other location wouldn't work at all. So that's why I had to find a new place to shoot it."

Ain't It Cool News: I love the freedom you chose to embrace with aspects of the film like that. It seemed you were willing to say, if I feel like changing something, I will.

Rob Zombie: "I just figured they were two separate films. There's no sense nit-picking and sticking to a point just for continuity sake. I usually made choices based on what would made the film better. The character that probably mutated the most from the first film is Otis. And I just thought that, given the way I wanted to shoot this film and the vibe of it, the character from the first film would just look... stupid and be laughable. He had to be changed in order to fit into the new world I was creating."

Ain't It Cool News: Last night I had a friend over and we watched a double-feature of "House of 1000 Corpses' and "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Part 2". The first two "Chainsaw" films are a specific example of a filmmaker who felt totally free to do quite a bit of reinvention the second time out. There are some elements of "Corpses" that are reminiscent of "Chainsaw 2", and I wonder what feelings you have about Tobe Hooper's choices with his sequel. He really went out there in reinvented much of the "Saw" mythology.

Rob Zombie: "(Long pause) It's funny. He did sort of kind the exact opposite of what I did. His first film is very real and his second film becomes more cartoonish. My first film is more cartoonish and my second film became real. They're exactly the opposite. I know as a fan it can be upsetting because when 'Chainsaw 2' came out and I went to see it the day it opened, I went expecting to pick up where I left off with the other film. And I was kind of shocked to see that the tone was lighter and a lot goofier... campier than the first film."

Ain't It Cool News: I hadn't put that together, that you guys are doing the exact same thing but reversed.

Rob Zombie: "I never thought of it until the second you said it, either. It wasn't like a conscious thing. I just, in general, think that sequels are a tricky game. And for me to even want to do this movie, I didn't want to make the same movie again at all. So that's why in order for me to even be inspired to make another movie with these characters, I had to dig deeper and make them real people you'd want to watch. Not just walking catchphrases. That's why Captain Spaulding... there's a brief moment of him with the clown makeup, and I was like, we gotta get rid of that, because he's never gonna be a real character in any moment of this movie if he's the horror icon that's on t-shirts and Bobbleheads."

 In a recent interview with the BBC Radio 1 Rock Show, BLACK SABBATH guitarist Tony Iommi revealed that the SABBATH show at Donington Park (Download Festival) in Derbyshire, U.K. was filmed for an upcoming DVD release. No further information is currently available.

IRON MAIDEN fan site MaidenFans.com has uploaded the cover artwork for MAIDEN's forthcoming greatest hits album "The Essential Iron Maiden".
(http://forum.maidenfans.com/index.php?act=Attach&type=post&id=431)

 The track listing has been finalized for the Ozzfest 2005 summer sampler. The CD will be available at the Ozzfest Summer Sampler tent for free, and as a consolation prize in the Village of the Damned at any of the game booths.

Ozzfest 2005 summer sampler track listing:

OZZY OSBOURNE ? "21st Century Schizoid Man"
TONY IOMMI ? "Dopamine"
GZR - "Pardon My Depression"
A DOZEN FURIES ? "The Everlasting Grudge"
THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER ? "A Vulger Picture"
THE HAUNTED ? "No Compromise"
IT DIES TODAY ? "Freak Gasoline Fight Accident"
SOILWORK ? "Stabbing The Drama"
ARCH ENEMY ? "Nemesis" (Rough Mix)
BRUCE DICKINSON ? "Tyranny of Souls"
GIZMACHI ? "The Answer"
BURY YOUR DEAD - 'The Color of Money'
IN FLAMES ? "My Sweet Shadow"
TRIVIUM ? "A Gunshot To The Head of Trepidation"
WICKED WISDOM ? "Something Inside of Me"

 The artwork for the IRON MAIDEN's upcoming "Death on the Road" live CD/DVD
(http://www.ironmaiden.com/media/images/IID00001935.jpg)

BLACK SABBATH performed at the Wiener Stadthalle in Vienna, Austria on Monday (June 20).
01. NIB
02. After Forever
03. War Pigs
04. Dirty Women
05. Fairies Wear Boots
06. Symptom of the Universe / Sweet Leaf / Electric Funeral
07. Iron Man
08. Into the Void
09. Black Sabbath
10. The Wizard
11. Sabbath Bloody Sabbath
12. Paranoid

Encore
13. Children of the Grave
(http://www.therockradio.com/black_sabbath468.jpg)

Awesome set...I'm so happy they're finally playing different stuff.  Also they're playing a longer set too.  Do you know if they're playing all of Sabbath Bloody Sabbath or just the beginning as an intro to Paranoid like they did last year?  I'd love to hear some stuff off of SBS.

I belive there just playing the intro to Paranoid

BLACK SABBATH's Tony Iommi (guitar) and Geezer Butler (bass) will tape an appearance on MTV2's "Headbanger's Ball" when they are in New York next month during their Ozzfest tour. The show will be broadcast on Saturday, July 23 at 10:00 p.m.

As previously reported, Iommi and Butler will be the featured guests on the nationally syndicated radio show "Rockline" airing Wednesday, July 20. The live show begins at 8:30 p.m. PT / 11:30 p.m. ET, and fans are encouraged to call in with questions during the program at (800) 344-ROCK (7625).

 June 29, 2005
T-Mobile Arena
Prague, Czech Republic

SET LIST
Intro
NIB
After Forever
Fairies Wear Boots
Dirty Women
Symptomn Of The Universe/Sweet Leaf
Electric Funneral
War Pigs
Into To Void
Iron Man
Black Sabbath
The Wizard
Sleeping Village/Paranoid
Children Of The Grave
Outro:Changes
(http://www.black-sabbath.com/gallery/albums/062905/P1010062.sized.jpg)

Electric Funeral and After Forever?  That's friggin' sweet.  Still nothin off Sabbath Bloody Sabbath though.

SOILWORK vocalist Bj?rn "Speed" Strid has posted the following message on the group's official web site:

"I've just come home from Germany. Been very busy lately, first the recording of TERROR 2000, and then the recording with Thomen from BLIND GUARDIAN, and as you probably know, we have done festivals in between with SOILWORK at Graspop and Fury Fest. Both of the festivals were fucking amazing, a lot of people and great response! A big thanx to all the people who made it a memorable experience!

"Had the chance to check out some good bands as well. I saw SLAYER from stage (man, Mr. Lombardo is in amazing shape, fucking great!!), I saw a few songs with SYSTEM OF A DOWN which was also very cool. I also had the chance to talk to the guys from MASTODON, really nice guys! Later that evening I got pretty shitfaced and hooked up with the drummer from MASTODON and we sung some falsetto KING DIAMOND hits from the 'Abigail' album. I tell you, the drummer has a pretty descent falsetto he he...

"Anyways, Ozzfest is around the corner, just ten days until we're heading off to the States... Can't wait to start doing the rock 'n' roll circus.. I can assure you that we'll blow your minds away, we have selected the perfect 20-minute set for you guys (it was really hard though?) To me it seems like a perfect mix..."

SOILWORK are touring in support of their latest CD, "Stabbing the Drama", available now on Nuclear Blast Records. The follow-up to 2003's "Figure Number Five" was recorded at Fascination Street studios in ?rebro and Dug-Out Productions in Uppsala, Sweden with producer Daniel Bergstrand (MESHUGGAH, IN FLAMES, STUCK MOJO).

This is the cover of The DVD Death on Road.

(http://usera.imagecave.com/herwindo/IID00001935.jpg)

I won you malcom  : ok:

Already posrted this a few pages back

Yeah I feel so embarrassed  :-[

Launch Radio Networks reports: Ozzy Osbourne is gearing up for his annual Ozzfest heavy metal caravan, which begins next Friday at the Tweeter Center in Mansfield, Massachusetts. Osbourne will headline the shows with his band BLACK SABBATH, while IRON MAIDEN moves in to the next-to-last spot on the bill that JUDAS PRIEST had last summer. You can be sure Osbourne will be ready musically, but he told Launch that some of the other details about the tour escape him. "Don't ask me the day, 'cause I, I don't even know what day it is now, you know?" he said. "But yeah, we're doing the Ozzfest. It's our 10th year, and I, I can't believe how quickly the time has gone by, you know? IRON MAIDEN are doing some gigs, VELVET REVOLVER are doing some gigs ? don't ask me about the other, other bands, 'cause it, it, it...."

Ozzfest 2005 wraps up after a September 4 gig in West Palm Beach, Florida.

BLACK SABBATH bassist Geezer Butler recently spoke to Canada's Chart Attack about the rehearsals for a big SABBATH tour this summer, one that will perch the band at the top of Ozzfest, but also take them beyond into regular dates, hopefully with a longer, more adventurous setlist.

At the time of the interview, the first meeting on SABBATH's stage plans had not yet taken place. Commented Butler: "No, not yet. The last I heard, Tony's [Iommi] in New York promoting his album. I don't know what Ozzy's [Osbourne] doing. I think Ozzy's doing all the talk shows or something [laughs]. So we haven't actually sat down and talked about the setlists. I just hope it's going to be different this time."

Regarding the possibility of a new SABBATH studio album being released, Butler said, "I'd only make it if it was really good. I mean, we've got like six or seven songs, three of which I consider pretty good. To put an album out we've got a lot to live up to. I think the way we did it last time [note: for the album 'Reunion', which featured two new songs] was all wrong. We were sort of locked in a studio for two months and told to come up with a new SABBATH album; it doesn't work like that."

On the subject of being the main person to lean upon to come up with lyrics, Butler said, "I can only write lyrics when I feel I have the subject matter to write about. I mean, I've got used to the way I do it in GZR. I just like, write a set of words, and let the vocalist sort through it and let him fit it to his vocal line. Versus Ozzy; he likes the words to fit exactly to what he's singing.

"I mean, I think we're all desperate to do new stuff," Geezer said of the thorny subject of the SABBATH live setlist. "But Mr. Osbourne won't do it. We're dying to do new stuff. I'm almost dreading playing the same 10 songs again, so hopefully we're going to talk Ozzy into doing some things."

BLACK SABBATH members Tony Iommi (guitar) and Geezer Butler (bass) are said to be planning a joint North American tour this fall in support of their respective solo releases. The trek will take place after BLACK SABBATH finish headlining the 10th anniversary Ozzfest tour and will follow a run of SABBATH's post-Ozzfest U.S. headlining dates with BLACK LABEL SOCIETY as support.

Butler's first album in eight years, "Ohmwork" was released in May via Sanctuary Records. His first project under the GZR banner was 1995's "Plastic Planet" while 1997's "Black Science" was credited to GEEZER. Guitarist Pedro Howse has worked on all three Butler solo band albums, while vocalist Clark Brown performed on "Black Science" and also appears on the new CD. The group's latest addition is drummer Chad Smith (not the RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS man).

BLACK SABBATH guitarist Tony Iommi's new solo album, "Fused", is scheduled for release on July 12 via Sanctuary.

Joining Iommi on "Fused" is former DEEP PURPLE vocalist/bass guitarist Glenn Hughes and former JOHN MELLENCAMP drummer Kenny Aronoff, who has also played sessions with the likes of THE ROLLING STONES, BOB DYLAN, ROD STEWART, ALICE COOPER, BOB SEGER, LYNYRD SKYNYRD and countless others. The CD cover was designed by U.K.-based designer Hugh Gilmour, who has previously worked on covers for BLACK SABBATH, DEEP PURPLE, IRON MAIDEN, MOT?RHEAD, DAVID BOWIE and THE BEATLES, among others.

AS I LAY DYING guitarist Nick Hipa and SHADOWS FALL frontman Brian Fair spoke to the Boston Herald about their participation in this year's Ozzfest, which kicks off Friday (July 15) in Mansfield, MA.

"I have to admit I'm kind of intimidated by some of the talent on that stage every day,'' said Hipa. "But I'm honored we're playing with BLACK SABBATH and IRON MAIDEN. IRON MAIDEN, they're one of the bands that are larger than life."

"It's insane," Fair said of the opportunity to play this year's festival. "We feel like it's cool because we had the graduation thing with Ozzfest. We had the side stage (last year) and that propelled us to the next level. For them to honor that and give us this slot, is amazing."

For Fair, the fact that Ozzfest is kicking off in his Bay State backyard makes the thrill just a little bit sweeter.

"We're just stoked to be part of it," he said. "We see this as an opportunity that a million bands would kill for, so we're just going to come out and destroy it every night. Forget about the seats. It's time to just get up and have a good time."

ALL SETLISTS, SETIMES,PICTURES AND REVIEWS WILL BE POSTED SATURDAY MORNING

 The set times for the first two Ozzfest dates have been officially released. They are as follows:

July 15 - Mansfield, MA @ Tweeter Center for the Performing Arts:

Second Stage:

WICKED WISDOM - 9:10-9:30am
GIZMACHI - 9:35-9:55am
SOILWORK - 10:00-10:20am
IT DIES TODAY - 10:25-10:45am
ARCH ENEMY - 10:50-11:10am
TRIVIUM - 11:15-11:35am
THE BLACK DALIA MURDER - 11:40am-12:00pm
A DOZEN FURIES - 12:05-12:35pm
MASTODON - 12:40-1:10pm
THE HAUNTED - 1:15-1:35pm
BURY YOUR DEAD - 1:40-2:00pm
AS I LAY DYING - 2:05-2:35pm
KILLSWITCH ENGAGE - 2:40-3:20pm
ROB ZOMBIE - 3:35-4:35pm

Main Stage:

IN FLAMES - 4:35-4:55pm
BLACK LABEL SOCIETY - 5:05-5:45pm
SHADOWS FALL - 5:55-6:35pm
MUDVAYNE - 6:45-7:35pm
IRON MAIDEN - 8:00-9:10pm
BLACK SABBATH - 9:30-11:00pm

July 17 - Hartford, CT @ New England Dodge Music Center:

Second Stage:

BURY YOUR DEAD - 9:20am
WICKED WISDOM - 9:45am
GIZMACHI - 10:10am
SOILWORK - 10:35am
IT DIES TODAY - 11:00am
ARCH ENEMY - 11:25am
TRIVIUM - 11:50am
THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER - 12:15pm
THE HAUNTED - 12:40pm
A DOZEN FURIES - 1:05pm
MASTODON - 1:40pm
AS I LAY DYING - 2:15pm
KILLSWITCH ENGAGE - 2:50pm
ROB ZOMBIE - 3:45pm

Main Stage:

IN FLAMES - 4:35pm
BLACK LABEL SOCIETY - 5:05pm
SHADOWS FALL - 5:55pm
MUDVAYNE - 6:45pm
IRON MAIDEN - 8:05pm
BLACK SABBATH - 9:30pm

Launch Radio Networks reports: The members of BLACK SABBATH are getting ready for this year's Ozzfest, which kicks off today (Friday, July 15) at the Tweeter Center in Mansfield, Massachusetts. SABBATH have headlined the day-long traveling festival a couple of times now, and they've usually done the same songs. With this being the 10th anniversary of Ozzfest, guitarist Tony Iommi told Launch that he wants to play some different material this time out: "I said to Ozzy, 'We've gotta change the set this time, you know?' 'Yeah yeah yeah yeah!' I would have liked to (have) wrote a couple of new songs and put them in, but we're not gonna have the time to do that now. We're definitely gonna change the set, though."

This year's second-billed act is IRON MAIDEN, and the tour also includes performances from ROB ZOMBIE, MUDVAYNE, SHADOWS FALL, and BLACK LABEL SOCIETY. VELVET REVOLVER will take IRON MAIDEN's place on the last seven shows of the tour.

Ozzy Osbourne spoke this week to Steve Morse of the Boston Globe about the 10th anniversary of Ozzfest, which is scheduled to kick off today in Mansfield, MA. Several excerpts from the interview follow:

''I was saying to my wife Sharon, 'How long is Ozzfest going to go on?' And Sharon said, 'Darling, believe me, we'll know.' But why end something that people still want to see? It's not like there's just three people in the audience."

On whether he chooses the bands:

''My son and wife do all that. I just go out and play. And as I'm getting older, my stage fright is getting worse. But I just have a cup of coffee before I go on stage. I have no choice but to get on with it and give my best."

On the accident in his all-terrain vehicle at his English estate last year:

"I was in a coma . . . and also severed nerves in my left shoulder. They put me back together again, and it's a [expletive] miracle that I'm talking to you. I used to think I was invincible, but I don't think that anymore."

On quitting drinking alcohol the spring of last year:

"[It] just didn't work for me anymore. I never liked the taste of booze. I just liked the effect. But I'm not a goody-two-shoes now. I'm still [expletive] crazy."

On the end of his family's MTV reality show, "The Osbournes", after a four-year run:

"So much happened good and bad with that. My kids ended up junkies, and my drug and alcohol intake was worse than ever for a while, and my wife got cancer. Yet it was still the highest rated show (on MTV). But it was hard."

 According to The Boston Globe, ROB ZOMBIE is planning to phase out music in the next few years to concentrate on writing and directing horror films. His first feature, "House of 1000 Corpses", earned $15 million in theaters and another $45 million in DVD sales, he said. Zombie's second film, "The Devil's Rejects", comes out nationally July 22.

"My future is movies," Zombie told The Boston Globe. "The music is dwindling down, because you can't do both. There's just not enough time in your life. If you try to do both, both will suffer. So you've got to make the choice. . . . And it's a new challenge. I've been doing music nonstop for 20 years and now I'm just fired up about movies."

Zombie, who grew up in Haverhill, is not calling Ozzfest his farewell tour. He's nearly completed a new album ? with backup from Tommy Lee of M?TLEY CR?E, Josh Freese of A PERFECT CIRCLE, and Wes Borland of LIMP BIZKIT ? and may tour again to support that. Meanwhile, his band for Ozzfest includes guitarist John 5 (formerly with MARILYN MANSON) and drummer Tommy Cluefetos, who normally plays with ALICE COOPER.

Launch Radio Networks reports: As Ozzfest 2005 kicks off today in Mansfield, Massachusetts, former main stage performer ROB ZOMBIE will headline the festival's second stage for the first time. Zombie told Launch that getting close to the fans on the smaller second stage has been on his mind for a while. "That's been something I've wanted to do for like ? I remember I first mentioned that about three years ago to Ozzy, and he thought it was a crazy idea and he kept begging me not to do it," he said. "Even this year, they tried to get me back on the main stage, but I didn't want to do it. Ozzfest is a fun vibe, but you always feel like the second stage is having all the fun, 'cause main stage is a very uptight situation. Basically, you know, if I'm gonna do it, I want it to be fun."

Zombie's touring band this summer features former MARILYN MANSON guitarist John 5, longtime bassist Rob "Blasko" Nicholson and ex-ALICE COOPER drummer Tommy Clufetos.

The Ozzfest 2005 lineup also includes BLACK SABBATH, IRON MAIDEN, MUDVAYNE and, on the last eight dates, VELVET REVOLVER.

Zombie isn't supporting a new album this summer, but he is promoting his second effort as a screenwriter and director. His highly anticipated horror movie, "The Devil's Rejects", arrives in theatres on July 22.

 Webmaster Joe Siegler of the BLACK SABBATH fan site Black-Sabbath.com has issued the following update:

"In the last couple of days both the Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler websites have made announcements about meeting Tony and Geezer at Ozzfest shows. They will be signing copies of their new respective solo albums at a special booth on the Ozzfest grounds during an hour block each day on Ozzfest in the 'FYE' area.

"There's a few caveats for this autograph session you should be aware of, it applies to both of the guys. This text is taken from the Iommi.com site, as they've already written good text on this, there's no point in me reinventing the wheel on this. :)

"THE ONLY THING THAT TONY WILL BE SIGNING IS COPIES OF 'FUSED' PURCHASED ON SITE FROM THE FYE BOOTH ON THE DAY OF THE SHOW. We've already advised you not to bring any other Iommi or SABBATH CDs, and we'd like to clarify that items such as guitars or any other memorabilia or merchandise will not be signed either. Security will be extremely strict on the day, so please do not jeopardise either your chance, or anyone else's chance to meet Tony by trying to get extra items in. We want to make sure that as many people as possible get to say hi Tony at each show.

"This likewise goes for Geezer. The only thing that Geezer will be signing is copies of 'Ohmwork' bought at the FYE booth on the day of the show. After having a word with both camps about this, I've been advised to tell folks to please try and not 'sneak' stuff through, thinking it's just 'one small thing, it won't matter.' Security will be enforcing this issue hard, and if you try and circumvent it, there will be some unpleasantness from that. So to save everyone (particularly yourself) some hassle, please don't try and break the rules on this.

"Having said all that, I've been assured that Tony and Geezer are looking forward to meeting folks around the Ozzfest shows."

Launch Radio Networks reports: BLACK SABBATH will once again take the stage as headliners when the 10th annual Ozzfest kicks off today (Friday, July 15) at the Tweeter Center in Mansfield, Massachusetts. Frontman Ozzy Osbourne told Launch that doing these shows is somewhat easier on him than other concerts because the audience helps him out during the show: "They're all singing along with 'em (the songs), you know? It's an easy gig for me. I just point, point the mic into the audience, and they all sing, you know? It's 'Sing Along With Sabbath.'"

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 BLACK SABBATH:

N.I.B.
After Forever
War Pigs
Dirty Women
Medley (Sweet Leaf,Electric Funneral)
Iron Man
Into the Void
Black Sabbath
The Wizard
SBS/Paranoid
SLPVIL/Children of the Grave

IRON MAIDEN

Wrathchild
The Trooper
Phantom Of The Opera
Revelations
Run To The Hills
Hallowed Be Thy Name
The Number Of The Beast
Iron Maiden

Encore:

Running Free
Sanctuary

MUDVAYNE

Determined
Silenced
Death Blooms
Nothing To Gein
IMN
World So Cold
Forget To Remember
Happy?
Not Falling
Dig

SHADOWS FALL

Thoughts Without Words
Enlightened By The Cold
Stepping Outside The Circle
Inspiration On Demand
Destroyer Of Senses
What Drives The Weak

BLACK LABEL SOCIETY

Stoned And Drunk
Destruction Overdrive
13 Years Of Grief
Suicide Messiah
Fire It Up
Stillborn

IN FLAMES

Cloud Connected
Trigger
Pinball Map
The Quiet Place
My Sweet Shadow

ROB ZOMBIE

Superbeast
Super Charger Heaven
Demonoid Phenomenon
More Human Than Human
Living Dead Girl
Demon Speeding
Dead Girl Superstar
Thunderkiss '65
Dragula

KILLSWITCH ENGAGE

A Bid Farewell
Take This Oath
Fixation On The Darkness
The End Of Heartache
Numbered Days
My Last Serenade
Life To Lifeless
Rose Of Sharyn

AS I LAY DYING

Meaning In Tragedy
94 Hours
Falling Upon Deaf Ears
Through Struggle
Empty Hearts
Elegy
Forever

THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER

Built For Sin
I'm Charming
A Vulgar Picture
Contagion
Miasma
Funeral Thirst


MASTODON

Iron Tusk
March of the Fire Ants
Where Strides The Behemoth
Mother Puncher
Aqua Dementia
Megalodon
Blood and Thunder

TRIVIUM

Rain
Ascendancy
Gunshot to the Head of Trepidation
Pull Harder on the Strings of Your Martyr
Like Light to Flies

ARCH ENEMY

Silent Wars
Nemesis
Dead Eyes See No Future
We Will Rise
Ravenous

SOILWORK

Stabbing the Drama
Figure Number Five
Nerve
As We Speak

BURY YOUR DEAD

Losin' It (Part 1)
Top Gun
Vanilla Sky
Mission Impossible
Eyes Wide Shut
The Colour of Money
Magnolia
Losin' It (Part 2)

THE HAUNTED

All Against All
99
DOA
Bury Your Dead

IT DIES TODAY

My Promise
Severed Ties Yields Severed Heads
Threnody for Modern Romance
Freak Gasoline Fight Accident

ROB ZOMBIE recently spoke to the Poughkeepsie Journal about his upcoming film, "The "Devil's Rejects", and his headlining stint on the second stage of this year's Ozzfest, which kicked off yesterday in Mansfield, MA. Several excerpts from the interview follow:

On his first film, "House of 1000 Corpses", being dropped by both Universal and MGM before being picked up by Lions Gate Films:

"These decisions aren't made on what's best for the movie. It's what's best for marketing."

On whether watering down the constant and sadistic violence in "The "Devil's Rejects" was an option:

"If this was watered down, what would we be watching? It'd be ridiculous. I want to do films my own way for what I think fits."

On his current concert tour:

"There are no big props or otherworldly atmospheres this time. The show has been stripped down to make it more interesting.

"I just wanted to do a scaled-back sort of thing. We used to have these massive stage shows where suddenly it's like Siegfried & Roy. I've seen huge acts, like KISS and ALICE COOPER, in a situation where there's nothing. It's 10 times more interesting."

On the direction of the music industry and being angered at the thought of bands being "thrown away" if they can't score a quick buck:

"The music industry made this horrible shift five or six years ago. Like movies, it became about a record's opening week. That's not the way music should function. The labels have no artist development and the bands become total failures."

On THE RAMONES being a big influence for Zombie early on:

"THE RAMONES are everything. They were the reason I wanted a band. They were true to what they were. For me, you can't think of New York and not think of THE RAMONES."

IRON MAIDEN frontman Bruce Dickinson spoke to The Morning Call about the group's participation in this year's Ozzfest, which kicked off Friday (July 15) in Mansfield, MA. Several excerpts from the interview follow:

''This is probably the first and last chance that anybody will ever have to see IRON MAIDEN in America doing these songs, because there will be another IRON MAIDEN album out next year. We'll be doing some new stuff after that. There will be more tours subsequently, but we'll probably never again get a chance to play so many songs from the first four albums, and in particular from the first two."

On the group's decision to play Ozzfest:

"We didn't want to do a headlining tour to the same older audiences that show up every time we go into the sheds [the nickname for outdoor amphitheaters]. We wanted to get an audience that was going to be ? basically 15-year-old kids with attitudes who are really into metal and keeping the music alive, as opposed to an audience who had been like that, but have now grown up, gotten respectable, and just remembered the band from the early days.

"In Europe we play mainly to audiences who are all under the age of 25. In America, I'd say the average age of the audience is 30-plus. That's not great for us. And it's also not great for young kids who come to see the band in sheds because they end up sandwiched between a bunch of fat old men drinking beer and eating hot dogs, and the kids are like 'Shouldn't we be really rocking?' So what we want is the Ozzfest vibe, which I think is much closer to the audiences we play to in Europe. That's the audience we want to impress, really."

On his new solo album, "Tyranny of Souls":

"I thought we could have a bit more confidence, that we could branch out a little bit on this album [and] still sound very heavy. That was the key. I had to wait until I felt confident about saying, 'Yup, this is what we're going to do on this new record,' rather than, 'Oh my God, I don't know what we're going to do on this record to cope with the legacy of 'Chemical Wedding'."

This is a cool thread, gets me psyched for Tuesday! Thank you! : ok:

IN FLAMES bassist Peter Iwers has posted the following message on the group's official web site:

"Hey, all! We just started this whole roundtrip with the Ozzfest and the first show was yesterday! Wow, we really had a blast , I'm really looking forward to the next shows as well...

"I was a bit worried that people wouldn't get over to our stage in time, but once we hit the stage I was fine, everybody seemed to know about the fact that we'll start a few minutes early on every Ozzfest and got over from the second stage in time for our show....great crowd too!!!

 According to DROWNING POOL's web site, the band will be making a one-off appearance at this year's Ozzfest on August 25 at the Smirnoff Music Center in Dallas, Texas. The band will perform on the main stage in front of their hometown crowd in what promises to be the group's debut live appearance with their new singer, whose identity has yet to be revealed.

DROWNING POOL in June officially confirmed the departure of vocalist Jason "Gong" Jones less than two years after officially bringing him into the band. Jones has since teamed up with ex-STILL NAIVE guitarist Rob Dehaven and CANVAS members Clint Campbell (guitars and voice), Dean Andrews (drums) and Kenny Harrleson (bass) in the newly christened Orlando, Florida rock band A.M. CONSPIRACY.

Manager Paul Bassman told Launch Radio Networks that while DROWNING POOL was "very proud" of the album the band made with Jones, 2004's "Desensitized", the relationship with the vocalist "just didn't work out."

Bassman said the new singer was "really good" and someone the band had wanted when they first set out to replace original vocalist Dave Williams nearly two years ago (one rumored candidate is said to be former SOIL frontman Ryan McCombs).

ARCH ENEMY frontwoman Angela Gossow has posted the following message on the band's official web site:

"Here we are in Hartford today, played the first 2 Ozzfest gigs and a truly amazing headline show in Montreal, last night on the 16th of July.

"Montreal ? you guys and girls are simply pure fucking metal!!! Thanx again for the great support, the packed club and the frenetic response! You are the best!

"Ozzfest is going really well for us, great crowd response so far ? and this at an ungodly, way too early time in the morning. The signings at the FYE and J?germeister tents are overwhelming. Great to see so many fans there!

"Tomorrow we will play another off day headline show in Burlington VT. THE HAUNTED and THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER will be supporting us. Make sure you don?t miss out on a night of raging metal if you live around there, crazy fuckers!"

Even as his second feature film, "The Devil's Rejects," is due to open Friday (July 22) in U.S. theaters, Rob Zombie is thrilling fans with a summer return to his music career. The hard rock artist-turned-filmmaker has a second-stage slot on the Ozzfest 2005 tour, which kicked off last week in Boston.

"Really, the movie was done and this just was something to get away," Zombie tells Billboard.com. "Had Ozzfest come up a couple of weeks earlier, I wouldn't have been able to do it because I would have been still working on the film. But now, my summer is wide open so rather than just sit around and do nothing, I thought it would be just basically fun."

Zombie doesn't discount the promotional benefits of touring with Ozzfest at the same time his latest horror film is in theaters. "Oh yeah, of course," he says. "It provides me with a really great outlet that most people wouldn't have. There is in a sense I think the fans of Ozzfest are definitely the same people who would go to see a horror movie."

Despite having a new album nearly completed and due out in early 2006, Zombie is avoiding any unreleased material onstage, instead focusing on his solo and White Zombie past. Purposely choosing the chaotic setting of the second stage area over a main stage performance offer, Zombie is dusting off such obscure material as White Zombie's "Electric Head" and "Blood, Milk and Sky," which have not been performed in more than a decade.

Zombie's last studio album was 2001's "The Sinister Urge" (Geffen/Interscope), which debuted at No. 8 on The Billboard 200. The set, which spawned top 15 singles in "Feel So Numb" (No. 10), "Never Gonna Stop" (No. 11) and "Demon Speedbag" (No. 13) on Billboard's Mainstream Rock chart, has sold more than 1 million copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

His 2003 career retrospective "Past, Present & Future," also featured the previously unreleased songs "Girl on Fire" and "Two-Lane Blacktop," the latter of which peaked at No. 39 on the Mainstream Rock tally.

Following a three-year hiatus from the concert stage -- during which he wrote and directed the 2003 film "House of 1000 Corpses," as well as "The Devil's Rejects" -- Zombie says his return to live performance has been gratifying. "It's great," he says. "The only thing I can relate it to is if you are an athlete and you haven't been able to play your sport for three years. That's what it's like getting back out, an experience that nothing else in normal life can ever replicate."

The nearly 40-year-old alternative metal visionary is packing in as many concerts over the next six weeks, including over a half a dozen solo dates during Ozzfest's off days.

"The headline show for fans is the best because we play the most material and it's a very stripped down show," Zombie says. "I've always found for myself as a fan of bands that have big shows, like Kiss or Alice Cooper, when I've seen them in a stripped down scenario, it's always become my favorite show because it's physically the most up close and personal you're ever going to get."

That said, Zombie's return to the stage appears to be short lived. With plans to begin his third feature film project in the fall, one he says will be decidedly different style than previous efforts, could this be his last tour?

"You never know," Zombie says. "There have been many tours where it felt like it may be the last tour so I can never predict that."

 On July 25, during a day off from performing on the second stage of Ozzfest, Grammy nominees KILLSWITCH ENGAGE will be playing a very special show at the Worcester Palladium that will be filmed for their first ever DVD. The Western Massachusetts quintet will be essentially playing to a hometown crowd for this event and bandmembers are excited to have this particular show captured for posterity.

"The show is going to be wicked cool," commented guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz. "Come on down and get immortalized in our DVD." With special guests AS I LAY DYING and ONCE BELOVED, the show will have a low ticket price of $5. The DVD will be directed by Lex Halaby (MUDVAYNE, CHIMAIRA) and will be released in November 2005.

KILLSWITCH ENGAGE are currently on Ozzfest supporting their sophomore Roadrunner Records release, "The End of Heartache", which has sold over 400,000 copies to date. On March 1, the album was re-released as a special two-disc version with six new/live tracks. Based on the strength of their latest radio singles, "The End of Heartache" and "Rose of Sharyn", and performances of those songs on "Jimmy Kimmel Live" and "Last Call with Carson Daly", the band's success has continued to grow rapidly.

 Swedish/German metallers ARCH ENEMY have posted the following message on their official web site:

"It's been a bad day today ? in the early hours of Tuesday morning (July 19) as the band were heading back to New Jersey from a successful off-day show in Burlington, VT, the bus broke down with transmission trouble. This had to get fixed properly which took some hours. Meantime, all efforts to get the band to the site on time to play their 2nd stage slot failed as there was just no way the distance could be covered in time, not even by plane.

"At the time of writing this the band are heading to the site to try and complete their signing and promotion commitments and hopefully they will at least be able to meet some of the fans who missed seeing them play today.

"Sincere apologies to all the fans at Camden, NJ who turned up today hoping to see ARCH ENEMY."

The Boston Globe is reporting that the wife of BLACK SABBATH frontman Ozzy Osbourne has Boston Herald editorial director Ken Chandler in her crosshairs after the newspaper once again ignored her ban on photos of the singer performing at Ozzfest. (Viewers of MTV's "The Osbournes" know Ozzy suffers from debilitating and potentially embarrassing body tremors.) After the Herald published a picture last year, Sharon was furious and called Chandler to complain. (He reportedly hung up on her.) Ozzfest publicist Shazila Mohammed said the Herald wasn't given photo access this year but still sneaked a shot of Ozzy into its Saturday paper. Chandler is on vacation, but managing editor Kevin Convey said yesterday, "No one is going to tell us what pictures we're going to put in the paper." Clear Channel, he said, has pulled the paper's remaining Tweeter Center summer review tickets.

The Philadelphia Inquirer has published several photos taken at yesterday's (July 19) Ozzfest stop in Camden, New Jersey. . An excerpt from David Hiltbrand's review of the day-long event follows:

"Some of the bands performing on the second stage are SOILWORK, TRIVIUM and MASTODON. HEAT PROSTRATION was a late, unannounced addition. EMS techs stand on the ramparts in front of the stage scanning the crowd for droppers.

"Fortunately, the Ozzfest audience gives up its dead. As soon as someone crumples to the ground, the body is lifted up and crowd-surfed, hand over hand, to the front to receive medical attention.

"Adam Riordan, 17, of Philadelphia, has retreated to the fringe of the crowd. 'I came for the mosh pit,' he says gingerly, 'but I got kicked in the mouth.'

"Ozzfest veterans like Joe Chernowski, 36, of Philadelphia, who is there with his wife, Joan, know you have to pace yourself. 'We may have to hide in the shade for a while if we're going to survive until tonight,' he says.

"Over the years, Chernowski has attended the festival in many cities, but he likes Camden best. 'I think it's killer that you have the city skyline as a backdrop,' he says. 'And the fans in Philly are pretty fanatical.'

"Shane Keen, 22, of Allentown, has taken refuge in the air-conditioned Tweeter lobby. He's dressed all in maroon, down to his spangly boots. His long, blond hair is braided.

"At the moment Keen is nursing his hurt feelings. One of the bands he came to see, ARCH ENEMY, just canceled. 'Their bus broke down,' he says bitterly. 'So far this isn't so good. The lineup was better last year, and it's way too hot.'

"The previous year was most memorable, of course, because the show's namesake, Ozzy Osbourne, bailed at the last minute. Krysta Kjelle, 19, of Edison, N.J., who travels with the show and works at a balloon-popping concession, recalls the aftermath.

"'We thought they were going to riot. We shut down all the booths and ran,' she says. 'But I love working Ozzfest. It's an awesome feeling meeting 30,000 people a day.'"

Deb Rao of Glam-Metal.com last Friday (July 15) conducted an exclusive interview with BLACK LABEL SOCIETY mainman Zakk Wylde. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow:

Glam-Metal.com: Zakk, I saw you perform with BLACK LABEL the past two nights, and your show was simply phenomenal. How is everything on Ozzfest going so far?

Zakk Wylde: "It's awesome. We are having a great time. I haven?t had the chance to see [IRON] MAIDEN or  SABBATH yet, because a lot of the times we have to get out of town real quick, right after our performance, because there is traveling. You know a lot of times people think you are hanging out, but you can't. But Ozzfest is cool, you meet a lot of great people. We have been signing at the FYE tent at whatever chapter of the BLACK LABEL that we are at, whether it is Hartford, Jersey, whatever. We have met a bunch of super-cool people that will be friends for life. That is always a bonus. After we're finished meeting people at whatever chapter we are at, I get a couple of minutes to warm up and get onstage and the next thing I know, we are back onstage again. Ozzfest just got started, at this point it's just before the machine blows wide open, and everyone knows what they are doing."

Glam-Metal.com: What exactly is "Suicide Messiah" about?

Zakk Wylde: "I actually wrote that song about Scott Weiland [VELVET REVOLVER, ex-STONE TEMPLE PILOTS]. A buddy of mine, who is one of my best friends, is like the Captain Shield of BLACK LABEL. He is a NYPD narcotics detective and ended up busting Scott. You know in certain parts of town, you know if you are down there, ya know what is going on, and he said, 'Dude this is Scott.' I love Scott, he is amazing. He is like 'Dude, I got a problem, and I gotta stop.' So that inspired me to write 'Bow Down, You Chose Your Maker, He Never Gives, He is always a taker, he is the Suicide Messiah.' Everyone I have ever know, I have never done that stuff in my life, always winds up dead or broke from doing that crap."

Glam-Metal.com: Yeah, I recently saw you perform at the WAAF beach party earlier this year, and you did a very heart moving tribute to Dimebag. Tell me about that special guitar that he had made for you.

Zakk Wylde: "Dime said, 'Zakk, I can't wait for you to see what I got you man.' I said, 'Christ, what did you get me now dude?' I was hoping he got me a 15-inch dildo to stick up my ass. (Laughs) He said, 'Well, it is not 15 inches, it is 22 inches.' I said, 'You know if that thing is under 15 inches, I ain't talking to you no more.' (Laughs) So I got this guitar, after he passed away and he never got to say, 'Dude, did you like it man,' and stuff like that."

Ed Masley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette earlier this week conducted an in-depth interview with Ozzy Osbourne. Several excerpts from the chat follow:

On BLACK SABBATH's enduring influence:

Ozzy: "When we first started writing music, we had no [bleeping] idea at that time that in the '80s, '90s, now 2005, that kids would look upon that as the [bleeping] Holy Grail. I still don't understand when people come up to me and go 'I'm not worthy' or whatever. I'm just baffled by it. And I'm not complaining at all, but when people tell me, 'Man, you were our biggest influence' and I go 'Which part?,' it's always the BLACK SABBATH thing. I mean, I was solo longer than BLACK SABBATH. I was 20 years solo and I was with SABBATH for 12 or something."

On the possibility of a new full-length studio recording with BLACK SABBATH:

Ozzy: "The truth of the matter is, we have tried on a couple of occasions, but when we originally wrote, we never tried. We just jammed, and it worked. It would take no time at all for us four to go in and make an album. What I'm trying to say here is, if it's not up to the same standard as when I left, why put out an album? I could do any [bleeping] thing and call it BLACK SABBATH. There's enough of them kind of albums out already, with the people who replaced me and Bill and Geezer along the way. In my opinion, it's gotta be better than anything we've ever done before. I'd love to do a 'Vol. 4' or 'Sabbath Bloody Sabbath' or 'Paranoid' or whatever. If it's meant to be, it's meant to be. But I refuse to do an album just for the sake of calling it 'BLACK SABBATH' with Tony Iommi, Bill Ward, Geezer Butler and myself and the album not being any [bleeping] good.

"I mean, BLACK SABBATH is a completely different animal than the BLACK SABBATH without me or an Ozzy Osbourne album. When we did those two songs for the reunion album, the review so rightly said 'One sounds like an Ozzy track and one sounds like a SABBATH-meets-Ozzy track,' because I've developed, I've changed. I'm not just the singer in the band anymore. I've grown a lot, without knowing I've grown a lot. I've never put an album out where I've gone, 'Now, that is perfect.' And usually, what I would call the filler tracks, I guarantee that someone will come up to me and go 'Why don't you ever play so-and-so or so-and-so live?' And I just think, 'You [bleeping] like that?"

On his favorite SABBATH album:

Ozzy: "I have a favorite SABBATH moment. The first album was great. The second album was even better. Up until 'Sabbath Bloody Sabbath', it was cool. But we were ripped off by the management, all this legal [expletive], we didn't have a clue what we were [bleeping] doing or whatever. We were a band working to pay our lawyers' fees. And it kind of got sad at that point. I left at one point then rejoined, then they booted me out. We were all [messed] up on dope and all that [expletive]. But the one thing I'm really happy about is that at the end of the day we all got back together, and we're all really more friendly than we have ever been."

On trying to another solo band together:

Ozzy: "The problem I'm having is finding a [bleeping] guitar player, 'cause Zakk's [Wylde] off and running. I mean, I'm sure if I asked him, he'd drop everything and come with me, 'cause Zakk and his family and my family, we're like a family. So I really am looking for the next guitar player, but I don't know how to do it. I don't know where to go.

"When I've auditioned players, I have to sit in a [bleeping] room, and half of them just want to meet me, so you get rid of them, and then the other half, that can play, after 80, 90 [bleeping] guitar players, you don't know what the [expletive] you're listening to in the end. And then you pick the guy and you find out he's a [bleeping] Buddhist monk who's not working on Wednesdays or if it's raining or if his wife looks at him with one eye. Or he's a [bleeping] Jesus freak and he didn't really want to play. He just wants to convert you. But I'm sure it will happen eventually.... I hope."

On working on a musical about controversial Russian politician Grigory Rasputin with songwriter Mark Hudson, who's collaborated with AEROSMITH and Ringo Starr:

Ozzy: "I'm finishing up some music for a musical that I've been working on with a friend of mine for the last 10 years. I think I can afford, at this time in my life, to do some experimental [expletive], you know? Like a Broadway show. Not like [bleeping] 'Fiddler on the Roof' or anything. The one I'm doing is about Rasputin, the mad monk."

While there is a certain element of metal to some of the music, he says, "There's also some stuff where you'd go 'Ozzy Osbourne doing this?' I've seen a few musicals, and one thing I've noticed is they're not really musicals. A musical to me is [bleeping] 'South Pacific'.... Back in the '50s or '60s, when they did a musical, there was a song every five minutes or something. Now it's [bleeping] one song and it's all guys dressed as [bleeping] cats crawling all over the stage or something."

On "The Osbournes" TV show:

Ozzy: "I just don't understand it. I don't go 'Oh, today I'm gonna pick up a reality show, and it's going to be the biggest thing since sliced bread.' I haven't got a clue. It's as if it's all been meant to be that way. I keep saying to Sharon 'How long is this [bleeping] thing gonna last?' And she'll go 'We'll know.' Every year, it gets bigger. We played Hartford last night. [Bleeping] maximum capacity crowd. It was like a [bleeping] sauna up on stage, but it was [bleeping] great."

On Ozzfest:

Ozzy: "The way it started was she tried to get me on Lollapalooza in '94 or something, and they said 'Ozzy's like a dinosaur. He's kind of over.' And yet, their version of diversity is Tony Bennett to NINE INCH NAILS and all this. And Sharon just said very politely, '[Bleep] you. We'll do our own festival.' And I said 'Whoa, Sharon, hold on a minute. Don't go too crazy here. Let's just feel our way. See if it's gonna work.' So I think she put five or seven shows out. I said 'Don't go book the [bleeping] planet and end up with one [bleeping] drunk in Pittsburgh. Or London.' And it's grown and grown. I honestly don't understand how it's done it. ... I'm the guy that goes 'Oh [bleep] it, it's [bleeping] 10 years. There ain't gonna be anyone there.' But luckily, or whatever, it's getting bigger and [bleeping] bigger. It's the biggest [bleeping] thing for the summer now. I'm not trying to sound like a [bleeping] smirky [bleeper] now. I'm not one of these guys that takes it for granted. If I go on stage and my voice blows out, I'm really unhappy, because I can't give the show that I wanted to for the audience.

"I do respect and love everyone that comes to see me, because I'm very fortunate to be in the position at the age of 56 to have an audience anyway. And they haven't all got great jobs that pay high salaries. A lot of these kids have to save pennies and nickels and dimes every year to buy a ticket, and I don't forget that. I've met so many people on my side of the fence with the attitude of 'I'm cool, man. You're so [bleeping] blessed to have me on the stage.' That's not Ozzy. I come from the streets. I know what it's like to want something, and I have never forgotten that. I'm just one of them that's lasted the realm of time."

Ozzy says he'd like to take the next year off from Ozzfest to concentrate on other things but knows he can't:

"It wouldn't be a bad idea for somebody else to finish the job. But then it wouldn't be Ozzfest, would it? So [bleep] it, I've gotta get on with it. But hey, man, I've got a good life."

On the thought of retiring someday:

Ozzy: "When I'm out here, I want to be home. And when I'm home, I want to be out here. So I'm one of these contrary [bleeping] rock n' rollers. Then I really stop and think to myself how [bleeping] lucky I am. I was just watching this thing on VH1 about these [bleeping] ... do you remember that band in the '80s, did that song 'Be My Cherry Pie'?"

Would that be WARRANT?

Ozzy: "One of them [bleeping] bands," he says. "But this guy's got all bloated and he's got on one of these ridiculous 'who can get thin first' shows and I'm thinking 'I'm so [bleeping] lucky to be doing what I'm doing and still be cool. A lot of bands along the way are either dead or pumping [bleeping] gas."

"But don't forget, along the way, as high as I got was as low as we got. My kids all ended up doing dope. I was [messed] up. My wife got cancer. She gets over the cancer, I go home to my house in England and [bleeping] kill myself on a [bleeping] motorcycle. They had to bring me back."

On being sober now:

Ozzy: "I work a 12-step program. I'm 15 months without a drink or a recreational drug."

On how being sober has affected his performing style:

Ozzy: "I've got more [bleeping] energy, and I know what I'm doing more than I used to. I mean, I don't want to go too much on the sobriety thing because it's a personal thing. But believe me, if I thought by getting [messed] up, I would be a better man for it, I wouldn't be [bleeping] sober on the [bleeping] phone right now. I'd be drinking. I just wanted to at least remember what I did yesterday and not have to apologize to anybody, you know?"

BLACK SABBATH guitarist Tony Iommi recently spoke to the Asbury Park Press about his new solo album, "Fused", and SABBATH's headlining slot at Ozzfest 2005.

Regarding how his collaboration with Glenn Hughes (DEEP PURPLE) on "Fused" came about, Iommi said, "I got in touch with Glenn and we decided to get together and let's see how we get on.

"He came over and we just started writing again. It all clicked in very, very quick. We got a drummer (Kenny Aronoff), just to jam along with us. We just started writing, and it felt really good.

"The excitement was ridiculous. We were like a couple of kids. We really got a thrill from what we were doin'. We really appreciate what we've got and the chance of being able to write together again."

On "Fused", Iommi and company played their parts with few overdubs or digital tricks.

"We wanted to capture it live and all play together," Iommi said. "It enabled us to play in the studio live, which was good fun. Particularly on the last track ('I Go Insane'), which is quite a long track. Playing that live was really a test because if you make a mistake in it, you've gotta do it all again.

"So I think it kept us all on our toes."

Iommi considered pulling double-duty at Ozzfest 2005; that is, playing two sets per show, one with SABBATH and one with Hughes.

"We did actually think of that first," Iommi said with a laugh. "But it's probably a bit strange to go on before ourselves, if you know what I mean ? to go on with Glenn and then go on with SABBATH. I think on this occasion, we thought it best just to do it with the SABBATH lineup. But certainly, in future, I'd love to do some (live) stuff with Glenn."

Rob Zombie's "The Devil's Rejects" took in an estimated $7 million over the weekend to debut at No. 8 on this week's list of top-grossing films, according to BoxOfficeProphets.com. "Audiences were obviously intrigued; the horror flick opened to $7 million from only 1,757 venues ? it had an excellent venue average of $3,984," reads a posting on the site. "'Rejects', a 'follow-up' to Zombie's 'House of 1000 Corpses', cost more than the $7 million it took to make 'Corpses' (Lions Gate finished with a $12.6 million on that one) and shows the director has picked up more of a following. 'Corpses' was huge on DVD, selling over a million units, and there is no reason why this one won't do the same."

Zombie recently told told Launch that "The Devil's Rejects" is a very different movie to its predecessor. "It has no relation to the first film almost in the sense that it has one consistent look, it doesn't jump around, it's a very gritty, real, bleak look," he said. "The characters are all the same characters, except we all got together and were like, 'I wanna make these characters real.' 'Cause essentially right now, they're cartoon characters. Like, let's take those and make them real people."

Actors Sid Haig, Bill Moseley and Sheri Moon Zombie return from the first film.

Rob Zombie is currently headlining the second stage of Ozzfest for the first time.

Zombie's touring band this summer features former MARILYN MANSON guitarist John 5, longtime bassist Rob "Blasko" Nicholson and ex-ALICE COOPER drummer Tommy Clufetos.

The Ozzfest 2005 lineup also includes BLACK SABBATH, IRON MAIDEN, MUDVAYNE and, on the last eight dates, VELVET REVOLVER.

Ozzy Osbourne recently spoke to Revolver magazine about the possibility of a new BLACK SABBATH album surfacing at some point in the not-too-distant future and his health, among other topics. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow:

Revolver: It's been rumored that you and the SABBATH guys have been writing material for a new BLACK SABBATH album.

Ozzy: "Yeah, I mean, Tony's [Iommi, guitar] been putting some riffs on tape and sending them to me, and I've tried to write some lyrics for them. But, I've said this before ? it would be easy for us to just go in and record a load of crap and put it out as a BLACK SABBATH record. But we don't want to do it if it's not going to measure up to the work that we did before. The other thing is, when we used to make records, we did it by ourselves; we didn't have people from the record company telling us how something should sound. Back then, nobody would've dared to do something like that ? we would have thrown them into the street."

Revolver: You've recently been diagnosed as having Parkin's Syndome. Can you tell our readers what that means?

Ozzy: "Right, let me make this clear, because eveerybody's saying, 'Oh, Ozzy has Parkinson's Disease.' I have not got Parkinson's Disease! I've got Parkin's Syndrome, which some people call a hereditary tremor. I've had it for ages, but I always thought it was from all the booze and the hangovers and whatever. But it was getting worse, my motor skills were getting affected; I remember going to the bathroom and I couldn't zip up my pants, so I knew something was up. I went for extensive tests, and when they told me I had Parkin's Syndrome, I freaked out. I asked the doctor, 'Will it shorten my life?' And he said, 'No, not at all. But you will have to be on medication the rest of your life.'"

Revolver: Did your years of taking massive amounts of booze and drugs have anything to do with it?

Ozzy: "I asked the doctor that very question ? I said, 'Is it drugs and alcohol related?' And he said, 'No, you would have had a tremor, regardless. But saying that, the drugs and alcohol probably escalated it.' But I'm quite cleaned out right now. I exercise regularly, I haven't drunk any alcohol for 13 months, and I don't smoke anything, be it pot or anything else. The only thing is, if I get angry or excited or sad, and I don't take my medication at the right time, it'll come back at me. But it's not gonna kill me, and I've not got Parkinson's ? and I'm not going to end up like a fucking pickle in a fucking wheelchair!"

ROB ZOMBIE recently spoke to U-Press Telegram about his second feature film, "The "Devil's Rejects", and his headlining stint on the second stage of this year's Ozzfest, which kicked off on July 15 in Mansfield, MA. An excerpt from the interview follows:

U-Press Telegram: Your wife has said that "One of the best things about Rob's filmmaking is that he doesn't cater to a teen horror audience. He has no interest in it." Why not?

Rob Zombie: "There's the trend with every movie, not just horror movies, in catering to teens. Anyone over the age of 25 is too old to be in a movie. That's a fallacy created by somebody. I was a kid once. I didn't feel that way. I had no problem watching Clint Eastwood. I didn't watch 'The Good, The Bad and The Ugly' and go, 'Look at that old man. Why don't they put a kid in there?' It's a weird thing, and it's hurting movies.

"There's nothing wrong with young actors. I just felt these movies were becoming like teen slaughter fests, which is fine. There's always been those movies, but it felt like that's all there was for a while. Can I see some seasoned actors, please?"

U-Press Telegram: "House of a 1,000 Corpses" was produced on a shoestring budget and made over $17 million, which led Lions Gate to make "Devil's Rejects". Were you resistant to doing it?

Rob Zombie: "I don't like sequels. I like movies having a beginning and an end. Sequels are a disturbing new trend where nothing can end. But at the same time, it's really, really hard to get movies made, to get movies funded. Lions Gate wanted to do a sequel. Of course, I wasn't going to turn it down, but at the same time I wanted to make it as much its own film as possible and vary from the look and tone of the first film. To me, the first film is 'Mad Max' and this one's 'The Road Warrior'."

U-Press Telegram: Universal Pictures was supposed to release the first film, but changed its mind and didn't. Didn't they know what they were getting into with you?

Rob Zombie: "Of course they did. How could they not know? They had the script; they saw the dailies. We shot the film on the Universal back lot. It wasn't like we were out of their sight. They could have looked out their window and seen what we were up to."

U-Press Telegram: Does it seem ironic to you that Universal recently released George Romero's "Land of the Dead", which is very violent and gory?

Rob Zombie: "Times change. Four years ago, there wasn't the big horror boom. Now it hits, and boom, everyone wants a horror movie. We're not stupid. We know everything is dictated by money."

U-Press Telegram: In "House of a 1,000 Corpses", the sequence at the hotel has a lot of torture. As a filmmaker, how do you know when you've crossed a line and the suffering characters inflict on each other doesn't add anything to the story?

Rob Zombie: "I'll take everything as far as I can if I still think it's beneficial to the movie and you're still making art. But when it turns into pure exploitation for exploitation, that's where I'd stop. Once it slips into gratuitous for the sake of it, that's not what I'm trying to do.

"With that scene, you just want to create that feeling of dread. It becomes menacing. It's more of a mental torture that they're putting on these people. Nothing is for shock value, as long as it serves the story."

U-Press Telegram: How do you work with an actor if he or she is uncomfortable with something. Do you have a sensitivity to that?

Rob Zombie: "You do and you don't. On the first film, I would have, but now I don't care. To me, it's all about the film. It's not about your feelings. It's not about your personal sense of right or wrong. It's about making this film great. If you're not here for that reason, you shouldn't be here.

"Certain actors were really uncomfortable with that (hotel) scene, but now they're not uncomfortable. All they do is look at it and go, 'Wow. It really worked.' That's the thing I realized. They may feel bad, but they're going to feel worse after the fact if they feel like they held back."

 The following message has been posted at Ozzfest.com:

"As a very special bonus for the 10th Anniversary of Ozzfest, 10 lucky fans can celebrate the occasion with Ozzy in person!!!! This package will include a photo with Ozzy, a special Platinum Member Crew Shirt signed by Ozzy, an amazing seat to see the main stage and a special crew dinner with Ozzfest 2005 MC Big Dave.

"This Platinum Package costs $1000. A portion of the proceeds will go to benefit The Sharon Osbourne Colon Cancer Program. To purchase this package, send your credit card info to info@divinerecordings.com along with a scan of your driver's license. Please put the city of the show you are purchaing as the subject of the email. These tickets are non-transferable and only available to the purchaser. This package is available for all Ozzfest dates after July 28th.

"This package is first come first served for 10 people only at each show. Get this package while you can."

BLACK SABBATH have cancelled tonight's Ozzfest performance at the PNC Arts Center in Holmdel, New Jersey, reportedly because Ozzy Osbourne fell ill. IRON MAIDEN will take over the main headlining slot for today's show, which follows last night's appearance at the same venue. Refunds are available through your point of purchase or can be arranged through the box office until 3:00 p.m. at PNC for those already inside the venue.

I was there tonight at the show where Sabbath cancelled.  I was pretty dissapointed when I heard the news.  However, I do like Maiden more than Sabbth, and they put on a much better live show than Sabbath (not that Sabbath's shows aren't excellent).  Maiden played a few extra songs I believe, and they were amazing.  I'd say they're probably the best live band in the world...definitely the best I've seen.  Bruce Dickinson is awe inspiring on stage.  The man is in his 50's and he still put every other frontman that performed tonight to shame.  Rob Zombie and Black Label Society also put on very good shows.  Shadows Fall and Mudvayne were atrocious.  But even without Sabbath, Maiden made the show totally worth the price of admission...which wasn't cheap.

IRON MAIDEN took over as the mainstage headliners at the Ozzfest bill for Wednesday night's (July 27) show in Holmdel, New Jersey after Ozzy Osbourne was apparently taken ill, forcing BLACK SABBATH to drop off the show. MAIDEN's extended setlist for last night's performance was a follows:

01. Ides of March
02. Murders in the Rue Morgue
03. Another Life
04. The Trooper
05. Prowler
06. Revelations
07. Wrathchild
08. Run to the Hills
09. Phantom of the Opera
10. Number of the Beast
11. Hallowed be thy Name
12. Iron Maiden
Encore:
13. Running Free
14. Sanctuary

Deb Rao of Glam-Metal.com recently conducted an interview with former MARILYN MANSON and current ROB ZOMBIE guitarist John 5 (a.k.a. John Lowery). A couple of excerpts from the chat follow:

Glam-Metal.com: How did you get the gig with Rob?

John 5: "I got a call from Dave Navarro to do the tsunami benefits in Los Angeles. We played at Arrowhead Pond. I don't like playing a lot of these jams, but when he said that Rob Zombie is playing, and I am a big Rob Zombie fan, I said I'll do it if I play with Rob Zombie. That went very well. We kind of just stayed in touch. I said, 'If you ever need someone for your tour, I will be there for you.'"

Glam-Metal.com: Let's talk about your new instrumental solo album that comes out September 13, "Songs for Sanity". What inspired you to do another album, what kind of style is it?

John 5: "It is a follow-up to my first instrumental album, 'Vertigo'. I am looking forward to it, because on this album we have special guests Steve Vai and country legend Albert Lee. I'm excited because the first one did very well. It is just crazy guitar playing. I am playing for the love of music, pretty much."

Glam-Metal.com: Now, I hear it has a little country twang in it.

John 5: "Yeah! It is really heavy rock on one side, and on the other side it has a country twist to it. I think a lot of people will like it because of the diversity on it. It is not the same old thing. Every song is different. It is really fun, and people like it and I'm a bit surprised by that. I did an autograph signing at Ozzfest recently and there was a bunch of goth kids there and then there were kids who were totally into guitar playing and they said they wanted to meet me. It was cool. I met such a wide range of people."

Glam-Metal.com: You have also played in the DAVID LEE ROTH band. What was it like working with him?

John 5: "That was my lifelong dream. All I wanted to do was play with David Lee Roth. I was a big fan of VAN HALEN. It was exactly what I thought it was going to be. He was so Mr. Rock Star, and that was great. He wanted the best of everything, he wanted everything right. It was all about David Lee Roth. It was great because he is the king. He never let down his 'star' vibe, which I liked, and I would never have changed that for the world."

Glam-Metal.com: Now Rob [Zombie] has said he enjoys playing second stage [on Ozzfest] better than the main stage. How do you feel about this?

John 5: "The main stage is just horrible. People are in their seats before they see IRON MAIDEN or BLACK SABBATH. It is so hard up there just giving it your all with people just sitting there. All the kids who are at the second stage are just crazy. It is nuts. It is great to see all the different age groups there."

They also played Die With Your Boots On.

Launch Radio Networks reports: Ozzy Osbourne should be ready for BLACK SABBATH's headlining set at Ozzfest tomorrow (July 30) at Tweeter Center in Tinley Park, Illinois. Osbourne was sick earlier this week and BLACK SABBATH cancelled their Ozzfest appearance in Holmdel, New Jersey, on Wednesday (July 27), which meant IRON MAIDEN got to do an extra-long set. A spokesperson told Launch that Osbourne is expected to play tomorrow at the Tweeter Center. The nature of Osbourne's illness hasn't been announced.

Osbourne told Launch that touring is a lot harder on him today than it used to be. "As we get older, we get more work," he said. "In the old days, you'd do, like, a three-week tour, and take six months off, you know? It was a luxury. Now, it's like a job."

The 10th annual edition of Ozzfest runs through September 4 in West Palm Beach, Florida.

 According to the official web site of the Verizon Wireless Music Center in Noblesville, Indiana, BLACK SABBATH will **NOT** be performing at today's Ozzfest stop at the venue "due to an illness in the band." However, the remainder of the show will go on as planned and IRON MAIDEN will headline and will play a "complete" set.

If you choose to not attend the show, tickets can be refunded at your original point of purchase beginning Monday (August 1). Show attendance waives your choice for a refund.

This is the second SABBATH cancellation in five days following the band's no-show in Holmdel, New Jersey Wednesday night (July 27). That appearance was reportedly cancelled after SABBATH frontman Ozzy Osbourne ? who recently revealed to fans that he was battling a cold ? became "too sick" to take to the stage.

BLACK SABBATH performed a headlining set Saturday night (July 30) at the Tweeter Center in Tinley Park, Illinois.

The 10th annual edition of Ozzfest runs through September 4 in West Palm Beach, Florida.

 According to a spokesperson for the Germain Theater in Columbus, Ohio, BLACK SABBATH will **NOT** be performing at today's Ozzfest stop at the venue "due to an illness in the band." However, the remainder of the show will go on as planned and IRON MAIDEN will headline and will play a "complete" set.

This is the third SABBATH cancellation in seven days following the band's no-shows in Holmdel, New Jersey last Wednesday (July 27) and Noblesville, Indiana on Sunday (July 31). Both appearances were reportedly cancelled after SABBATH frontman Ozzy Osbourne ? who recently revealed to fans that he was battling a cold ? became "too sick" to take to the stage.

BLACK SABBATH performed an abbreviated headlining set Saturday night (July 30) at the Tweeter Center in Tinley Park, Illinois.

The 10th annual edition of Ozzfest runs through September 4 in West Palm Beach, Florida.

 Due to a family emergency, MASTODON will not be performing at the Detroit Ozzfest this Thursday, August 4. The band will return for the Ozzfest shows this weekend.

Metal Edge magazine recently conducted an interview with BLACK SABBATH bassist Geezer Butler. An excerpt from the interview follows:

Metal Edge: It's been 27 years since the last studio album from the original band, and the set remains pretty much unchanged from year to year. At this point, for you, what keeps SABBATH interesting?

Geezer: "Well, I'm always praying we'll do something different. And, you know, I really am hoping we can put in some stuff that we can't play backwards. It's always a bit of an uphill battle to try and change the set around."

Metal Edge: Are there anby songs in particular that you would like to play?

Geezer: "Anything. I'll even do BRITNEY SPEARS songs, just to make it different. [laughing] Just to do something different. I mean, the songs are great ? you know, playing the old songs and everything ? but it would really be nice to put something different in, to make it a bit of a challenge for us."

Metal Edge: Would you like to do another BLACK SABBATH album?

Geezer: "Only if it comes up to standard. We did come up with some stuff a few years ago, but I thought maybe two or three of the tracks were good, and the rest of it wasn't great. It has to be great for a new SABBATH album. I'd like to be able to do a new SABBATH album, but it has to be really good."

Metal Edge: At this point, would BLACK SABBATH be able to do something spontaneous, like the way you recorded [your new solo album], "Ohmwork", or the way the first albums were made?

Geezer: "I'm not sure. You can never tell with this band. A lot of Tony's [Iommi, guitar] new [solo] album could have easily been a really good SABBATH album, so it's still there somewhere. Whether it will ever come out, I don't know."

Ozzfest's official web site, Ozzfest.com, has been updated with the following message:

"Unfortunately, Ozzy has been battling some throat problems recently and had to cancel a couple shows. Ozzy has now had four days of rest and received the thumbs up from his doctor in Los Angeles earlier today. Ozzy is on his way to Detroit [for Thursday night's Ozzfest show] as you read this, [so] be prepared to 'go fucking crazzzzzzzzy!'"

As previously reported, BLACK SABBATH were forced to back out of three appearances in a week due to Osbourne's health. The band were an early scratch from yesterday's (Tuesday, August 2) Ozzfest tour stop at the Germain Amphitheatre in Columbus, Ohio, which meant IRON MAIDEN once again did a full headlining set. SABBATH previously dropped off last Wednesday's (July 27) date in Holmdel, New Jersey, and again on Sunday (July 31) in Noblesville, Indiana.

In a recent interview with Launch Radio Networks, Osbourne explained that he's not even supposed to be on the road: "Not so long ago, I killed myself in a motorbike accident, and then they told me not to tour for two years, you know? And I said ? and I, I, I did ? I went against the doctor's orders, you know?"

 The following are some of the early Ozztfest 2005 concert grosses, as reported by Billboard magazine:

Artist/Event: Ozzfest: BLACK SABBATH, IRON MAIDEN, MUDVAYNE, & others
Venue: Tweeter Center for the Performing Arts
City/State: Mansfield, Mass.
Date: July 15, 2005
Gross Sales: $1,152,356
Attendance: 20,100
Capacity: 20,100
Shows: 1
Sell-Outs: 1
Prices: $85.25, $18
Promoter: Tea Party Concerts

Artist/Event: Ozzfest: BLACK SABBATH, IRON MAIDEN, MUDVAYNE, & others
Venue: Tweeter Center at the Waterfront
City/State: Camden, N.J.
Date: July 19, 2005
Gross Sales: $982,538
Attendance: 23,655
Capacity: 25,371
Shows: 1
Sell-Outs: 0
Prices: $83, $18
Promoter: Electric Factory Concerts

Artist/Event: Ozzfest: BLACK SABBATH, IRON MAIDEN, MUDVAYNE, & others
Venue: New England Dodge Music Center
City/State: Hartford, Conn.
Date: July 17, 2005
Gross Sales: $842,248
Attendance: 20,430
Capacity: 24,000
Shows: 1
Sell-Outs: 0
Prices: $81, $30.50
Promoter: Jim Koplik Presents

 According to Minnesota's Pure Rock 93X, the Ozzfest concert originally planned for this Sunday, August 7 at the Float-Rite Amphitheatre in Somerset, WI will be rescheduled for Saturday, September 10. "The word is: Ozzy [Osbourne] injured his voice and needs a break," reads a posting on the radio station's web site.

"Those that have reservations to camp this weekend at Float-Rite campground are encouraged to keep their plans. Upon on arrival at Floatrite this weekend ... campers will be given a complimentary certificate for camping at the September 10th Ozzfest performance."

For more information, call the Float-Rite campground at 800-826-7096.

As previously reported, BLACK SABBATH were forced to back out of three appearances in a week due to Osbourne's health. The band were an early scratch from Tuesday's (August 2) Ozzfest tour stop at the Germain Amphitheatre in Columbus, Ohio, which meant IRON MAIDEN once again did a full headlining set. SABBATH previously dropped off the July 27 date in Holmdel, New Jersey, and again on Sunday (July 31) in Noblesville, Indiana.

BLACK SABBATH are scheduled to headline tonight's (August 4) Ozzfest concert at the DTE Energy Music Theatre in Clarkston, Michigan

John Bream of the Minneapolis Star Tribune is reporting that Ozzy Osbourne is having throat problems so Ozzfest, set for Sunday (August 7) at Float Rite Park in Somerset, Wis., has been postponed until Sept. 10, promoters announced Thursday evening (August 4). Osbourne has been ordered by his doctors to rest his voice, and his band BLACK SABBATH now has scratched four shows, each the day after a performance.

"You gotta do Ozzfest with Ozzy," said Minneapolis promoter Randy Levy. "We're going to lose some of the bands [for the rescheduled date] and add some others. We'll know in the next 10 days."

Osbourne has missed shows July 27 in Indianapolis, Sunday in Holmdel, N.J., and Tuesday in Columbus, Ohio. Last month he had told the Columbus Dispatch that he was having acid reflux problems.

Tickets will be honored for the rescheduled date; refunds are available at the place of purchase.

Gemma Tarlach of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel is reporting that promoters expect a close-to-capacity crowd on Saturday (August 6) when this year's incarnation of Ozzfest hits the Alpine Valley Music Theatre in East Troy. That's 40,000 or so headbangers, and it's a pattern that will be repeated across the country until Ozzfest winds down in September.

The secret to Ozzfest's success, say insiders and observers alike, is knowing its audience.

"Ozzfest is successful for the same reason Warped is successful ? they stay true to what they do," said Ray Waddell, senior editor at Billboard.

"Ozzfest and Warped don't try to be all things to all people. Some fests that didn't last tried to force people to broaden their horizons," Waddell added.

John 5, whose full name is John Lowery, is in the middle of his third Ozzfest. The guitarist took the stage with MARILYN MANSON on his first two outings and this summer is handling axe duties for ROB ZOMBIE. Whether performing or watching the action from backstage, John 5 says Ozzfest's appeal is the quality of its bill, year after year.

"We have IRON MAIDEN, SLIPKNOT, MARILYN MANSON, ROB ZOMBIE," 5 said, listing Ozzfest bands past and present.

"Those are great acts. I don't think there's been a bad bill yet. Ozzfest has had every successful band in heavy metal," he added.

Ozzfest's long-term future also is in question as its namesake Iron Man shows signs of rust. Ozzy Osbourne typically cancels at least one show a year due to overextended vocal chords and exhaustion, and this year was no exception, with the singer and the rest of BLACK SABBATH sitting out [three shows since Ozzfest's kick-off in mid-July].

Zombie guitarist John 5 contended that Ozzfest can and will go on regardless of Osbourne's touring ability.

"My prediction is that it will go on another six years. It's going to continue without BLACK SABBATH, without Ozzy. But it's going to continue. It's too big not to," said 5.

 No sweat: Ozzfest 2005 beats the heat at DTE
Review
OAKLAND COUNTY
THE FLINT JOURNAL FIRST EDITION
Friday, August 05, 2005
By James R. Chesna
Contributing writer

CLARKSTON - You know you're in for a rough ride at a heavy metal concert when oppressive heat and humidity is more obnoxious than any sensory pummeling provided by the acts onstage.

Such was the case for Ozzfest 2005, the traveling rock 'n' roll haunted carnival that annually sets up camp at Clarkston's DTE Energy Music Theater and is entering its 10th year.

But the summer weather didn't seem to hamper the enthusiasm of the sold-out crowd that spent the daylong event drenched in sweat or hiding from the sun's rays.  When it got to be too much, shirtless was the attire of choice - even for women, who bared (almost) all beneath colorful body paint airbrushed on by artists dwelling in the faux horror show concourse area.

While the thick, moist air (and some a.m. rain) did little to deter the rowdy throng spread on the lawn and the fans crammed into the pavilion, it did change the temperament of a few acts - namely Mudvayne, whose ornery vocalist Chad Gray had to give up his gorilla suit about a third of the way into the band's set on the main stage.

Sans over-the-top costumes, the band fared admirably, especially with burly guitarist Greg Tribbett dolling out sludgy power chords and crisp, clean phrasing in the recent hit "Happy?"

As in recent years, unfortunately the second stage, once the place to be to find the Next Big Thing, suffered from too many faceless bands all grunting, growling and regurgitating noise for noise's sake rather than taking metal in new directions.

Iron Maiden fared best on the main stage, greeted by chants of "Mai-den! Mai-den!" as they charged through a shaky opener, "Murders in the Rue Morgue," before also providing a "Spinal Tap" snafu.

Singer Bruce Dickinson, dressed in a red British infantryman's uniform, galloped up one of several narrow staircases leading to elevated platforms stage right and left during "The Trooper," and slipped, falling face down.

Quickly leaping up and running to the edge to assure fans he was unharmed, Dickinson led the sextet (energized by guitar alchemists Dave Murray, Janick Gers and Adrian Smith and busy bass thumper Steve Harris) through the band's early years.

Gaining steam with each number, Maiden performed only songs from the group's first four albums, making gems rarely heard in the United States, such as "Phantom of the Opera," shine like new.

All of which led to headliners and metal granddads Black Sabbath, who while hindered by frontman Ozzy Osbourne, who confessed to be ailing, still managed to rumble the rafters with metal blueprints such as "War Pigs," "Iron Man" and "Paranoid."

Launch Radio Networks reports: BLACK SABBATH returned to Ozzfest yesterday (Thursday, August 4) after missing several dates due to an ailing Ozzy Osbourne. The group did their full headlining set at the DTE Energy Music Theatre in Clarkston, Michigan, with Osbourne warning the crowd early on, "If my voice breaks up from time to time, it's not my fault. I'm sick, as you know, but I told the doctor to go f**k himself. I'm doing the best I can, babes." BLACK SABBATH missed shows in Holmdel, New Jersey, on July 27; Noblesville, Indiana, on Sunday (July 31); and Columbus, Ohio, on Tuesday (August 2).

Osbourne's voice was noticeably rough yesterday, though he was in otherwise energetic form, mooning the audience at the start of the show, tossing a bucket of water on the front rows later on, and jumping around throughout.

Specific details about Osbourne's ailment have not been revealed, but sources told Launch it's primarily a throat problem.

Ozzfest continues tomorrow (Saturday, August 6) in East Troy, Wisconsin. However, Sunday's (August 7) show in Somerset, Wisconsin, has already been rescheduled to September 10, to give Osbourne a day off to rest his voice.

Ozzfest's official web site, Ozzfest.com, has been updated with the following message:

"Ozzfest organizers have been forced to postpone only this Sunday's (August 7) show in Somerset, WI. Contrary to published reports that Osbourne is sick, the show is being rescheduled under doctors' advisement that he not perform consecutive shows. Osbourne performed a sold-out show [Thursday] night [August 4] in Detroit with BLACK SABBATH and will take the stage again on Saturday at the Alpine Valley Music Theatre. Ticketholders for Sunday's show should hold onto their tickets, as they will be honored for the rescheduled September 10 date."

 According to the Chico Enterprise-Record, Bill Graham Presents announced Monday (August 8) that it has postponed Ozzfest 2005, an all-day heavy-metal concert scheduled Sunday (August 14) for Sleep Train Amphitheatre in Marysville, CA.

The concert, featuring the Ozzy Osbourne-fronted BLACK SABBATH, along with IRON MAIDEN, ROB ZOMBIE, KILLSWITCH ENGINE and more, will take place Monday (August 15) instead.

"Contrary to published reports that Osbourne is sick, he is under doctors' advisement that he not perform consecutive shows (he will perform Aug. 13 at Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View)," a BGP press release stated.

Tickets for the postponed show will be honored Monday; refunds are available at place of purchase. Tickets are available at Ticketmaster and bgp.com.

 According to a posting at Ozzfest.com, Ozzfest organizers have been forced to cancel the Tuesday, August 16 Ozzfest concert "due to some unforeseen scheduling conflicts." The show will not be rescheduled and refunds are available at point of purchase.

Rob Zombie (tickets | music) has a lot to celebrate these days. His horror film "The Devil's Rejects," the follow-up to his 2003 effort "House of 1,000 Corpses," grossed $15.4 million in its first three weeks. Meanwhile, he's headlining the second stage at Ozzfest . The Ozzfest gigs prompted Zombie to assemble a new band: guitarist John 5 (ex-Marilyn Manson), drummer Tommy Clufetos (Ted Nugent) and longtime bassist Rob "Blasko" Nicholson.

"Our show's a lot more stripped down, but it's a lot more fun than it's ever been before," Zombie said. "The main stage is a very controlled atmosphere, and it can sometimes be borderline boring. Whereas the second stage, it's great. It's always chaotic. They asked me to do the main stage, but I didn't want to. It's kind of a drag. The second stage is where it's at."

Prior to the tour, Zombie began work on the follow-up to his 2001 album, "The Sinister Urge."

liveDaily: Why did you decide to hire a new band for the Ozzfest tour?

Rob Zombie: Just sometimes it's time to change it up. Personalities don't fit anymore. Things seem stale, so you have to get new people.

How is your new album coming along?

I'm going to finish it up when I get home. Scott Humphrey is producing it, who produced the last two albums. None of the new guys in the new band are on it because I hadn't actually worked with them yet. But we're not completely done. We probably will [have some of the new band members on the album]. Wes Borland from Limp Bizkit played guitar. Tommy Lee played drums. Josh Freese from A Perfect Circle played the drums.

What did Wes Borland and Tommy Lee bring to the record?

Just a different take. Everyone's different. Tommy Lee has a very distinctive style of drumming. Tommy's played on the last two records anyway. Wes has a unique away of playing. It's hard to really describe why it's different. He plays completely different than John 5, who brings another something to the table.

How did you meet Wes Borland?

Through Danny Lohner, who used to be in Nine Inch Nails. They were doing music to that movie "Underworld." He was like, "I'm working with Wes. I think he'd be great. He wants to work on the record." It's usually something as simple as that.

Tell me about your songwriting process. Do you write primarily on the road or in the studio?

Always in the studio. I don't think I've ever written anything on the road. There's never really any time. It's the only way I've ever done it. For me, it's probably the easiest way. There's always a lot of pressure. But I've been working with Scott Humphrey for a long time now and we basically write all the songs together, so it's pretty easy.

You've played multiple Ozzfests. Is there still something to learn from them?

The years go by, this time what's kind of cool is, by not having a theatrical show, it forces you to find other ways to entertain the crowd. It's good. Having new guys in the band, it's always different. So you're always learning something.

You just released your second movie, "The Devil's Rejects" ?

I love it. I love the movie. It's a very hard movie to describe. It's not really a horror movie. It's a very violent crime movie, really, much in the tradition of the '70s-style crime movies. It's cool.

Why did you decide to get into movies?

Same thing that made me want to do music. You just love something, and you want to do it. It's as simple as that. Music and movies were the two things I've always loved. I always wanted to work on movies. I've been trying to do it for a long, long time. It takes a long time before you can crack through.

 Crawfordsville, IN's The Journal Review recently conducted an interview with IN FLAMES frontman Anders Frid?n. Several excerpts from the chat follow:

On the band's evolution:

"We never really set out to be anything, you know. Obviously when we first started out, we had all the influences from other bands and we were like, 'We want this type of sound.' But these days, we just write whatever comes to mind. I feel that we (still) have the essence that is IN FLAMES; the speed, the aggression and the melody."

On how his voice has developed:

"I just don't want to repeat myself. I want to take my instrument, which is my vocals, to a higher level. I love to scream; it's great to get that energy out. I would never stop screaming, though. I don't think IN FLAMES is ever going to release an album with all clean singing. There will always be the elements that we have today, otherwise we lose the identity. That wouldn't be fair to the fans."

On playing the main stage at this year's Ozzfest:

"I don?t know if they're waiting for the bigger bands, or if that's just how they act. I?ve watched the other bands, and I don't think the crowd is that into them, either. It's an honor to be on the main stage with bands like BLACK SABBATH and IRON MAIDEN, but I'd rather be on the second stage in front of a crowd that's actually standing up. But if we can introduce more people to IN FLAMES at the main stage, that's great."

On the recent rise in extreme metal's popularity:

"In a way I think that everything sounds the same. All this 'metalcore' or whatever you call it, it's just not interesting. It's good that Sweden is here (at Ozzfest) to prove where this music comes from. It's just boring when everything sounds the same."

On their next album, "Come Clarity":

"With this album, it's like a 'best of' without really being a 'best of.' It's like all the albums we've done. I'm really psyched about letting people hear it, and I'm very proud of it."

Jada Pinkett Smith was a no-show, and the Prince of @#%#@ Darkness had a little @#%#@ tantrum when the 10th annual Ozzfest tour rolled into Auburn?s White River Amphitheatre Thursday.

An estimated crowd of 17,000 turned out to see the monsters of metal perform on two stages, and the concert lasted more than 13 hours.

For the second year in a row, the concert?s namesake, Ozzy Osbourne, was joined by Black Sabbath band mates Geezer Butler (bass), Tony Iommi (guitar) and Bill Ward (drums). And Ozzfest nearly lost its namesake again, two years after Osbourne called in sick to the tour?s local stop in 2003.

All seemed to be going well early on as Sabbath kicked off with ?N.I.B.,? ?After Forever? and proto-metal classic ?War Pigs.? Then things went wrong when the band tackled ?Dirty Women.?

Osbourne?s voice cracked hideously during that number, and he responded by slamming his mike down and storming off stage.

The rest of Sabbath remained cool and professional, continuing to jam until Ozzy could pull it together and return. The singer forced a grin that looked more like grimace as he lead the crowd in waving their hands side to side.

He explained himself once the number had ended. ?My voice is ? blown out again,? he said, promising to go on if the crowd wanted to hear him.

But this was Ozzy, after all ? metal?s patron saint. And while hundreds could be seen headed for the parking lot, most in the crowd remained faithful and even turned their cheers up a notch.

Sabbath picked things back up with ?Fairies Wear Boots,? and Osbourne seemed to feed off of his fan?s energy, catching a second wind for the latter part of the set, which included a snippet of ?Sweet Leaf? (a song sorely absent from last year?s set), ?Iron Man,? ?Black Sabbath,? ?Snowblind? and ?Children of the Grave.?

?Iron Man? and ?Sabbath? were set highlights, as fans sang exuberantly along with the former and Ozzy?s maniacal expression was captured by the giant movie screen behind him during the latter.

Black Label Society, Shadow?s Fall, Mudvayne and In Flames also joined Black Sabbath on the main stage. But an informal survey of black concert tees on Thursday (and there were a lot of them) revealed which main stage act was generating the most buzz this year: Iron Maiden.

?I?m a guitar player, and they?re just phenomenal,? gushed Tom Pierce, 30, of Seattle.

Dave Berglund, 28, of Beaverton, Ore., also counted himself among the Maiden faithful. ?I don?t know exactly what it is,? he said. ?I just like a lot of their stuff from when they first came out.?

Berglund was well rewarded. Maiden kicked off its set with ?Murders at the Rue Morgue? and pulled the rest from the band?s first four albums.

The influential metal vets mostly performed before successive backdrops of ghoulish mascot Eddie. But notable changes to that aesthetic included a large Devil sculpture that rose from the back end of the stage to gazed menacingly over the crowd with glowing, crimson eyes; and a 12-foot-tall Eddie (a costumed guy on stilts) that lurched onstage late in the set during ?Iron Maiden.?

After taking an informal poll of who had never seen Maiden (many raised their hands), singer Bruce Dickinson, who joined the band in 1982, introduced ?Phantom of the Opera? as ?the very first song I ever heard Iron Maiden play.?

?Run to the Hills? ? a song that angrily recalls Native American genocide -- provided the set?s high point. Fans pumped devil horn salutes as they belted the song?s anthemic chorus at the top of their lungs.

?Run to the hiiiiillllls. Run for your liiiiiiiife.

Dickenson also made reference to his band recording a new album, to be released in 2006, during Maiden?s set.

Rob Zombie ? a guy known almost as much for directing cinematic splatterfests ?House of 1,000 Corpses? and ?The Devil?s Rejects? these days ? headlined the smaller second stage with a raucous set that included ?Demon Speeding,? ?Dragula,? ?More Human Than Human,? ?Living Dead Girl? and other hits before Zombie wound down with Lynyrd Skynyrd?s ?Sweet Home Alabama.? (What? No ?Freebird??)

Atlanta math-metal upstarts Mastodon also stood out among the similar sounding second stage acts ? Gizmachi, The Black Dahlia Murder, A Dozen Furies and others. Mastodon easily earned a main stage slot for next year?s festival with a furious set that was book-ended by the epic ?Iron Tusk? and infectious ?Blood and Thunder,? both numbers tracks from last year?s phenomenal ?Leviathan? album.

Wicked Wisdom ? the band known primarily for having actress Jada Pinkett Smith as its mouthpiece ? was a second stage no show despite being listed on the Ozzfest Web site as late as Thursday morning. White River representatives could provide no details on why Pinkett did not peform.

Fans packed the White River pavilion earlier in the afternoon to enjoy Ozzfest?s edgy carnival aesthetic. They got fresh ink at the Last Chance tattoo booth. They picked up cannabis-flavored suckers at the Chronic Candy stand. And they got their favorite bands? names and logos sprayed onto their faces and torsos at the body painting booth. (Females were made to wear cloth strips over their nipples in contrast to Ozzfest ?03 when hordes of the painted women walked around topless.)

A sign at the ?drown the clown? dunking booth warned ?clown jokes may offend some people.? And it was no lie early on as the smart aleck sitting over the water tank taunted contestants with digs regarding their lack of sexual prowess and their ethnic backgrounds.

?Come on, you hillbilly redneck,? the clown yelled at a contestant wearing a muscle shirt.

Matt Stuart, 39, of Arlington responded by nailing his target with a baseball a few tosses later, thus dunking his tormentor. ?I got a good arm,? he said.

More hardcore and popular was the ?kick me in the ? head? station. For five bucks, festivalgoers got to kick a soccer ball at the guy sitting at the back of the net taunting them.

Hitting a noggin was easier said than done. Several minutes passed before Darren Wanner, 21, of Calgary, Canada pelted his target?s cranium, sparking a round of raucous cheers from dozens of onlookers.

Wanner said the key to his technique was a good running start. ?And you gotta start playing soccer when you?re eight years old,? he added with a grin as he walked away with the t-shirt he?d just won.

Dave Sauve, 21, of St. Louis was one of the soccer ball?s targets. Protecting the nose was a must, he said, estimating that about a dozen people were good enough to actually hit him at each tour stop.

?The first one?s always ? rough,? Sauve said, a smile cracking the tangled thicket of his beard. ?But after a few beers it doesn?t really matter any more.?

He figured he and the other ?kick me in the head? guys would take in $2,000 in Auburn.

Only in America.

It's been rumored for months that this summer's Ozzfest would be its namesake's last ? and on Friday, Ozzy Osbourne announced that he is retiring as the headliner of the annual heavy metal festival. However, the singer is expected to finish
this summer's tour and plans to make occasional appearances at future Ozzfests. "After 10 years, the Ozzfest's name and reputation have been established," he said in a statement. "It's time for me to move on and do other things." His publicist noted in a statement, "Ozzfest will carry on in 2006, however Ozzy will limit his performances to only a few, select cities."

Osbourne, who's been performing with Black Sabbath this summer as the tour's headliner, has been dogged by throat problems, which have forced the band to drop off of the bill on several recent dates

Ozzy Osbourne's wife/manager Sharon Osbourne confirmed in an interview with The Arizona Republic Friday (August 12) that this year's Ozzfest will be the last time Ozzy performs with the traveling festival.

"We're changing the format of the festival next year, and Ozzy will be going into arenas for a while. Because this outside business is just knocking the (expletive) out of him in the summer," she said.

On this year's Ozzfest tour, Osbourne has been plagued by health problems, causing him to cancel some appearances. On Thursday (August 11), he halted a song midway when his voice cracked.

"He's been having a lot of voice problems," Sharon Osbourne said. "Unfortunately for Ozzy, he suffers a lot from hay fever, and when we're on tour everything is outside. When the pollen count is high, he's just wiped out. And there's only so many things he can take for it.

"But he's struggling on."

Despite Osbourne's absence in future tours, his wife said Ozzfest will continue.

"We've proved the festival is solid as a rock, just other people will headline. And Ozzy will continue, but it is time for Ozzy to move on."

Jose Lambiet of PalmBeachPost.com has issued the following report:

When Ozzy Osbourne is on stage over the next couple of weeks, there's a good chance that Palm Beach Gardens resident Ron Anderson will be standing nearby. Earpiece in one ear, tiny microphone in one hand, he'll be talking Osbourne through his lyrics during the show.

No one in the audience will know, but Anderson will be an integral part of the show ? as he has been for hundreds of concerts and dozens of major celebs the past 25 years.

Anderson, you see, is a "voice doctor." He waits for calls from tour managers whose stars ? could be Shania Twain or the RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS or Eddie Vedder or Kylie Minogue ? have a voice problem. And unlike the Maytag repairman, Anderson gets called out often.

"Ozzy has a problem later this month: four shows of his tour on consecutive nights," Anderson says. "At his age, he'll be exhausted and his voice will suffer."

That's where Anderson comes in. He'll spend several days with the bat-biting rocker, looking at what he eats (steaks and salads are good for the voice, he says) and drinks, making sure he rests his voice, placing humidifiers in the bedrooms and then talking into Ozzy's earpiece during the show.

Anderson, a retired opera singer, started giving voice advice to bands in the mid-'70s for free. Now, he charges [$5,000] a day.

 According to Billboard.com, BLACK SABBATH are plotting a Canadian tour in early 2006. No further information is currently available.

As previously reported, the BLACK SABBATH-headlined Ozzfest show in Somerset, Wisconsin that got rescheduled last week has now been cancelled. The tour was supposed to hit the Float Rite Park Amphitheatre on August 7, but after doctors ordered Ozzy Osbourne not to sing on consecutive days, the show was moved to September 10. Now, however, an official statement says that it's been scrapped altogether because "some of the artists set to perform at the August 7 date were ultimately unable to alter their previous commitments to accommodate the new routing. Ozzfest organizers felt it was best to cancel the show instead of mounting anything less than a spectacular event."

Ozzfest will now close September 4 in West Palm Beach, Fla. The tour's next show is tomorrow (Aug. 18) in Phoenix.

Ozzy Osbourne is looking for a guitar player to write his next studio album with. All interested parties should send a package showcasing their guitar skills to:

Ozzy Osbourne Guitar Player
P.O. Box 5249
Beverly Hills, CA 90209

BLACK SABBATH frontman Ozzy Osbourne announced earlier in the week that he is searching for a guitar player to collaborate with on his next solo album.

Even though he's made records with guitar legends including Tony Iommi, the late Randy Rhoads, Jake E. Lee, and Zakk Wylde, Osbourne told Launch Radio Networks that he doesn't go looking for the flashiest player he can find. "When I audition guitar players, I go, 'I don't want to know how fast you can play, I don't want to know if you can stand on your head and play it through your butt, or whatever ? just give me a riff that'll make a kid want to go out and buy a guitar,'" Ozzy said. "Simple, but effective ? how (much) more simple can you get than (the KINKS song) 'You Really Got Me'? Just go (sings opening guitar part)."

No time frame has been announced for Osbourne to make a new album, and there's conflicting information about when it might happen. An official statement says that Osbourne and his wife and manager Sharon are either planning a BLACK SABBATH tour of Canada for early 2006, while the British tabloid The Sun quotes Sharon as saying the couple is getting ready for a two-year break from the music business, during which they'll spend some time in New Zealand.

 Despite Ozzy Osbourne's announcement last week that this will be his final stint as Ozzfest yearly headliner, Sharon Osbourne, wife and manager of Ozzy and the one person who may be the glue holding the entire operation together, was adamant about the future of Ozzfest.

"I can absolutely see this festival continuing on for the next 10 years," she told The Orange County Register. "It just comes down to giving the people what they want."

According to Sharon Osbourne, her husband had to cancel his performances because of chronic voice problems brought on by hay fever and allergies. She indicated that next year will bring a new format for the festival, with indoor arenas scheduled for some dates.

Sharon Osbourne said that despite the problems with canceled performances, she is confident that the tour is in great shape and remains one of the top money-making concert events in the country. And even as metal takes on new sounds with the upcoming bands, Sharon Osbourne thinks the genre is as strong as ever.

"There's no revitalization of metal," she said. "It's never gone away. That's why Ozzfest has been selling out for the past 10 years."

Regarding the festival's future, BLACK LABEL SOCIETY mainman Zakk Wylde ? whose band has been a fixture on the tour since 1999 ? told The Orange County Register, "What can I say, it's been a blast all these years. We're talking about an event where you have bands like BLACK SABBATH and IRON MAIDEN playing. It's like being in metal heaven."

Wylde said that before Ozzfest, his band was touring Japan and Europe, but he makes sure that his schedule is clear for this time of the year. "It's becoming a tradition for this band. All the chapters of the BLACK LABEL SOCIETY bike clubs show up for the tour and we all have a (great) time."

Wylde also believes the tour allows the "underground" bands a time to reach people who might not have heard of them. "I'll walk down to the second stage and watch some of these bands. They're the future, but at the same time, are the link to the past."

Wylde told The Orange County Register he spoke to Ozzy Osbourne about his recent announcement of cutting back his Ozzfest appearances and told him that he was in an enviable position.

"I told him he can pick and choose the gigs he wants to play," Wylde said. "I said, 'Ozzy, you have to realize that this tour is bigger than you. It's an institution.'"

Ozzy Osbourne has issued the following statement via his official web site:

"After 10 years, I've decided that this year will be my last as the headlining act on Ozzfest. The Ozzfest is well-established now and I feel it's time for me to hand the reigns off to someone else. However, I will be performing at a few select Ozzfest shows next year.

"Despite the rumors, I don't have permanent throat problems. The truth is that after 11 straight summers on the road, I would just love to finally take a summer holiday with my wife.

"You haven't heard the last from me.

"God bless, Ozzy."

Classic Rock Revisited recently conducted an exclusive interview with BLACK SABBATH guitarist Tony Iommi. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow:

Classic Rock Revisited: Let's talk about Ozzfest for a minute. How are things really going?

Tony: "It has been going good. We had to cancel a couple of shows because of Ozzy's [Osbourne] voice. It was very unfortunate and I hate doing that. Ozzy has had problems with his vocal chords. He had to take a few days off and fly back to Los Angeles to see his doctor. It is just one of those things that he seems to have problems with. I hate having to cancel shows. If it was up to Bill [Ward], Geezer [Butler] and myself then we would be doing four shows in a row but you just can't expect Ozzy to do it when he has a problem with his voice."

Classic Rock Revisited: After 35 years of playing, how do you still enjoy being together?

Tony: "Bill and I go out for walks every day. We talk about how the last show was. We are really into what we are doing ? more so even on this tour. We have really enjoyed playing. The real bummer of it all is when we have to cancel a show. That really pisses all of us off because you just really don't want to do that. We sort of lose a bit of momentum when we do that. You want to keep the machine going and you want to improve on what you are doing. When you have to cancel a show and then have three days off, it puts you back a bit."

Classic Rock Revisited: We just ran an article with Steve Harris of IRON MAIDEN where he explains Bruce Dickinson's outrage at the Ozzfest's fans for not being lively enough in concert. Is that disappointing when you are on a package tour and other bands are talking negative?

Tony: "It is hard for the fans to get up and jump around after they have been there all day. I know I certainly could not stand there all day, drinking in the heat and then jump around all night. As long as people enjoy themselves and they see what they have came to see then it is all great. That is what it is all about. Every band is going to try to get everyone to get involved with their show. After the kids have been jumping around for several bands then it is very hard to keep them going at nine o'clock at night."

Classic Rock Revisited: Is Iommi going to tour with Geezer Butler opening up? Is that really going to happen?

Tony: "Geezer started this idea and I think it is a good idea. When we get to the point where the Ozzfest is actually done he may go, 'I am not going back out so soon.' I am certainly going to go out and tour. It would be nice if we did it together."

Classic Rock Revisited: Was it tempting to do something on Ozzfest?

Tony: "I think we could have done something but I would not want to do that. I see this [solo career] and SABBATH as two separate things and if SABBATH was on the Ozzfest then I would have done it with Glenn [Hughes]. I don?t want to detract from BLACK SABBATH on the Ozzfest ? that would not be right."

BLABBERMOUTH.NET has received a number of e-mails regarding last night's (August 20) Ozzfest concert in Devore (near San Bernardino), California, which reportedly included an on-stage appearance following IRON MAIDEN's set by Sharon Osbourne during which she called MAIDEN vocalist Bruce Dickinson a "prick." The following report was submitted by David Priest, editor-in-chief of On Track Magazine:

"Last night's [August 20] headlining performance of IRON MAIDEN at Ozzfest in San Bernardino, CA rendered some interesting, if not disturbing, results. Although MAIDEN played one hell of a show, they were under attack from the moment they began their set. From the time they hit the stage, they suffered power loss on at least three occasions and they were continuously pelted with ice, bottle caps, and eggs among other things. Vocalist Bruce Dickinson was even spit on by one attendee. He seemed to believe these occurrences were not by accident and insinuated that they had been planned from the beginning of the night [Download MP3 files of Bruce's on-stage rants at last night's Ozzfest: Bruce#1, Bruce#2]. He also encouraged the other audience members to break the arm of anyone that they saw throwing things their way. Upon concluding their performance the emcee for the evening began to chant Ozzy, Ozzy while Bruce was still speaking. Bruce retaliated by chanting MAIDEN. After he left the stage Sharon Osbourne took over the mic and informed the crowd that they absolutely loved IRON MAIDEN and their crew and stated that they were all wonderful but that their singer Bruce Dickinson was a prick and had disrespected Ozzfest since they began their stint with the touring summer festival [Download MP3 file of Sharon's anti-Bruce rant at this location]. This of course came as a shock to those of us in attendance and the there was ample confusion and speculation from audience members there after. As previously announced last night's show marked the final performance of IRON MAIDEN on this year's Ozzfest. VELVET REVOLVER will be taking over their slot on the last remaining dates."

Here are a few more eyewitness accounts, as submitted by BLABBERMOUTH.NET readers:

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"Tonight was the last show of IRON MAIDEN's leg of the Ozzfest. Unfortunately the rest of the tour will have that spot filled by VELVET REVOLVER. There has been some sniping and such going on during this tour between Ozzy's camp and Bruce Dickinson, but that had been kept for the most part away from the fans it appears. So, IRON MAIDEN is playing a 55-minute set (though they've played full shows on the nights SABBATH cancelled on this tour because Ozzy can't to back to back nights.)

"MAIDEN is about to come on and right before a voice on the PA starts chanting 'Ozzy, Ozzy.' MAIDEN comes on and starts getting pelted with eggs from one area of the pit. Some dude has three dozen eggs. Bruce calls this out quickly. Next, during 'The Trooper', where Bruce waves a large British flag, some big dude painted red walks out from backstage with an American flag and on his back painted 'Don't f(#$ with Ozzy).' Tackled, he appeared off stage again. Then after Bruce declared 'You'll never hear MAIDEN on U.S. radio, MTV and certainly never see them in a reality show,' he says they will play 60 minutes, not 55. So, during two of their most popular songs (note: they are only playing songs from the first four albums, so 40,000 metalheads and idiots are going nuts), their PA and power goes off. Unbelievable, they handled it fine as almost if they expected it. They then do an encore and Bruce says something about the 'We the People' and nobody is going to stop them, not eggs, a guy spitting on them (until Bruce had him tossed) or a PA hoax and they play two more songs. Then they finish and are bowing and saying goodnight and the Ozzy voice comes on to chant, Bruce tries to change it to MAIDEN chant and then says, 'Are you as sick of this BS 'cause we are.' And they walk off.

"THEN: Sharon [Osbourne] comes on stage and asks for everyone?s attention and half ass praises and thanks IRON MAIDEN but say the singer Bruce is a prick and has been slagging the tour. 40,000 are stunned and start to boo and throw stuff, but most were stunned by the surreal moment. SABBATH then came out and did a good set like last year's with a much improved, yet hoarse, Ozzy. They started doing medleys thought, not good. But the rest, eesh."

-------------------------------------------------

"ROB ZOMBIE was cool, SHADOWS FALL and MUDVAYNE are better live than on CD, SLIPKNOT aren't really my kind of band but they put on an entertaining stage show...lots of strange shit going on.

"MAIDEN hit the stage to thundering applause, despite the fact that they are the ONLY mainstage band NOT to be introduced by some guy that comes on stage...and despite the fact that the idiot is screaming 'Ozzy... Ozzy... Ozzy' as MAIDEN's intro tape ('Doctor Doctor') is playing.

"Some prick is throwing eggs up on the stage. It doesn't occur to me till later, but this person HAD to be planted in the audience, because there is NO WAY any fan could have snuck in 36 fucking eggs. They patted us down so good, I felt like asking for a cigarette afterwards.

"Bruce is in fine rant form (got 5 or so tonight...LOL), and mentions how MAIDEN will never be on the radio, or MTV...or reality TV shows. He also mentions that they're supposed to do a shortened 55-minute set tonight, but just like someone sang that they can't drive 55, they can't PLAY 55....they're going to play their full show.

"Maybe 30 seconds or so before 'Phantom of the Opera' is to end, the PA cuts out. A minute or two later, it's back on an they go into 'Run to the Hills'. This happens again 2-3 times the rest of the night. Once near the end of 'Hallowed be thy Name', and the crowd is so into it, we all decide to help MAIDEN finish the song anyway. We sang the rest of it for them, as we could just barely hear their stage monitors going.

"In spite of all the problems with the planted egg thrower, the 'Ozzy... Ozzy...' asshole, and someone pulling the fucking PA plug, the band are on FIRE, and are determined to give us the best show possible. There was no big Eddie during the song IRON MAIDEN, just the walk-on Eddie. Is this how it was at the other Ozzfest shows?

"MAIDEN come back out for their encore, and Bruce says that the band is back out there for one reason, and one reason only...after all the bullshit...it for us...the fans. They put on a fucking killer encore, and the crowd was fucking totally into it.

"MAIDEN are on stage still, and taking their bows...and this cocksucker starts the 'Ozzy... Ozzy... Ozzy...' shit through the PA system again. Well, almost IMMEDIATELY, seemingly the entire crowd starts chanting 'MAIDEN... MAIDEN... MAIDEN...' over the guy... over and over... and we drowned that motherfucker out! Bruce was up there like an orchestra conductor, waving his arms as we chanted 'MAIDEN... MAIDEN!'

"The band aren't off the stage 10 seconds, when that cunt Sharon Osbourne comes out and tells us she needs us quiet just for a moment. She proceeds to tell us how they love IRON MAIDEN and think they're cool...but then says that Bruce Dickinson is a real prick, and has been disrespecting Ozzfest from day one. That's all I heard out of the bitch, 'cause we all immediately went back into 'MAIDEN... MAIDEN... MAIDEN!" and she was completely drowned out after that.

"I looked at my brother and said 'Let's get the fuck outta here,' and he nodded too. All the way out, we chanted 'MAIDEN... MAIDEN' ...and 'Bruce... Bruce...' ...and the crowd all along, chanted right with us.

"Walking out the gates, we quickly noticed that we were FAR from alone...as a large mass of people were leaving right with us. Common statements made by others were, 'Fucking bitch, Sharon...fuck her.' I think she overestimated her popularity...LOL. All she ended up doing was thinning out the crowd of a large LARGE number of MAIDEN fans. Good fucking riddance, too!

"It was best that we left anyway....since no band should ever go on after MAIDEN. I will never....NEVER spend another fucking cent on ANYTHING Ozzy does, unless he ever decides to stop being led around by the nose, by that fucking bitch, Sharon.

"All that being said....I'll repeat that in SPITE of all that went on, MAIDEN put on a great fucking show, with what they had to deal with...and the crowd returned the love...and then some."

"* IRON MAIDEN got pummeled with eggs on the opening of 'Murders In The Rue Morgue'

* Second song 'The Trooper', someone (looked like that douche 'Big Dave') on stage and mocked Bruce with an American flag.....

* MAIDEN's PA and amps were shut off four or five times during songs......

* Ozzfest apparently tried to cut MAIDEN's set length.....

* Someone sounding alot like that Dave person who introduced BLACK LABEL SOCIETY was chanting 'Ozzy, Ozzy...' ( a pre-recorded loop, maybe?) while MAIDEN were still on stage... Needless to say, the crowd is getting pissed by now.....

"Bruce was a total hero ? a pro, said what he needed to say and MAIDEN still did their set and encore... Sharon then came out for what appeared to be damage control, thanking MAIDEN and the crew ? and then said, 'but their singer Bruce Dickinson is a prick, he has insulted Ozzfest since he got here...' or something to that affect. The statement she made seemed to be condoning the poor treatment of MAIDEN.....

"I as a fan have gained MUCHO respect for Bruce Dickinson and lost respect for the Ozz Inc. camp."

-------------------------------------------------

"At the final night of their Ozzfest stint at Hyundai Pavillion in Devore, California, IRON MAIDEN were the victim of Sharon Osbourne's megalomania. Firstly, before they went on, Big Dave (or whatever they call the retarded streak of piss hanger-on who introduces Ozzy and BLACK LABEL SOCIETY for a living) tried to get an 'Ozzy' chant just before MAIDEN walked onstage. Then they had 35 eggs and bottles, which were 'planted' in the mosh pit just before showtime, which were then thrown at Bruce and the boys. Then when playing 'The Trooper' at the part when Bruce runs onstage dressed in military attire waving the British flag, 'Big Dave' ran on in a civil war outfit (kinda) and waving a huge U.S. flag. He had to be removed from the stage and then ran around the venue like a five-year-old schoolgirl. Next up was the fact that MAIDEN's sound was cut totally about five times mid-song and at crucial moments, complete power failure forcing them to abandon the songs.

"Bruce was noticeably pissed about this and made a comment about being a true rock band and not a reality show band. Then he let it be known that the power cuts were deliberate sabotage as were the eggs. As MAIDEN finished the set and were taking bows, 'Big Wad Dave' once again starts the 'Ozzy' chants, which the crowd drowned out with MAIDEN chants. Then to top it off, Sharon walks onstage and says, and I quote, 'Look, I really love IRON MAIDEN but I have to tell you their lead singer Bruce Dickinson is a prick.' The crowd went wild with booing and chants and Sharon continued, 'We have done so much for them, let me explain myself.' She was drowned out in a sea of boo's and left the stage.

"It was a debacle and embarrassing and the most unprofessional thing I have ever seen in my 20 years of going to rock shows. To actually of cut the power to the band and throw projectiles at the band in order to ruin their set was truly evil and dangerous and disrespectful to the thousands of fans who were there purely to MAIDEN. Sharon Osbourne is and evil cunt, I only hope she gets another batch of cancer after what she did tonight."

This is a fucking disgrace.  Maiden has fucking carried Ozzfest this year, if it wasn't for them this entire thing would have been a disaster and how are they repayed?  By being disgraced by that stupid cunt Sharon Osbourne and the rest of senile Ozzy's camp.  Fuck her, fuck Ozzy, and fuck whoever else that was behind that debacle.  Bruce and Iron Maiden should be commended for still putting on a great show and not putting that slutty bitch Sharon on her ass afterwards.  I am so pissed after reading that.  If I don't hear some sort of apology out of Ozzy soon then fuck him.  I've had enough of his shit.  He can't perform live anymore, he's totally compromised his musical integrity with his shitty latest album, Down To Earth, and he's totally whipped by that stupid cunt.  Maiden are fucking legends.  They deserve so much better. 

WHat the fuck ?

That is bullshit.

 Maiden carried fuckin show this year, from what I have heard. thats how they get repayed ?

I was planning to go to the September 2 date but fuck that.

Indeed

Maiden don't need Ozzfest and the greedy bastards that run it

I think what happened is actually bad publicity for the festival and good publicity for Maiden

 :smoking: Izzy? :smoking:? ? ?

 Two photos of IRON MAIDEN frontman Bruce Dickinson have apparently been deleted from the official Ozzfest web site, Ozzfest.com ? presumably because the Ozzfest organizers believe that Dickinson has "disrespected" the festival (based on comments made by Sharon Osbourne during last night's Ozzfest in San Bernardino, California).

Pathetic, she has not right to wreck a groups performance, ever since x factor shes become way above herself.

She didnt even think about all the fans there of maiden, she didnt care about wrecking there show, silly bitch.

Fuck sharon and ozzy, fuck mtv, fuck reality shows and everythinb the osbournes stand for.

That slut thinks she is gods gift.

Ozzy Osbourne has been worthless since he coked his brain out in the late 70's. Dio's Sabbath albums are much, much better than the last 2 Ozzy albums. Hell, it was IOMMI who cooked up Sabbath's riffs, and Ward and Geezer did their part too. Ozzy is a lucky idiot with an idiot wife. He is a bigger sellout than all of Metallica.  :rant: :rant: :rant:

Ozzfest already has a terrible reputation as a mallcore cesspool. I hope it goes under, since that trend seems to be dying or dead now. UP THE IRONS!!!!!!!!  :peace:

I did some reading on this and it appears maiden has been taking public shots at Ozzy throughout the tour.  insulting him and the osbourne show on stage and whatnot.  so sharon finally had enough.

but I agree that Sharon had no right to wreck Maiden's performance though.  that isn't just taking a shot at Maiden, it's wrecking the show for the fans, and that isn't fair to them as much as they pay for the ticket.

if there were problems between the 2 factions, it shouldve been handled behind the scenes, and not ruining the show for the fans.

None of the members of Maiden have been "taking shots" at anybody in the Ozzy camp publicly.  That's BS.  I read just about every interview the guys from maiden give, and there hasn't been anyything I would deem as "taking shots".  Maiden saved this year's Ozzfest, and cunt Sharon and Ozzy repay them by sabatoging (no pun intended) their set and talking shit afterwards.  Maiden are classy professional dudes.  They let their music do the talking, as opposed to Ozzy...who lets his wife do the talking.

Yes they have, not in interview, but on stage.? they were documented at least once, Dickinson said to the crowd one night, "we would never do a fucking reality show to please America" or something like that.

I agree that Sharon shouldve better handled the situation but I can understand her being pissed.? I highly doubt she'd go that far if they hadnt done anything at all.

Got this from the Ozzfest website.  Seems Bruce was indeed picketing Ozzy and the American audience.  His comments are contained here.

SHARON OSBOURNE Issues Statement: BRUCE DICKINSON Tried To Ruin OZZFEST For Everyone - Aug. 22, 2005

Sharon Osbourne has issued the following statement via the official Ozzfest web site, Ozzfest.com:

"IRON MAIDEN were chosen for the Ozzfest tour because the Ozzfest committee felt they were a good band, plus the fact that they had not done shows in the U.S. for some time. From day one, Bruce Dickinson started berating Ozzy and belittling the Ozzfest audience. He stated he 'didn?t need a reality show to give him credibility'; 'We're not just some fucking reunion band'; and continuously complained about the sound system, saying that when he comes back to America he'll have a better one. I understand he hasn't toured in the U.S.in these size venues in a while and no longer understands the political structure of things. Out of 200-plus bands over the last 10 years, he has been the only person who hasn't had the Ozzfest spirit. He thought he was at a battle of the bands, always making other comments about the other artists.

"Might I say, the rest of the band are gentlemen and have a great professional attitude. The crew are absolutely great. But how sad it was, after 10 years, that this little man tried to ruin it for everyone. The bands of Ozzfest don't even look at Ozzfest as touring, but as its heavy metal summer camp. Bruce is in fact a jealous prick and very envious. None of his tirades were directed at SABBATH, only Ozzy. Steve Harris [IRON MAIDEN's bassist] personally came to Ozzy in San Bernardino and apologized for Bruce's behavior this summer, stating that he and the rest of the band were 'embarrassed' by their own singer. It also offended me every night how he took out the English flag in America. There are American boys going to war alongside the English boys every day. How dare he forget the American troops on their home turf? He has had no respect for the American audience he has been playing for, stating in an interview, 'When you do the 'hits' tour here [in the U.S.], the audience is smug, and there's a sense of self-satisfaction, like, 'We got what we wanted?I'm looking at an audience that is self-satisfied and happy and fat, and getting what it wants and isn't prepared to get off its ass..'

"Before there was SAMSON, there was SABBATH!

"Ozzfest 2005 continues on with our summer of fun with the addition of VELVET REVOLVER. This is where the fun begins?.."


I knew sharon wouldn't have pulled something like this without provocation.  i'll again say I dont think it shouldve been handled this way because it cheated the fans, but in 10 years of Ozzfest, this has never happened, so I knew somebody from the Maiden camp had to have done something.  I know maiden fans wont want to believe Maiden actually had a part in it, but its the truth.  things like this don't just happen for no reason.

Paul Saitowitz of The Press-Enterprise has issued the following report:

Between the brutal metal assault from 21 bands and the 30,000-strong revelers who would have been just as at home at a professional wrestling match, controversy was the day's most interesting story at the Ozzfest.

IRON MAIDEN's set was the penultimate of the 14-hour festival held at Hyundai Pavilion at Glen Helen in Devore Saturday night. It was, however, plagued by a series of follies that led to an interesting conclusion.

The group came out blazing with Bruce Dickinson's operatic vocals and Steve Harris' scorching bass lines. But after the first song Dickinson lamented that someone was throwing eggs at the band. He was so incensed that he declared, "If I wouldn't get sued, I'd rip your (expletive) head off."

He eventually cooled down. As the band was hitting its stride on the metal classic "Run to the Hills", the public address system was cut off, making the song inaudible. The power came back after about 30 seconds, but went out again at the end of a blistering version of "Hallowed Be Thy Name".

Through it all, the band kept playing, proving that after more than two decades it still brings the metal better than anyone on the planet. There was a rollicking take on "Number of the Beast" that featured a large "666" lighting up in the background as the crowd chanted along. There was also a powerful rendition of "Iron Maiden", which featured a giant Eddie ? the group's skeletal mascot ? walking across the stage and toying with the band members.

Then strangely, as the band was taking its final bows, a voice came over the P.A. chanting "Ozzy" over and over again.

It got weirder.

As IRON MAIDEN exited the stage it was followed by Ozzy Osbourne's wife (and the tour's founder), Sharon Osbourne. She said into the microphone that "IRON MAIDEN is a fantastic band, but singer Bruce Dickinson is an (expletive)." Then she left the stage.
With bated breath, the crowd waited for retaliation. But by that point, BLACK SABBATH, led by Ozzy, was rocking the stage and the issue was dead.

IRON MAIDEN have posted the following message on their official web site:

"IRON MAIDEN wish to thank all the 45,000 metal fans at Ozzfest in San Bernardino on Saturday night for sticking with us and giving us such a great response at the end of a difficult set. It was obvious to all there that we had a 'series of unfortunate events' throughout! These made it difficult for us to keep our momentum but your incredible support certainly helped us get through it. We guess it all adds up to a pretty memorable gig though!!!

"This is, however, a metal festival. It is supposed to be fun for all. You fans pay very good money to be there and deserve to get a full and unhindered performance from all the bands. This was not the case last night.

"So with this rather bizarre end to a good tour we are returning to the U.K. today for the Leeds and Reading festivals and once again thanks to all of you who came out to see us these last few weeks."

I'm not an expert, but doesn't he do that in every country?




I think Bruce was comparing American audiences to the audiences in Europe.

The audiences at Ozzfest are probably not Maiden fans. To compare that to the audiences in Europe where they headline their own shows is a bit weird.


/jarmo

Yes, Jarmo, that British flag deal has been a staple of their show for more than 20 years.  He always does that when they play The Trooper.  It has nothing to do with him disrespecting American troops.  That's the biggest load of bullshit I've ever heard.  I think last year when they showed clips comparing President Bush to Hitler during Sabbath's set was much more disrespectful to American troops than anything maiden has ever done.  I also have no problem with Bruce's comments on some American concert audiences.  Compared to countries like Brazil and Germany, American audiences are often quite tame.  He damn sure didn't complain to us during the show I attended in Holmdel, NJ...the first show Sabbath sat out on this Ozzfest.  Us Jersey metalheads damn sure aren't tame.  That's why Ozzfest was at the PNC Bank Art Center 2 consecutive days.  We know our metal here.  And as for Sharon's claim that Bruce is jealous of Ozzy or Sabbath...that's the stupidest thing I've ever heard.  Bruce is an intelligent person, an amazing performer, and he's got lots of things going for him right now.  Ozzy's an old, senile, has-been who can't ever sing his own damn songs anymore.  Not to mention Bruce's band has been blowing Ozzy's band off the stage every single night (that is when Sabbath even bothered to perform).  It seems to me that Ozzy didn't like to being upstaged every night.  He didn't like all the great reviews and credit Maiden were getting, he got jealous, and had his wife try to start up some BS about how Bruce was disrespecting Ozzfest...whatever that is supposed to mean.  I guess Ozzy's learned a lesson on this tour...if you want your old tired ass to still look good, don't book a band that still brings it every night to open for you.  Maybe he can get Nickelback to open for him the next time he comes around.

Totally agree with Rob, Bruce has always bring up the English Flag when the Trooper gets on stage, as for Bruce Comentary I think he was misunderstood but I always believe Bruce is a like too proud to admit that he was over reacting.

I think Sharon over reacted to the whole british flag thing. Its not like they only have done it for this tour, haven`t they done that for 20 plus years? Nothing to do with Iraq.

On the other hand, if Bruce was taking shots at Ozzy throughout the tour, that is stupid & disrespectful since Ozzy gave them the opportunity to play Ozzfest.

Yeah I know but I think that If Bruce instead of reacting to the stupid Sharon Osbourne he would've think better the kind of answer he has to give, he would be now more hero than he is now.  :peace:

 The manager of a well-known heavy metal band (*NOT* IRON MAIDEN) who attended this past weekend's Ozzfest show at the Hyundai Pavillion in Devore, California has submitted the following first-hand account of the evening that will surely go down as one of the most shameful moments in recent rock history (NOTE: at his request, the author's identity is being protected by BLABBERMOUTH.NET):

"Saturday night's Ozzfest at the Hyundai Pavillion near Los Angeles was a debacle on so many levels, I am still in shock as I write this. As a fan of many of the bands [Saturday] night, one can only hope this was an isolated incident, but sadly, it most likely wasn't. As many of you have heard already, co-headliners and metal legends IRON MAIDEN were pelted with eggs, bottle caps, beer cups, spit on, had people from the Ozzfest camp talking over the PA during their set, had 'Eddie' delayed from his onstage entrance, had members of the [BLACK LABEL SOCIETY] entourage rush the stage with American flags, and had the PA intentionally turned off over six times, all by the OSBOURNE CAMP.

"While it's still unclear as to the exact reasons why the terrorizing started (rumors abounded as to why, with everything from Bruce calling out Ozzy in the U.K. rock magazine Kerrang! on the widely known fact that Ozzy uses a teleprompter, to various vague references said on stage about a 'reality show' at an Ozzfest stop in Detroit), one thing was very clear: The whole thing stunk, and left me, and nearly all of the 40,000+ heavy metal fans in attendance angered and disappointed. Not that behind the scenes bickering or magazine trash-talking is anything new to rock fans, but the shocking lack of professionalism at one of the largest stops in North America in front of 40,000+ spectators, at the hand of the Osbournes was nothing short of disgusting.

"It all began early in the afternoon, when many side stage bands were openly approached in clear view of everyone backstage by Sharon and Kelly Osbourne to 'join them in throwing eggs at IRON MAIDEN this evening.' All the bands were encouraged to rally the other side-stage bands to do so. Members and/or friends of the hardcore band BURY YOUR DEAD were seen actively trying to encourage other side-stage bands to 'join in the fun.' Thankfully, many side stage bands angrily declined.

"Later that evening, as IRON MAIDEN came on stage, their intro was interrupted by [BLACK LABEL SOCIETY] hanger-on and biker wannabe Big Dave, who was at the soundboard loudly chanting 'Ozzy, Ozzy' over the PA. MAIDEN opened their set and the entire band was pelted from the front row with eggs, beer, beer cups, spit, and various other objects by an Ozzfest-credentialed, bandana-wearing, Osbourne entourage. IRON MAIDEN, ever the professionals, continued through their set, and by the time they launched into their second song, 'The Trooper', Bruce changed into a civil war-era, red coat and began waving a Union Jack ? British flag. Then, someone in, or associated with, BLACK LABEL SOCIETY tried to rush the stage waving and American Flag with the words 'Don't fuck with Ozzy' scrawled across his bare chest. He was tackled and beaten by MAIDEN crew and promptly thrown off stage.

"As 'The Trooper' ended, frontman Bruce Dickinson, with characteristic spunk, launched into a scathing attack on the people terrorizing his band, calling them 'a sorry excuse for an Ozzy Osbourne fan,' and wondering aloud how, 'three dozen eggs could get snuck into the front row of Ozzfest by people with Ozzfest laminates?' Though he never named names, all in attendance could understand who he was referring to. Nicko McBrain ran up to the front asking Bruce to hold on while he cleaned egg off his drums. He then stated the the next song wouldn't be heard on 'Your local cocksucking corporate radio station, wouldn't be seen on MTV anymore, and sure as hell wouldn't be played on a fucking reality TV show,' met by a huge roar from the crowd.

"During the song 'Hallowed Be Thy Name', Bruce, after only the first two lines, stopped singing and ran to the front row, firing back at his terrorizers, saying 'That asswipe right there, with the curly hair, the fucking glasses, and Ozzfest laminate throw his fucking ass out of here right now. It's gonna take more than eggs to stop IRON MAIDEN, and if it wasn't for a lawsuit, I'd rip your fucking head off right now, you piece of shit!!!!' He had the various attackers ejected and continued with a blistering version of the song until right before the big sing long at the end, the PA was INTENTIONALLY cut off. When it came back, Bruce launched into another scathing attack saying that they were supposed to play a shorter set than normal today, and only play 55 minutes, but IRON MAIDEN can't drive 55, or play 55, and were going to play our whole fucking set tonight.

"The band endured six more 'PA cuts,' including having the power to their amps turned off at one point. When the PA would come back on, they would simply launch into the next IRON MAIDEN classic, never missing a beat. Frankly, with every PA cut, the band just got meaner and meaner, playing each new song with an anger and a fire that was at times, simply astonishing to watch. Bruce began the introduction to IRON MAIDEN with a speech about 'Your constitution has something about 'We The People.' Well let me tell you, the only reason we are up here tolerating this bullshit, is because of you people. You have been amazing Glen Helen, and there are A LOT of IRON MAIDEN fans here tonight,' eliciting a huge roar from the crowd. He continued, 'It's gonna take more than eggs to stop IRON MAIDEN, NOTHING is going to come between us and our fans, and it will be death before dishonor, this is 'Iron fucking Maiden',' which was greeted by a thunderous applause. During 'Iron Maiden', longtime MAIDEN mascot Eddie was purposely delayed from making his entrance, making a brief appearance at the end, and one could only wonder as to how. As the band closed there set with a furious version of 'Sanctuary', the PA was again cut only to have Big Dave repeatedly chant 'Ozzy' over the PA, while the band tried to say goodbye to their fans. The now-furious crowd angrily drowned him out with chants of 'MAIDEN, MAIDEN.'

"Then, not 10 seconds after MAIDEN left the stage, Sharon Osbourne walked on stage and predictably, tried to give MAIDEN some fake, half-hearted praise about how they'd like to 'thank IRON MAIDEN,' and what a wonderful band IRON MAIDEN are, and how their crew were 'fantastic,' then sneering, 'But Bruce Dickinson is a prick.' The entire crowd, now fed up with the entire affair, began loudly booing her, pelting her with beer cups, and yelling 'bitch.' She tried to carry on, adding that 'Bruce had disrespected Ozzfest,' only to be drowned out by an ocean of boos, and soaked with beer. She slammed the microphone down and stormed off stage. Many in the crowd, fed up with what they had just witnessed, especially considering that many had come solely for MAIDEN, and paid upwards of $150 to do so, left in droves. SABBATH played to maybe half the audience that was there prior, and seemed stagnate compared to the band preceding them. As a huge fan of SABBATH, I honestly couldn't stand to watch them.

"I've seen IRON MAIDEN probably 10 times in my life, and frankly this was the very best IRON MAIDEN show I've had the pleasure of witnessing. You DON'T want to fuck with IRON MAIDEN. The more the Osbournes tried to fuck with them, the better they got! IRON MAIDEN was on fucking overdrive! Considering the amount of terrorizing and intimidation that IRON MAIDEN had to deal with at the hands of the Osbournes and the other side stage and main stage bands participating, they were the consummate professionals. They had the crowd in the palms of their hands, and IRON MAIDEN and Bruce Dickinson proved beyond a shadow of a doubt why they are the greatest metal band on earth right now, and quite possibly, the classiest, too.

"The Osbournes are drunk with power. Shame on them, and shame on ANY of the bands that participated in the terrorizing and intimidation. It was disgusting display, that NO BAND should have had to endure, but especially a legend like IRON MAIDEN. That fact that it happened in front of 40,000+ people, at a Clear Channel-sponsored event, while Hyundai Pavilion Security turned a blind eye and let the Osbourne camp pelt one of the main headlining bands with eggs, beer, and spit, was simply inexcusable.

"I will proudly be attending next year's MAIDEN fest, and as much as I hate to say it, I can't bring myself to spend another dime on the Osbournes.

"Ozzfest, hang your head in shame."

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v164/metalsteph/082005_harris_egg.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v164/metalsteph/082005_janick_egg.jpg)

Maiden doesn't need any opportuniy to do shit.  The could've headlined the same venues themselves without senile Ozzy and cunt Sharon's help...in fact they did two summers ago.  The more I hear about this travesty the more I respect Maiden, and the more I absolutely despise everyone in the Osbourne camp.  It doesn't surprised me at all that that fat, ugly, slutty, stupid waste of life Kelly was involved.  Just when I think Ive said enough on this subject, I get more and more reasons to keep going.  That picture of Steve Harris is great.  He's got egg on him and he's rocking out harder than ever before.  You could see the determination on his face.  Compare that to the blank, stupid, far away look on Ozzy's.

Being spat on. Thats defo out of line, if the other things arnt bad enough spitting is just disguisting.
Im glad sharon was called a bitch and im glad Iron Maiden played a full set.

 According to Launch Radio Networks, the Osbourne organization is denying that daughter Kelly Osbourne had anything to do with IRON MAIDEN getting egged on Saturday, August 20. Various Internet reports have put Kelly in the mosh pit at the Ozzfest show in Devore, California, and that she and several other people with Ozzfest credentials threw eggs and other stuff at MAIDEN during the band's set. However, the word from the Osbournes is that Kelly was "absolutely not" part of the situation, at what was MAIDEN's final Ozzfest performance.

IRON MAIDEN's European record company, EMI, has hit back at Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne after MAIDEN's headlining set at Devore, CA's Hyundia Pavillion was allegedly sabotaged by Ozzfest crew. In a statement, the band's label said: "As many of you now know, Sharon Osbourne and assorted hangers-on dramatically and deliberately sabotaged IRON MAIDEN's final performance on the Ozzfest on Saturday 20 August in Los Angeles. As a result of further developments IRON MAIDEN will respond to Sharon and co's inflammatory and upsetting behaviour later today [August 23]."

IRON MAIDEN's manager, Rod Smallwood of Sanctuary Artist Management, has issued the following statement regarding the band's final Ozzfest performance this past weekend in Devore, CA:

"MAIDEN are currently returning from America and preparing for U.K. festivals this weekend and don't wish to waste time giving Sharon Osbourne's statement the dignity of a reply. Considering the disgraceful nature of the events that occurred they feel it's a pretty dismal effort at self justification and they don't think metal fans are at all gullible and that they will easily see through it. They want no more to do with this sorry incident and are very much looking forward to headlining Reading and Leeds festivals this weekend.

"I would however like to add my own comment on this.

"In 30 years in this business and after attending hundreds of gigs, l have never seen anything anywhere near as disgusting and unprofessional as what went on that night. I was standing on our sound desk out front as usual but ran to the stage as soon as the hail of missiles began and from then on watched from the front of the stage right next to Bruce's walkway. The scale, viciousness and concentration of the throwing made it obvious that this was a premeditated and co-ordinated attack. Assaulting musicians while performing by throwing bottle tops, lighters and eggs at them from just a few yards away is vile, dangerous, criminal and cowardly. It is incredible that Ozzfest security apparently did nothing about it ? aren't they there to protect the bands too? Especially when the band is concentrating on a performance in front of 45,000 people and the missiles are coming out of the glare of the spotlights. And to spit at a band on stage is unforgivable.

"IRON MAIDEN, like all the bands on Ozzfest, had to sign quite onerous legal documents part of which was promising not to throw anything into the audience, even wristbands!!! Ironic isn't it.

"It is well documented on the web who was responsible for planning and participating in this attack and for musicians to join in this assault on other musicians is a shocking disgrace akin to treachery. You should all be thoroughly ashamed of yourselves.

"We know who authorised the making of the 'Ozzy - Ozzy' chant tape the day before and how it was played secretly through the PA at the very beginning and end of our set.

"We also know who continually turned off the power interrupting our set at crucial moments. It is a good thing that the power was turned back on before there was a riot as you could sense on stage a lot of the huge audience were getting totally pissed off at this continual onslaught on the band.

"The great majority of the Ozzfest crew throughout the tour were terrific and we thank them. Those who participated or stood idly by and watched as this all went down should also be ashamed of themselves and l would certainly hope they never come near a tour with which we are involved.

"There is little point in my commenting on the chap with the flag or their trying to hold up Eddie or Sharon's speech as the audience made their feelings very clear on each occasion.

"And in the end what was all this about?? If l had any sort of problem or misunderstanding with a band working on a tour we were involved in l would go and talk to them or their manager - not wait until the end of a tour and assault and ambush them. Or was that really it?

"I find it staggering that this ambush would take place in front of any audience, let alone in San Bernardino, the biggest audience of the tour. Didn't that audience merit any consideration? They pay an awful lot to be there in terms of prices for tickets, parking, food, beer etc. Surely if they spend this sort of money they deserve to watch the bands they paid to see be able to put in a full unhindered performance. Free of danger and intimidation. If I had paid I would ask for my money back!

"And this audience really were outstanding, giving the band incredible support and many voting with their feet in disgust after the set and the speech, which to many was the final insult.

"I have to say l was immensely proud of MAIDEN who stood up to it all and showed great courage and just got better and better through the adversity. Their heads never dropped, instead they went on the offensive. It was a truly memorable moment when Bruce went to the very front of the stage during 'Trooper' ? something which he never normally does as he is usually on the ramps ? waving the flag whilst avoiding the hail of missiles and yelling 'This is a fucking British flag, and these colours don't fucking run!' The imperturbable attitude and ability of the band shone through and in the end made this a truly remarkable rock and roll event, even if for all the wrong reasons.

"We will have no more to say on this matter except that l do think the band deserve an apology from a number of people, and you know who you are."

The Band's actions in the wake of this disgrace makes me proud to be a Maidenite. I think it's clear to all who read Maiden's statement that they are the better men. The fans also appear to have been fantastic throughout. Drowning out the PA chant with "MAIDEN! MAIDEN!" Up the fucking Irons guys!

The IM bb is now saturated iwth a lot of visitors trying to download the whole bootleg, me included  ;D, dreadfully i think I got banned  :(

Sharon Osbourne has issued the following "open letter" to IRON MAIDEN manager Rod Smallwood:

"Rod,

"I found your statement to be completely void of the facts that led up to Saturday's show. Your press release was written like an old-time '80s manager, trying to use every opportunity to try and sell the record and the upcoming shows instead of just dealing with the truth.

"These are the facts:

"You claim to have been in the business for 30 years and have been to hundreds of gigs, but can you tell me how many times you have heard of an opening band talking sh*t about the headliner during their set and getting away with it? Not only is Ozzy the headliner, but he is also the man who is paying your band $185,000 a night. We gave IRON MAIDEN a chance to play to the biggest audiences they have ever played to in the U.S.A. We accommodated them with their stage set and at the band's request we even scoured the audience for people wearing IRON MAIDEN t-shirts and brought them down front during their set to make them feel more comfortable. Tell me, what other headliner would do that? Unfortunately those gestures were completely lost on Bruce Dickinson who for over 20 shows continually berated Ozzy and Ozzfest during his set.

"Over the last 10 years of Ozzfest, we have worked with over 200 bands. None of them were ever disrespectful to Ozzy or any of the other bands on the tour. But for 20 shows we were forced to hear Dickinson's nightly outbursts from the stage: 'When we come back to America, we'll be back with a proper sound system,' or "We won't be playing the same old songs every night (like SABBATH),' 'We don't need a teleprompter (like Ozzy)' and 'We don't need a reality show to be legit (again, like Ozzy).' Night after night we heard his complaints from the stage about how 'corporate' the venues were and how 'outrageous' the ticket prices were. Strangely enough, if you want to get a general admission ticket to stand in a field to see IRON MAIDEN at Reading this weekend it's going to cost you over $120. I would say that's very pricey, wouldn't you?

"When an artist comes on stage and says he's not playing the 55 minutes that he was allotted and that he is going to play for as long as he wants (cutting into SABBATH's set), I'm not going to let that happen. Dickinson was under the delusion that the 46,000 people in San Bernardino had come only to see IRON MAIDEN. He even proclaimed 'This is not the Ozzfest, This is Maidenfest.' I guess no one told him that we have an audience of 45,000 to 53,000 people every year in San Bernardino.

"Here's another fact for you. Bruce Dickinson's own band was embarrassed by him. IRON MAIDEN leader, Steve Harris, even came to Ozzy's dressing room to apologize to Ozzy for Bruce's behavior before MAIDEN took the stage in San Bernardino.

"It's shameful that Dickinson felt he had the right to air his issues publicly onstage every night as a way to boost his own ego. Dickinson never once came up to Ozzy and me to voice any concerns. He certainly had the opportunity to do so every night. If he wasn't able to show us that courtesy then why should I give him the respect to air my grievances with him in private? Ozzy's only interaction with Dickinson was on the first night of the tour. Ozzy, being the true gentleman that he is, passed Bruce in the hall and said 'Good luck and have a great show.' Unfortunately Dickinson felt the need to turn his back to Ozzy and walked away. Frankly, Dickinson got what he deserved. We had to listen to his bullsh*t for five straight weeks. He only had to suffer a couple of eggs on the head.

"On closing, yes, I did cut IRON MAIDEN's sound. This is the way I look at it: Ozzfest is our tour. We built it into something that's lasted 10 years now. We've been responsible for breaking many new bands and resurrecting the careers of former superstars. Part of our success stems from the fact that when a band is on Ozzfest we treat them with nothing but kindness and respect just as if we had invited them into our home. You can ask all of the bands who have been on the tour. They all describe it as the 'ultimate summer camp.' It's like one big family. Unfortunately Dickinson doesn't have the manners to realize that when you are invited into someone's home, are seated at their dinner table, are eating their food and drinking their wine, you shouldn't talk disrespectfully about them (Ozzy, BLACK SABBATH and Ozzfest), otherwise you just might get your ass handed to you. Every action has a reaction. Was Dickinson so na?ve to think that I was going to let him get away with talking sh*t about my family night after night? I don't think he realizes who he's dealing with. I will not endure behavior like this from anyone.

"I know you would love to keep talking about this because this is the most press that IRON MAIDEN has had in the U.S. in twenty years, but let's move on, shall we?

"Sincerely,

"The 'Real' Iron Maiden

"Sharon Osbourne"
   

RockConfidential.com earlier today (August 25) conducted an interview with BLACK LABEL SOCIETY mainman/OZZY OSBOURNE guitarist Zakk Wylde. An excerpt from the chat follows:

RockConfidential.com: Ozzy announced on this tour that he'd be retiring from Ozzfest and only doing select shows in the future. What do you think about that?

Zakk Wylde: "I always told Ozz that the great thing is that he's the namesake of it. If you created the Superbowl and played in the first Superbowl, people are gonna show up to see other Superbowls. Just because the Green Bay Packers were in the first two, what nobody's gonna show up if their not in 'em all? It's still the Superbowl. I told Ozz he should take a year off. That's the beauty of it. Take a year off and let somebody else headline the thing, chill out and relax. If anybody deserves to take a weekend off it's definitely him! They say James Brown is the hardest working man in show business, but Ozzy never stops!"

RockConfidential.com: Is the whole thing with IRON MAIDEN overblown or is it for real? How did all the drama start?

Zakk Wylde: "This is fact and this is reality. It's not the guys in MAIDEN and their crew. They're a beautiful bunch of guys. Bruce Dickinson every night would be saying 'Ozzy sucks,' 'Ozzfest blows,' 'Corporate America sucks,' 'America sucks,' and all this other crap. He was bagging on America and bagging on Ozz. Ozzy's the godfather of my son. It wasn't like Bruce said those things one night. This happened every night on the 'fest. If you got signed by George Steinbrenner to play for the Yankees and every day you say, 'Steinbrenner sucks,' 'Yankee Stadium blows,' 'I can't stand playing for this team ? it sucks ass,' then why are you playing for the Yankees? Shut your fuckin' pie hole. All he had to do was go up there, play for an hour, whoop some ass and go home. The only thing Ozzy's ever done was given MAIDEN a stage to come over and play to the biggest audience in the summer. Ozzy would give you the shirt off his back. He'd never do a bad thing to anybody. Sharon didn't like him talking about her husband like that and talking about Ozzfest like that. It's just not kosher. The bottom line is Bruce was being a wad! You act like a cunt, you get treated like a cunt! That's what happened. He's definitely not one of the guys. Everybody in their band and crew are cool. I love MAIDEN but he's talking about the godfather of my son, he's bagging America and all the troops are fighting overseas defending our way of life and freedom and fighting terrorism. This dickwad's taking American money and then he's gonna go home. At the same time he thinks he can badmouth America. It's not cool. He got pelted with a batch of eggs and they turned the power off on him! Go home!"

The Daily Texan spoke this week with Tim Lambesis, bandleader of Ozzfest second-stage act AS I LAY DYING, about the tour thus far, their new album, and the bitter feud between IRON MAIDEN's Bruce Dickinson and Sharon Osbourne. An excerpt from the chat follows:

The Daily Texan: I actually just read from Ozzfest.com that the lead singer of IRON MAIDEN [Bruce Dickinson] was causing some commotion on the tour, belittling the audience and questioning Ozzy's credibility.

Tim Lambesis: "Of course that's their side of it. For me, I think it went both ways. Sharon Osbourne also came on stage in front of 40,000 people and called him a prick. So both sides acted childish, creating this high school drama. I'm not going to choose sides, but they were both at fault."

The Daily Texan: IN FLAMES leads what could be deemed a Swedish metal invasion that includes THE HAUNTED, ARCH ENEMY and SOILWORK. Has that changed the environment for the bands at Ozzfest, like AS I LAY DYING, that are the leaders of this new sound and style in American metalcore?

Tim Lambesis: "In my opinion, that style of guitar with the heavy harmonies and layering has been around since IRON MAIDEN. What I think Swedish metal has done is taken that and made it into something much more aggressive. I think American metal has added a whole other step, though, that brings in those hardcore influences and breakdowns. If someone is a fan of metal as a genre, the energy and aggression, they're going to find something they enjoy in our music. We're really proud of the new record and the way it was able to blend some melody with the metal."

 The U.K.'s The Sun Online paper spoke to IRON MAIDEN vocalist Bruce Dickinson about the group's ill-fated final Ozzfest performance in San Berardino and their future plans. Read on:

The Sun Online: Why is Reading so special?

Bruce Dickinson: "It's where I was asked to join the band and it's also the first festival I ever went to in my life and also played. And this year it will be a big one, I promise and yes we'll be nervous."

The Sun Online: You're playing just the four albums on this tour because of "The Early Years" DVD Part One? Will there be a Part Two?

Bruce Dickinson: "Yes, Part Two will be based around 'Live After Death' and 'Powerslave' and 'Somewhere in Time' and we have started working on it. The plan is to do what will be our biggest, most spectacular tour we have ever done. The 'Powerslave' era was the one that had all the toys. It had the massive Eddie, the huge mechanical hands and Ancient Egypt. And we want to recreate the whole deal."

The Sun Online: You've ridden out every rock music trend and almost every band throughout has cited you as an influence. Why?

Bruce Dickinson: "Yes that's weird isn't it? It's because we've never compromised. MAIDEN is about loyalty and pride and doing what you believe in and sticking with your beliefs. It's a bit like people who follow football teams. They sign up for a football team and support them all their lives even if they lose. That's us, and our fans are part of our gang."

The Sun Online: Ozzfest, Reading and Leeds are all about new fans. Why are they important?

Bruce Dickinson: "People who are as old as I am are generally not that fun to play to. I know there'll be people reading this saying 'It's not true,' but 47-year-olds don't rock like 15-year-olds. They go absolutely mental and that's what keeps us going. We are playing songs approaching 25 years old and yet we have the youngest audience."

The Sun Online: So what happened when you went on stage at Ozzfest?

Bruce Dickinson: "We were hit by a co-ordinated barrage of bottle tops, lighters and eggs from a certain section at the front! Then the power for the PA and backline was completely pulled three or four times during songs. The band held it all together incredibly though and we just got really pumped up. It ended up being an amazing show. MAIDEN can pretty much deal with anything. We don?t get fazed too easily."

The Sun Online: Who do you think was behind it all?

Bruce Dickinson: "Everyone knows it's Sharon Osbourne. It's certainly not Ozzy or SABBATH ? they have too much class to condone stunts like that. She hates me for making remarks about reality TV. I hate reality TV. People should get off their arses and do stuff and not be so voyeuristic."

The Sun Online: Her stunts seemed to backfire as you played a magnificent set and soon after, thousands walked out in disgust?

Bruce Dickinson: "We left for the airport pretty well straight after we came off but we could tell there were a lot of disgusted fans who had paid good money to see us. The audience was incredibly behind us all the way and they really lifted us. If they hadn't been happy, there may have been a riot as those fans were really disgusted with the cowardly attacks."

The Sun Online: Did you enjoy the Rockwalk of Fame presentation and what does it mean to you?

Bruce Dickinson: "Well it's very American but behind it there are all these fans that are really into it and have all turned up. It's great. We are very proud of that day, though we ended up with filthy hands. It was great that Eddie rightfully got a handprint too."

The Sun Online: You left the band in 1993. Is it something you regret?

Bruce Dickinson: "Hindsight is a wonderful thing. When I left I had no intention of coming back but in the intervening period, I ended up becoming a much better singer than I was before, certainly live. And coming back into the band I had a hell of lot more energy than in the two or years before I left and I stayed with it. I also came back with a determination that I'm never going to walk on stage again doing something I don't want to do as it's soul-destroying and eats you up."

The Sun Online: How does MAIDEN fit in with family life?

Bruce Dickinson: "Well, we get to run around like a lunatic and play music and my kids can come and watch. My 15- and 13-year-olds were in the front row at our New York gig, in the mosh pit. I suddenly saw these four security guards jump in and hold someone down. I thought they had my kids but then I looked and saw their little faces, sweating and screaming and I was ready to dive in."

The Sun Online: And next for MAIDEN?

Bruce Dickinson: "We have the live album 'Death on the Road' out on Monday with a DVD to follow and then we record the new studio album next spring, which will be out next autumn. First we have the special fundraising Hammersmith Odeon show next week. It's for our old drummer Clive Burr's Multiple Sclerosis Trust Fund. I'm really looking forward to it. It will top off an amazing year which included a show in Sweden, where we played to 56,000 and were broadcast live to 20million people."

The Sun Online: And next for you?

Bruce Dickinson: "I go back to my 6 Music radio show and my job as an airline pilot. It's a proper, straightforward, regular job. I had to book holidays for the tour. I was straight off stage at Ozzfest to hightail it to LAX airport."

 According to the Star-Telegram, new DROWING POOL singer Ryan McCombs (formerly of SOIL) did an "adequate job" covering the group's four-year-old songs such as "Sinner" during the band's debut live appearance with McCombs at yesterday's Ozzfest in Dallas, Texas. However, during their 20-minute set, "the band never acknowledged the obvious ? folks, here's our new singer ? which was supposedly the whole point," according to Star-Telegram writer Teresa Gubbins.

McCombs joined DROWNING POOL as the replacement for Jason "Gong" Jones, who left the band in early June. The revamped group are expected to begin recording their third album later in the year for an early 2006 release via Wind-Up Records.

Props to that Lambesis guy for not sucking up to cunt Sharon.

Wow. Years of being around Ozzy have have made this guy a passive coke fuckup!


Show me where Bruce or Maiden have been 'bagging' (whatever that is, Mister Testicular Fortitude of Cast Iron ;D) America or 'all the troops are fighting overseas defending our way of life and freedom and fighting terrorism' (TM)

They haven't at all.  But Sharon and Zakk realize that no one is behind them on this one, so they're trying to make some shit up to try to get people on their side.

They are both pathetics, even though I like BLS I think that's really low class.  :no:

thats the stupid guy thy sabotage Iron Maiden stage, what a looser.
(http://www.rosshalfin.co.uk/ironmaiden/ironmaiden_colour199.jpg)

I got it from Ross halfin web page. Heres the link:
http://www.rosshalfin.co.uk/ironmaiden/ironmaiden15.html

I think that loser is disrespecting America far more than Iron Maiden ever has.

Yeah but I think that Maiden and Bruce didn't disrespect America in any way. So I think that the only moron is the guy in the picture.

Right...well him and Sharon.

well that dudes shorts are too short for a fat fuck like him!

Well now that you say it, you're right, it looks kinda scary right now  :nervous:

OZZY OSBOURNE will be issuing a separate version of Disc 4 ("Under Covers") of his recently issued box set, "Prince of Darkness", on November 1, 2005 via Sony. The DualDisc release will contain nine tracks that were previously released on the "Prince" box set, plus four brand new cover tunes.

The first side of every DualDisc contains a full-length audio album while the DVD side features a wide range of exclusive content such as the same album in enhanced sound (such as 5.1 Surround Sound or enhanced LPCM stereo), music videos, interviews, photo galleries, web links, concert footage, lyrics and more. DualDiscs play on existing CD and DVD hardware devices such as DVD players, car stereos, PCs, game consoles and CD players.

"Under Covers" track listing:

01. Rock Mountain Way (JOE WALSH)
02. In My Life (THE BEATLES)
03. Mississippi Queen (MOUNTAIN)
04. Go Now (MOODY BLUES)
05. Woman (JOHN LENNON)
06. 21st Century Schizoid Man (KING CRIMSON)
07. All the Young Dudes (MOTT THE HOPPLE)
08. For What It's Worth (BUFFALO SPRINGFIELD)
09. Good Times (ERIC BURDON)
10. Sunshine of Your Love (Cream)
11. Fire (ARTHUR BROWN)
12. Working Class Hero (JOHN LENNON)
13. Sympathy for the Devil (ROLLING STONES)

The DVD portion will include an exclusive program of Ozzy telling tales of his storied career, which will be titled "My Dinner With Ozzy."

Unfortunately, two songs which were previously expected to appear on this release ? "How" (JOHN LENNON) and "Hi Ho Silver Lining" (JEFF BECK) ? may never see the light of day.

Looking forward to hearing Rocky Mountain Way

Sharon Osbourne spoke exclusively to Kerrang! magazine (web site) last week regading IRON MAIDEN's final performance on this year's Ozzfest tour, during which she cut MAIDEN's power and arranged to have the band pelted with eggs and debris from the crowd. A couple of excerpts from the interview follow:

Kerrang!: Reading between the lines of [IRON MAIDEN manager] Rod Smallwood's statement, the unspoken suggestion is that you orchestrated this whole thing...

Sharon Osbourne: "Of course I did. I had the PA turned on and off. And look it's not hard for someone to walk into a diehard Ozzfest crowd and say, 'Who wants to throw an egg at a rock star?' Who wouldn't wanna do that? I went out and bought 50 eggs and me and my daughter had a fucking blast. C'mon, it's rock 'n' roll. No-one died. They'll be waiting a long fucking time for an apology from me."

Kerrang!: The most astonishing thing about all this is that the metal world has always had such camaraderie, such a "one for all, all for one" attitude...

Sharon Osbourne: "It has, right? But for some reason Bruce Dickinson [IRON MAIDEN singer] seemed to view it as a battle of the bands. He'd stand up on that stage and say that this wasn't the Ozzfest anymore, it was MAIDEN-fest. How fucking disrespectful is that? He's got such an '80s mentality. He's up there saying, 'Fuck MTV and fuck radio and you wouldn't catch IRON MAIDEN doing a reality show' and it's like, 'Hang on, you're a shareholder in Sanctuary, which is one of the biggest corporations in the music business.' He's never said a word about SABBATH either, only Ozzy, so it's personal. We've had 220 bands play this tour over the last 10 years and I've never felt the need to egg anyone."

Kerrang!: Up to this point you?re being painted as the "Wicked Witch" here, Sharon...

Sharon Osbourne: "I'm as nice as can be to people until they fuck with me and my family. I've always said that. I'm surprised that after everything that's been reported about how protective I am of my husband that anyone would even be shocked by this."

Kerrang!: Saying things like this could make this run and run...

Sharon Osbourne: "Not for me. We have Ozzfest shows to do so I'm not thinking about this anymore. Bruce Dickhead doesn't exist to me anymore."

Sharon Osbourne's entire interview with Kerrang! can be found in the magazine's latest issue, out on the stands tomorrow (August 31).

She thinks she's so fucking amazing.  If she never sunk her claws into Ozzy she'd be an old, no-name, slutty bitch.  This year Ozzfest WAS Maidenfest.  Ozzy didn't even fucking play half the fucking shows, and when he did play he downright sucked.  Maiden put on an amazing show every single night, they were getting all the credit, they were getting all the critical acclaim, and cunt Sharon couldn't stand to be upstaged.  And since when is Sanctuary one of the biggest companies in the business?  They're not too far from completely going under.  Maiden's one of the few acts on the label that bring in decent revenue.  Someone needs to slap the taste out of that bitches mouth.

Sharon Osbourne spoke exclusively to Kerrang! magazine (web site) last week (as reported here yesterday) regarding IRON MAIDEN's final performance on this year's Ozzfest tour, during which she cut MAIDEN's power and arranged to have the band pelted with eggs and debris from the crowd. Several more excerpts from the interview follow:

Kerrang!: Reading between the lines of [IRON MAIDEN manager] Rod Smallwood's statement, the unspoken suggestion is that you orchestrated this whole thing...

Sharon Osbourne: "Of course I did. I had the PA turned on and off. And look it's not hard for someone to walk into a diehard Ozzfest crowd and say, 'Who wants to throw an egg at a rock star?' Who wouldn't wanna do that? I went out and bought 50 eggs and me and my daughter had a fucking blast. C'mon, it's rock 'n' roll. No-one died. They'll be waiting a long fucking time for an apology from me."

Kerrang!: Smallwood's statement describes the incident as "dangerous" and "unprofessional"...

Sharon Osbourne: "Well, here's unprofessional for you: our Ozzfest show in San Bernadino is always a big deal. And because it's a special show we wanted to add SLIPKNOT to the bill, which meant that we would have to cut the time from everyone's set so that we wouldn't over-run the curfew. But Monkey Boy (Bruce Dickinson) isn't having it, and so he's onstage going, 'We won't play 55 minutes, fuck that, we're playing 65!' Now that sounds good to the kids out front ? they're not gonna understand about a curfew ? but of course if IRON MAIDEN plays 10 minutes more, then BLACK SABBATH get 10 minutes less of their show, and I'm not going to have that on our own fucking tour.

"I'd say Bruce Dickinson has been unprofessional in the way he's behaved from day one. He's been complaining that the PA isn't loud enough, complaining about MTV, complaining that my husband does reality shows, complaining about the prices of the tickets, on and on. Fuck him. He didn't even speak to Ozzy once on the whole tour. I mean, Ozzfest ticket prices are expensive but we haven't raised the ticket prices for three years even though, with inflation. All the costs in putting on a show like this rise. If Monkey Boy hated the tour so much why didn't he leave it? I've been paying his wages for four weeks. He didn't seem to have any problem pocketing the $180,000 cheques that me and my husband were writing for the band for every night ? that could have stayed in my pocket. Me and my husband built up this tour over 10 years with blood, sweat and tears. I'm not having anyone fuck with that."

Kerrang!: The most astonishing thing about all this is that the metal world has always had such camaraderie, such a "one for all, all for one" attitude...

Sharon Osbourne: "It has, right? But for some reason Bruce Dickinson seemed to view it as a battle of the bands. He'd stand up on that stage and say that this wasn't the Ozzfest anymore, it was MAIDEN-fest. How fucking disrespectful is that? He's got such an '80s mentality. He's up there saying, 'Fuck MTV and fuck radio and you wouldn't catch IRON MAIDEN doing a reality show' and it's like, 'Hang on, you're a shareholder in Sanctuary, which is one of the biggest corporations in the music business.' He's never said a word about SABBATH either, only Ozzy, so it's personal. We've had 220 bands play this tour over the last 10 years and I've never felt the need to egg anyone."

Kerrang!: Did you confront Bruce personally about this?

Sharon Osbourne: "No, I didn't want to give Monkey Boy the satisfaction of thinking that he'd annoyed Ozzy. The truth is that Ozzy never heard a single note of IRON MAIDEN's shows, most nights he wasn't on site when the band took the stage. My husband is a prince. And you know what, he had nothing to do with this. He wouldn't stoop to something like this, but I'm a fucking bitch and I have no problem with it.

"Let's face it, the guy is a failed solo singer who's gone back to his band after his solo career failed. I don't know how many albums his last solo albums old in England but in America it sold 6,000 copies. Every solo album my husband puts out goes platinum. Look, tell you what, you take a picture of my husband and a photo of Monkey Boy down to (London's) Regent Street now and see who people recognize. There's no fucking question, is there? And that's what it boils down to: Jealousy. Bruce Dickinson isn't my husband's peer. There wouldn't be an IRON MAIDEN if there was no SABBATH."

Kerrang!: And you didn't say anything to their management either?

Sharon Osbourne: "No, I have no problem with their management. After we did the first show in Boston, I had an email from Rod Smallwood saying that Bruce was concerned that the front rows of the audience weren't really MAIDEN fans and so I kept a couple of rows of seats clear every night so that we could bring in MAIDEN fans in MAIDEN T-shirts to make the band feel comfortable. I was the mug who did this for four weeks. And then this is how Monkey Boy repays me."

Kerrang!: From the outside it looked like the tour had been quite amicable, particularly as MAIDEN was stepping in to headline when Ozzy had to cancel some appearances...

Sharon Osbourne: "Yes, they were happy to do that when they were given an extra $100,000 a night! We could have had ROB ZOMBIE close the show. MAIDEN are a great band, but the truth is that they have never cracked America, like Ozzy has. At MAIDEN's last two L.A. shows they played to something like 15,000 people over two nights: We gave them a platform to perform to 46,000 people in Los Angeles, and that's a wonderful opportunity. And I knew they were looking forward to it. So I was like, 'Oh, you're really looking forward to being back in L.A., are you?' Well this is where you learn you don't fuck with me..."

Kerrang!: Up to this point you're being painted as the "Wicked Witch" here, Sharon...

Sharon Osbourne: "I'm as nice as can be to people until they fuck with me and my family. I've always said that. I'm surprised that after everything that's been reported about how protective I am of my husband that anyone would even be shocked by this."

Kerrang!: Was there any comment from the MAIDEN camp after the show? It's been reported that Steve Harris apologized...

Sharon Osbourne: "Steve Harris came into apologize to Ozzy before he went onstage and he was lovely. I mean, the band are gentlemen, really down-t-earth, lovely guys. Their singer is just a liability and they can't be responsible for that. He's got a great voice but he's obviously been sucking Ronnie James Dio's cock for singing lessons. He goes on about being a pilot and a swordsman and an author and whatever - does he think he's better than everyone else? If he's such a swordsman maybe he should have fenced the eggs out of his way! I should have thrown bananas..."

Kerrang!: Your daughter Kelly is on Sanctuary Records (owned by MAIDEN's management): Isn't this going to create tension?

Sharon Osbourne: "What, they're gonna drop her because she threw a fucking egg? I don't think so. What's Kelly gonna do, walk up to Monkey Boy and ask for an autograph because he's been such a big influence on her musically? Ask if she can do a duet on 'Bring Your Daughter to the Slaughter'? Fuck off."

Kerrang!: Rod Smallwood's statement brings up another point which is that regardless of any personal fueds between the two camps, the people who really suffered where the people who bought tickets for the show.

Sharon Osbourne: "Come on, a bit of egg isn't gonna spoil a rock show for someone standing at the back of a 46,000 strong crowd. Everyone got a show they'll remember for the rest of their lives. If I was at that show I'd want to keep the ticket stub because it'll go down in history."

Kerrang!: Doesn't this kind of incident make you think, 'Fuck it, I just don't need this grief anymore'?

Sharon Osbourne: "No, not at all. Because he's not here anymore so it's fine. He can go back to Chiswick and wash the peanut butter out of his hair and sit in the pub and talk about having a wank. But he'd better watch out that he doesn't run into my son at Reading. Jack would give him one kick in the head and that'd be that. But you know what the irony is? Jack wouldn't know Monkey Boy if he fell over him in the street..."

Kerrang!: Saying things like this could make this run and run...

Sharon Osbourne: "Not for me. We have Ozzfest shows to do so I'm not thinking about this anymore. Bruce Dickhead doesn't exist to me anymore."

Sharon Osbourne's interview with Kerrang! can be found in the magazine's latest issue, out on the stands today (August 31).

 For the final night of this summer's Ozzfest, the tour and promoter have joined forces with the Red Cross to raise money for the victims of Hurricane Katrina. Volunteers from the Red Cross will be on hand accepting cash donations at this Sunday's (September 4) show at the Sound Advice Amphitheater in West Palm Beach, Florida.

"Florida is a state which has been affected over the years by hurricane devastation and we're hoping that everyone can open their hearts and help their neighbors throughout the Gulf Coast," said Ozzfest organizers.

For those not in attendance, donations can also be made via the Red Cross web site (www.redcross.org).

Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi has no problem organizing his priorities. So when Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne called him early this year and told him they wanted Black Sabbath to headline the 2005 Ozzfest, he postponed plans to tour with his own band, Iommi, in order to head back to the stage with Sabbath.However, by committing so resolutely to Sabbath, Iommi has been unable to support the recent release of his second solo album, Fused, a granite-solid slab that sounds more like a groove-saturated cross between Deep Purple and Audioslave than anything by Sabbath.

Fittingly enough, Iommi was joined on the record by ex-Deep Purple singer/bassist Glenn Hughes (who sang with Sabbath in the '80s), session drummer extraordinaire Kenny Aronoff and bassist/keyboardist Bob Marlette, who also produced the disc and co-wrote all of the songs. Now that Ozzfest is done, Iommi and his bandmates plan to hit the rehearsal studio, then tour to support Fused.

"I'm really looking forward to playing onstage with these guys," Iommi said on a down day from Ozzfest. "Kenny and Glenn have lots of enthusiasm and they certainly push me when we're all playing together, which is great."

Incidentally, if you had asked Iommi two years ago what he hoped to be doing in 2005, he'd have said he wanted to be promoting a new Black Sabbath album, not a new Iommi disc. At the time, Sabbath were in the studio in Wales working on new material. But progress was slow, and by the time the bandmembers went their separate ways, they had ideas for about only six songs ? ideas that have been gathering dust since then. At present, Black Sabbath have no plans to return to the studio to record those or any other songs.

"I've waited around a long time to do a Sabbath album, and it's getting frustrating," Iommi said. "I'm getting bored with the idea of waiting around any longer and I've got a lot of music to put out and I just want to do it. I wanted to go and really work on being in a band. So basically, that motivated me into making an album with Glenn and Kenny. It's a great band and a great outlet."

Iommi and Marlette started writing songs for Fused more than a year ago at Iommi's studio in Warwickshire, England. Then, when Hughes and the guitarist got together to finish up the nearly decade-old recordings that were released last year on The DEP Sessions: 1996, the onetime Sabbath bandmates decided to pen some new tunes as well. "I just played Glenn some riffs and we started making things up right away," Iommi recalled. "It was amazing ? I'd come up with a part and by the time it was ready, he'd have two or three different melodies for it. Then I played him a couple of the tracks I did with Bob and he really liked them, so we worked with those, too."

Next, Iommi and Hughes called in Aronoff and Marlette and recorded Fused in about six weeks late last winter, mostly at studios in Wales and London. Instead of laying down the guitar, bass and keyboard tracks separately and then doing overdubs and vocals, the musicians rehearsed the songs thoroughly, then recorded them with everyone playing at the same time.

"We wanted it to have the same feel as a band playing live," Iommi said. "It all fell into place very quickly, almost too quickly. It was so simple. I'd love to do another album with these guys because they're all so good to work with. With Black Sabbath, we take a really long time over rehearsals and pulling ideas together. And we tend to rehearse for two or three hours and then that's it. But with Glenn and Kenny, we'll be in there playing for a full six hours and we'll want to keep going."

Even though he's eager to start touring for Fused, Iommi said it was no sacrifice to postpone those plans for Ozzfest. Ozzy recently announced that this summer was the last Ozzfest he will headline, although he may play occasional shows in the future (see "Ozzy Retires As Ozzfest Headliner: 'It's Time For Me To Move On' "). "We really get into it," he said. "I go for walks with [drummer] Bill [Ward] and we talk about the band and the shows and our lives. It's a good vibe. The only unfortunate thing is when we have to cancel shows, which is really disappointing. Ozzy's had a problem with his throat recently. He had to fly back to see a specialist in Los Angeles and he was as upset as anybody. But it's one of things you can't do anything about. If his voice goes, it goes. What can you do?"

 Gossip columnist Jeannette Walls of MSNBC is reporting that that Playboy magazine recently asked Ozzy Osbourne ? a veritable connoisseur of rehab centers ? which ones he liked and didn't.

"Betty Ford is a good one. And a place called Promises, in Malibu, which is like a [bleeping] Hollywood camp resort for wealthy [bleeping] lunatics," Osbourne tells the October issue of the mag. "Hazelden, in Minnesota, is a really hard one. They do not [bleep] around. I checked out because it scared me. They use a thing called tough love, where they're like 'You [bleeping] piece of [bleep]!' I was like, 'I felt like a piece of [bleep] before. That's why I am paying you all this money. You don't need to tell me every day.'"

When asked what he thinks of the rumored possibility that Colin Farrell will play him in a movie, Osbourne responded, "Who the [bleep] is Colin Farrell?"

 According to the Boston Herald, Ozzy Osbourne will be tonight's (Sept. 8) special guest at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts for "NFL Opening Kickoff 2005" ? a one-hour pregame special airing on ABC at 8:00 p.m. ET. The show, which will feature additional live performances by GREEN DAY, SANTANA, TRISHA YEARWOOD, MAROON 5 and KANYE WEST, will lead into the season opener between the Patriots and Oakland Raiders at Gillette Stadium (ABC, 9:00 p.m. ET). Ozzy will reportedly perform "Crazy Train" from atop the New England Patriots football helmet whilst Tom Brady & Co. come running through onto the field.

The Boston Herald reported on Wednesday (Sept. 7) that Ozzy was spied getting off an elevator at the Ritz-Carlton, Boston Common, Tuesday, and word around the hotel was that Osbourne was off to the Sports Club/LA.

Clear Channel Entertainment has set a November 22 North American release date for the "Ozzfest Xth Anniversary" DVD/CD set. The two-disc set is expected to include highlights from this year's festival, which was headlined by co-headlined by BLACK SABBATH and IRON MAIDEN, with additional appearances by MUDVAYNE, SHADOWS FALL, IN FLAMES and BLACK LABEL SOCIETY, among others. No further information is available at this time.

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 The cover artwork for the upcoming two-disc DVD commemorating the 10th installment of Ozzfest, entitled "Ozzfest Xth Anniversary"Due on November 22 via Clear Channel, the DVD will have a running time of 150 minutes and will feature performance footage from some of the bands on this year's Ozzfest lineup, as well as a companion CD of live tracks recorded at various stops along the route. A DVD synopsis reads as follows:

"The longest running rock tour in history comes home at last ? on DVD w/ a live CD too ? celebrating 10 years on the road! Go inside the Ozzfest tour's 10th year, with 60,000 fans at the U.K. show to the 103-degree heat of the back lots in Camden, NJ. Ozzy, Sharon and Jack turn out to show, and tell, how a simple idea became one of rock's biggest festivals. The artists and fans of Ozzfest became a mush of togetherness and the music, well, that's what it's all about! Ozzy and his festival are now multi-generational and fans, young and old, show up to prove it. The DVD offers the whole story OR a 'play concert only' feature. Like Ozzfest, it is ALL about the fan experience."

The exact track listing for the "Ozzfest Xth" set has yet to be announced.

Is that a picture of Scott Ian in the top left corner?  What's he doing there?  Anthrax wasn't on Ozzfest.

Die-hard heavy metal fans (and those who are just plain curious) now have the opportunity to take a behind-the-scenes glimpse at the longest-running rock tour in history with the DVD and bonus live CD release, "Ozzfest 10th Anniversary".

Celebrating its decade anniversary on the road, this DVD brings fans up close and personal to what has become a "mosh of togetherness" for the artists and fans. Clear Channel Entertainment Home Video and Ventura Entertainment Enterprises proudly present the special DVD premiere of "Ozzfest 10th Anniversary" for only $19.98 on November 22, 2005.

Filmed at the Donington, U.K. show which was attended by over 100,000 fans, and the back lots of Camden, NJ where the temperature struck 103 degrees, "Ozzfest 10th Anniversary" DVD and CD (view cover here) feature radical performances from BLACK SABBATH, VELVET REVOLVER, ANTHRAX, H.I.M., TRIVIUM, and ROB ZOMBIE, among others. Not only will viewers have a backstage pass to the hair-raising antics at the shows, but they will also get up close and personal with the Osbourne family, as the DVD features interviews with Ozzy, Sharon and Jack. They tell the whole story about the history of Ozzfest with a special walk around tour with behind-the-scene footage of the concert. Bonus features include exclusive interviews with Ozzy Osbourne, Jack Osbourne, Slash and Zakk Wylde. Plus concert performances of ALTER BRIDGE's "The End Is Here", BOWLING FOR SOUP's "1985" and THE MAD CAPSULE MARKETS' "Pulse". The exclusive special live CD features performance songs from the 2005 Ozzfest tour, including BLACK SABBATH's "War Pigs", "Iron Man" and "Paranoid"; H.I.M.'s "Soul On Fire"; and ROB ZOMBIE's "Dragula", among others. As a special extra feature, the DVD offers the whole story or a "play performances only" feature.

DVD features live performances by:

BLACK SABBATH - "War Pigs"
BLACK SABBATH - "Iron Man"
BLACK SABBATH - "Paranoid"
VELVET REVOLVER - "Sucker Train Blues"
ANTHRAX - "Caught in a Mosh"
H.I.M. - "Soul On Fire"
ALTER BRIDGE - "The End Is Here"
THE MAD CAPSULE MARKETS - "Pulse"
TRIVIUM - "A Gunshot To The Head of Trepidation"
ROB ZOMBIE - "More Human Than Human"
ROB ZOMBIE - "Dragula"
THE HAUNTED - "Bury Your Dead"
SOILWORK - "Blind Eye Halo"
WICKED WISDOM - "You Can't Handle"
GIZMACHI - "Voice Of Sanity"
A DOZEN FURIES - "Awake and Lifeless"
IT DIES TODAY - "A Threnody For Modern Romance"

Special live CD includes songs:

BLACK SABBATH - "War Pigs"
BLACK SABBATH - "Iron Man"
BLACK SABBATH - "Paranoid"
VELVET REVOLVER - "Sucker Train Blues"
ANTHRAX - "Caught In A Mosh"
BOWLING FOR SOUP ? "1985"
H.I.M. - "Soul On Fire"
ALTER BRIDGE - "The End Is Here"
THE MAD CAPSULE MARKETS - "Pulse"
TRIVIUM - "A Gunshot To The Head Of Trepidation"
ROB ZOMBIE - "More Human Than Human"
ROB ZOMBIE - "Dragula"
THE HAUNTED - "Bury Your Dead"
SOILWORK - "Blind Eye Halo"

This tracklisting is so fucking stupid..Donnington was Ozzfest DAY not part of the tour..Wheres the Iron Maiden,BLS,Mudvayne,In Flames