Ozz Fest '96 - The Experience by Mary Ellen Gustafson

When you attend an event of this magnitude, that involves this many heavy metal hitters, it's not a Concert, it IS an Experience. From the Bands to the Roadies; from the Venue to the Event Staff; from the Vendors to the Crowd, you don't just get an earful, you get an eyeful too! I attended OZZ FEST in Phoenix, AZ on October 25, 1996. Unfortunately I won't be able to review the first two bands due to a massive traffic jam on the freeway, but I understand Neurosis and Fear Factory were well received. I also don't have concert pics, at least not yet, because our photo passes were not honored. It appears there was a mix-up, because there was an official tour photographer Security was VERY much in evidence due to the fiasco at U-FEST in Phoenix just two weeks prior. After a near riot, and fans storming the stage during the Deaftones set, Type O Negative, the last band, never played. There was NO chance of a repeat of that during OZZ FEST, and kudos go out to the Event Staff from both Blockbuster Desert Sky Pavillion and EMI. The 19,000+ crowd was orderly and still had a good time (except for several potential trouble makers escorted out!). On the first really cold night in Phoenix since last winter, the fans were kept warm by a slammin' show lasting over seven hours. They danced the night away, and greeted each new band with ever increasing excitement, until "The Man" - Ozzy - appeared. What a people watcher's paradise this event provided also! More than a few of us middle aged folks, who remember Ozzy from his Black Sabbath days, to young people that could be our children or even grand-children, rubbed elbows in the amphitheater. Every size, shape, age, and nationality; every hair color (lot's of red and purple this time), style, wardrobe, and favorite band's T-Shirt, was represented. With seven bands, including Ozzy, performing, I must say I have never seeen such precision and organization in set changes from one group to the next. Everything ran like clockwork - literally. I had the schedule, and every single band hit the stage the minute they were supposed to, played their tune packed 45 minute slot, took their bows, and cleared out. Maybe because Phoenix was close to the end of the tour (only San Bernadino, Anchorage and Honolulu after Phoenix), the Roadies and Stage Crew had this part down to a science, but I doubt it. These were professionals who worked with minimum interruption to the flow of the show, and I'm sure Ozzy would expect nothing less.

Band number three, "Biohazard," took the stage by storm to the delight of fans. At this point the mosh pit was pretty quiet, probably due to the amount of security in evidence, but it didn't take long for the dancing to begin. The two highlight songs from the set were from their latest release "Mata Leao." I couldn't hear the name of the song they've written about child abuse (It sounded like Lofty Nine, but the speakers really distorted any conversation from the bands with the audience.), but the powerful lyrics came through. The lines "Can anybody hear them cry, Can anybody tell them why" go straight to the heart of the issue. The song "These Eyes" was dedicated to the memory of the stepson of Max Cavalera (from Sepultura), killed just three weeks ago in a car accident. This song was more than well received by the audience, but with a solemn note. After "Poison" and "One Chord All You're Own," Biohazard left the stage, accompanied by wild applause, to make room for the next band.

Sepultura's performance was devoted to support of their most recent release, "Roots." The song "Roots, Bloody Roots" sent a bolt of energy through the crowd, and the stage lighting added to the effect created by the lyrics. When the opening strains of "Spit" blasted from the speakers, the mosh pit really got going. This movin' and slammin' rendition created ever increasing excitement, with a bright white light flashed at the audience every time Sepultura shouted "Spit." The most impressive song performed was "Ratamahatta." Nobody was prepared for what would happen on that stage during this number. Since this is the tune being promoted on radio, it was immediately recognizable, and the crowd went wild. From the intro, with the sounds produced by native instruments and chants, to the actual song blasting out with a fast repeated light sequence of green and purple, the performance was great. Then an unexpected turn of events changed it to totally awesome! For the drum solo, more and more drums were carried onto the stage, along with what I counted as fifteen drummers (there may have been more). The sight and sound of all those drums and people filling the stage is really hard to describe, but it sent chills up my spine. Once the solo was finished, all the drummers rose at once, threw their sticks into the audience and left the stage. There were several unusual instruments spotlighted in Sepultura's performance, and many solos performed on them. After listening to "Roots" on CD, it was interesting to see what made the sounds on the album. Moving on, "Cut Throat," with it's heavy driving beat that made the entire pavillion vibrate to it's sound, included some band moves, dance and exchanges that were amazing to watch. Finally, Max Cavalera dedicated the song "Straighthate" to his stepson, with the words "What goes around, comes around." This was a very emotional performance for both the band and the audience. All in all, Sepultura's set was one of the best, and I have to use that old cliche "The are MUCH better in person than on an album." They put on a great show and rocked the house.

DANZIG Danzig, promoting their new release "blackacidevil" arrived on stage in their trademark black leather and fishnet wardrobe, accompanied by a strobe flashing to the beat of the drummer, and tiny red lights. This band had great light effects throughout their performance to emphasize the music. Danzig has always been associated with heavy, heavy, driving metal, and the stands vibrated through their whole set. Although they are close to hardcore, these guys sing rather than scream their lyrics. They're also all over the stage constantly. Their songs "Do Ya?," "Comin' Down" and "No More Lies," REALLY got the audience into this musical experience. Their last two songs were a cover of Black Sabbath's "Hand of Doom," and their own "Long Way at Night Into Hell" (done with a set bathed in red, and a goth intro). "Long Way . . ." was a hard rock and roll heavy metal tune that ended their set with a most awesome, long, piercing guitar and drum solo, that left the fans in a frenzy and totally pumped for the next band.

SLAYER The stage set up for Slayer was a little different than the rest of the bands. They're curtain with logo was at the very front of the stage, instead of behind the drummer - probably so Ozzy's set up could go on behind them. With a carefully staged entrance, including lots of red neon, fog, and strobes to the beat of the intro, the curtain finally dropped and the fans went wild. People had been trickling in since Biohazard played, and by this time, the entire venue was totally packed. To this reviewer, Slayer plays HEAVY METAL like no other band. The tempo is so fast, while the music is so heavy and driving, it's fascinating to watch as well as listen. Wearing SHORTS, on one of the coldest, windiest, nights seen by Phoenix in a long time, didn't stop Slayer from playing hot, fast music to warm everybody up! A few of the songs performed, were "War is War," "Gemini" (about dual personality), a new release, "Dittohead" (I hope I have that name right, because I couldn't hear), and "I Hate You," a song that came out about a year ago. Another crowd pleaser was "Dead Skin Mask," Slayer's take on dancing with death. This was the only band that came back for an encore, and after an additional fifteen minutes of hot metal, they treated the audience to a spectacular sound, light and action finale - a perfect set up for Ozzy!

When all the venue lights went out, and the chant "Ozzy, Ozzy, Ozzy" filled the air, there was no doubt who the main attraction of this metal, musical, experience the audience (including me!) came to see. Ozzy puts on a slick, professional show, but then Ozzy has always been the consummate entertainer. His set opens with a short movie, shown on two screens on either side of the instrument area, topped with crowns. Ozzy's animated cartoon logo guy shows up between scenes from "Apollo 13," the old "Star Trek" series, "Pulp Fiction," the Ed Sullivan show featuring "The Beatles," an interview with "Princess Di," video cuts from "Allanis Morrisett, Elvis, Jimi Hendrix and Black Sabbath," video of previous Ozzy Shows, Fire on the screen and finally the "Retirement Sucks Tour," with a last shot of Ozzy and his son standing on an empty stage in an empty theater. Ozzy, in some form, appears in each of these clips like he's part of the action. Just when the excitement level can't seem to get any higher, the stage is lit - revealing Ozzy and the band, as the first chords of "Paranoid" drove the audience wild. Since Ozzy's set lasted about an hour and twenty minutes (compared to forty-five minutes for everyone else except Slayer), I'm going to concentrate on the highlights of the "OZZY" experience. First, those video screens I mentioned were put to good use throughout the show. Normally the big screens are used to provide a view of the stage to the people in the back, but not in this show - although that WAS how they were used at times. Between the screens, on a platform about fifteen feet above the stage, the drummer was set up. As different movements were used by the guitar and bass player throughout the show, a stairway appeared on either side of the raised platform and led to higher platforms in front of the screens. For effect, at various times the musicians mounted these platforms and played in front of videos of themselves, the crowd, and split screen creations of Ozzy, the band and the crowd. The entire set was backed with what looked like rock or cave walls, with different colored lighting used to set the mood. Finally Ozzy was center stage with a mike stand - when he stood still! One of the newer effects from Ozzy is a brightly lighted super-pumper, attached to a hose, which he uses to spray water on the crowd as far as he can reach. (In this case, the mosh pit had grown so big it didn't get much past them.) As things heat up, he goes for TWO super-pumpers spraying in opposite directions, and when he REALLY gets rolling, the crowd gets whole buckets of water tossed on top of them. For once I'm glad I wasn't too close to the front. Those people had to be freezing by the time they left the venue! Ozzy has never left his roots with Black Sabbath, and he does many of their old songs during his show. He also performs a historical journey through his solo career. "Mr. Crowley" started with a dark stage, and heavy organ music, followed by purple light bathing Ozzy as he began the minor key notes to the song, and the crowd was jumping up and down. This is obviously a fan favorite, as is "Crazy Train." Slowing things down for a bit was "Goodbye to Romance," where the audience sang right along with Ozzy, waving their arms and lit Bics in the air in time with the music. Another favorite was "I Just Want You," the only song he performed from his current CD "Ozzmosis." Ozzy departed the stage for an extended period of time, and left it in the capable hands of Joe Holmes on Guitar, Mike Bordin on drums and Robert Trujillo on bass. This long band solo showcased the talent of these musicians, both individually and together, with a great video show on the screens to accompany it. With scenes that shifted from band members to split screens and over-dubs, to snow skiing, surfing and snow boarding among others, they were a perfect backdrop for this segment of the show. At the end of the solo, Ozzy leap-frogged back onto to stage (geez this guy has enough energy for TEN people) to perform a few old Black Sabbath numbers, including "Iron Man" and "Children of the Grave." After a terrific performance, Ozzy and Co. left the stage to roars for "MORE" from the crowd, who soon had the whole place reverberating from their stomping feet and hands beating on chair backs. Ozzy returned to do one encore number, "Mama I'm Coming Home," and that brought us to the end of this enchanting evening. The only tiny dissapointment I had about Ozzy's set, was that he only did one song from Ozzmosis. But, I guess when you have as many hit songs and albums as Ozzy, you can only do so much. Other than having my ears ring for two days after the concert was over, and freezing when we left the venue, this was a totally awesome experience and I'd do it again in a minute. Seven straight hours of Metal Music live and in person, with massive speakers blaring at you, CAN get uncomfortable, but I wouldn't have missed this event for the world. I hope by reading this you can at least catch a small part of the excitement that OZZ FEST '96 provided. I'd like to give special thanks to Shawn Kelley and Brian Jankowski from the Event Staff of Blockbuster Desert Sky Pavillion. Because of them, I had an unobstructed view of the stage without having to stand up for hours trying to see over people lots taller than me while scribbling in my notebook. I know it's common practice at any concert for people who don't have good seats to find an empty one and park. Others stand in front of people who paid for a good seat and block their view. But these guys made sure that didn't happen in the area where I was sitting, and I really appreciate it. Thanks Guys!