I imagine the crowd at OzzFest as a collection of people who resemble Randy Johnson circa-1995 or Todd from Beavis and Butthead. I may find out if my prejudice matches reality this summer.
The four original members of Black Sabbath will be reuiniting for the tour, and the Rob Halford-led Judas Priest returns as well. I don't know who Hatebreed, Lamb of God, or several other of the lesser bands at the festival are. I don't think I care to know them, either. I do know Black Sabbath and Judas Priest, and I've grown to appreciate them more in the past few years. I'd like to see them live while they're still alive.
With Ozzy Osbourne becoming a bit of a caricature of himself in his advancing years, it's easy to dismiss the importance of his work--easy, but wrong. Black Sabbath basically invented heavy metal. They are remembered for "Iron Man" and "Paranoid," but I prefer "NIB," their ode to marijuana "Sweet Leaf," the warlike anti-war anthem "War Pigs," and the song "Black Sabbath," which ominously warns: "Satan's coming round the bend." Their music, their lyrics, their look all had the effect of scaring small children.
Judas Priest played loud and fast. It's easy to see Rob Halford's screaming-banshee vocals as a preface to Axl Rose and Sebastian Bach. After years of an imitation Judas Priest (it was pretty good as far as imitations go), it's good to see the real thing again.
Heavy metal has spawned some hideous bastard children like Hair Metal (Poison, Warrant), Thrash Metal (Slayer, Slipknot), NuMetal (Korn, Limp Bizkit), and a new catch-all category I've just invented called Shit Metal (Linkin Park, Megadeth, Slaughter, Drowning Pool). But on the rare occassions when Heavy Metal is done right (AC/DC, Iron Maiden, Andrew WK), it's pretty cool. Black Sabbath and Judas Priest do it right.
Is it true that Howie long is going to be Rob Halford's personal assistant through this entire tour? I wonder what dilemma's await him. Is this the case for the microphones or the butt-plugs?
ya know, Dan, I had you pegged as a Joanie Mitchell/John Denver/Peter Paul and Mary type...
