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THE BAND
- Ozzy Osbourne - Vocals
- Tony Iommi - Guitar
- Geezer Butler - Bass
- Bill Ward - Drums
- Geoff Nicholls - Keyboards
CONCERT PHOTOS
None available - if you have any, let me know.
TOUR REVIEWS & REMARKS
Date: Wed, 14 Jul 1999 00:59:46 -0500
From: "John G. Alford" <jga773@airmail.net>
Subject: Ozzfest at Starplex, Dallas, 07/13/99
Greetings fellow Sabbath fans!
A quick low-down on the show:
1) Sabbath, Rob Zombie and Slayer pretty much left all the other bands in
the dust.
2) Ozzy seems to have been in some pain. He was limping around the stage
all night and didn't look to well. The set list was trimmed by two
songs: no "Dirty Women" and no "Paranoid" encore. (That was a
surprise! I'm glad they didn't cut "After Forever.") After "Children
of the Grave," the band left the stage and then after a few minutes all
the remaining pyros were set off while a song about "Robin Hood" was
played over the PA. Ozzy did sound pretty good though considering the
condition he seemed to be in. At one point it looked like a woman came
on stage and started massaging his leg. Definitely a trooper to the
end.
3) Iommi's solo before "Snowblind" more than made up for the missing tunes.
This is a very tasty instrumental piece--very well composed. As has
been stated elsewhere, Iommi does indeed shred all ass known to man.
4) Bill Ward and Geezer sounded great! I'll take Geezer over that oddball
in Primus any day. (Of course, I don't play bass so what the hell do I
know? Exactly.) Bill drum fills seemed to always hit the spot.
Definitely the definitive Sabbath drummer.
5) Rob Zombie's played a great set. Very energetic. I also dug the go-go
girls. : )
Whatever is up with Ozzy, I hope he gets some rest. The poor guy deserves
it.
Later,
John A.
From: "Steve Quarrella" <dfish@metronet.com>
Subject: OzzFest in Dallas, Eighth Star, King Biscuit, Fenholt, and the Snakes...
Date: Wed, 14 Jul 1999 01:38:53 -0500
OzzFest '99, July 14, Dallas, TX, Coca Cola Starplex.
Welp, Joe Siegler and I went off to see Sabbath again, tickets courtesy of
Mark Jones and Bill Ward. Thanks to Mark and Bill. Oddly, Joe and I were
given tickets that weren't together, so we managed to find a decent place
to stand through the show, right behind the dreaded moshpit. Don't know
what you young whippersnappers <heh> see in that, but Joe and I did what we
could to help the interested parties in going over the top. Frankly, it
looked like Joe got a couple of "Boot to the head" kinds of hits! I did my
best to grow a set of eyes on the back of my head, quickly, to keep out of
the way of the bodies being passed along.
Rob Zombie -- I don't know that I'd really call that "music" -- I found
myself doing the Macarena to one track -- but I have to give it to ol' Rob.
He's got a great stage presence, knows how to entertain, and knows how to
play a crowd (even if the crowds in Dallas are lame). Great costumes and
shtick -- I almost thought for a second that it was George Carlin
underneath that costume, given the quick wit and sharp tongue -- and I
noticed that the guitarist had a guitar with "Scum of the Earth" on it.
WKRP in Cincinnati, anybody? Also noticed the "blood" guitar. So what's
inside? Karo syrup with red food dye?
Oh yeah...nice looking dancers! The whole show made me VERY glad that it
was Rob Zombie and NOT Pantera, whom we've had to endure a couple times
previously.
And then there was this other band, Black Sabbath...
Set list (Well, something like this, correct me if it's out of order)
---------------------------------------------------------------------
(Sabbath film) War Pigs, Basically, NIB, Fairies Wear Boots, After Forever,
Electric Funeral, Snowblind, Sweet Leaf, Into the Void, Black Sabbath, Iron
Man, Children of the Grave
Same compliments and criticisms as before, so I won't go there, although
Ozzy looked extremely worn out, and while he did his fair share of keeping
busy with the buckets of water and the squirt gun (we couldn't get him to
get US, though!), he pretty much stayed by the mike, as if he was holding
onto it for dear life (and Mr. Teleprompter was definitely his friend). I
have to hand it to this man: He sure does his damnedest to engage the crowd
and get them to participate, and he gets high marks in my book for doing it
while he's not feeling well. It's almost as if you ruin the guy's night if
you DON'T make a lot of noise, and I think the ladies can score points with
the old man if they remove their tops (and there was a lot of that going
on!). I'm so pleased with the guy's performance that I'm gonna call MY old
man tomorrow and tell him about it (He was always whining about Black
Sabbath when I was growing up. :).
We actually had a good sound mix, and I could hear Geezer well enough
without his bass sounding like another drumset. Tony looks to be the most
chipper of the bunch, and after having seen him so many times without Ozzy,
it's -strange- to see him up there, smiling and occasionally grinning like
the Cheshire Cat ("Boy, are they paying me a lot of money to do this!" :-).
Bill's getting his hair back, and he had a huge jug of water that he kept
holding up, as if toasting the crowd. Everybody really sounded good, and I
can only reaffirm that this isn't just five guys going through the paces
for a paycheck. Really top-notch performances from everybody. Didn't see
much in the way of exchanges between the members of the band, though, and
Ozzy never introduced each individual.
During "Iron Man," they showed some stock footage from the old Japanese
Ultraman TV series, with Ultraman vanquishing the bad guys. During "War
Pigs," they flashed some real "war pigs," like Lyndon Johnson, Richard
Nixon, and Saddam Hussein, on the screen. I almost pissed my pants,
laughing, when they put the "Reefer Madness" clips on during "Sweet Leaf."
Tony's guitar solo opened "Snowblind." I was trying to listen carefully,
and didn't notice any riffs from other Sabbath songs. Speaking of
"Snowblind," during "Black Sabbath," the lightwork on Ozzy made him look
exceptionally demonic. If you've seen Styx do "Snowblind" (not the same
song), they do the same thing with James Young. Looks extremely cool.
The highlight of the evening was -easily- "Black Sabbath." It's worth it
just to hear Ozzy's "Satan" laugh, and the guitar work is absolutely
killer. Those braziers also add to the effect, although I wonder how these
guys (and their crew) can stand onstage with the heat coming off of them.
When we left for the show at 6:40 PM, it was still in the upper 90s, and my
t-shirt was soaked with sweat by the time we left.
The show concluded with fireworks and the dropping of the same confetti
that we picked up at the last show. For some odd reason, they played the
"Robin Hood" song over the sound system, and then the lights went on.
Notice something missing from that set list? I've seen Sabbath several
times in 15 years, with Gillan, Hughes, Martin, and Ozzy, and this is the
-first- time that they haven't performed "Paranoid". Joe and I both
noticed that Ozzy was looking like he needed about a week of sleep, and
we're not quite certain as to why we didn't get the encore. Maybe it's the
lame Dallas crowds. Give me those ol' shows back home in Detroit at Cobo,
Joe Louis, or Pine Knob, where you can manage to pull the band back onstage
again and again.
All told, man, that's America: Where else can you go to spend two hours
with a group of guys whose frontman calls you a "motherfucker," repeatedly,
while trying to get you to participate? Give these guys a clink of the old
champagne glasses in true John Steed style. I'm sorry to see them leave
the stage, but am hopeful that we'll hear something in the way of a studio
album (Yes, Mrs. Osbourne, we'll even trade you -green stuff- for something
like that. Please let your husband take our hard-earned pay away from us!).
Oh, and the Jesus freaks are still on their crusade, as they handed me one
of their pamphlets after the show. Don't these people give up? Get lives
people. Go try to help people whose lives have been ruined by real life
trauma, not some perceived effect that you think a rock and roll band has
on them.
--Steve Quarrella, Rowlett, TX
[ Ed Note: I went with Steve, and I agree with his assesment of Ozzy on
stage. Towards the end, he looked dead to the world, he was bad, even by
Ozzy's standards. Over the years, his on stage activity has gone way way
down, but this was far worse than anything I'd seen in the last couple of
years. He either had a bad case of heat exhaustion, or was sick, or
SOMETHING. Either way, at the end, they skipped Paranoid, and Oz was
hanging onto the microphone pole for dear life, like if he let go, he'd
fall onto the teleprompters. It was sad, actually. The band still can
rock like you wouldn't believe, but Ozzy is MOST DEFINITELY the weak link
here, and is only along for the name and the $$$ it brings. Remember,
Tony Iommi *OWNS* Black Sabbath, and if he wanted to, he can go "screw
it, I'm off", and they can't continue. The nostalgia thing is nice, but
Oz in my opinion is doing this a disservice if he can't get up there and
have a passable stage presence. I found myself thinking during the show
"I'm glad this is the supposed final TOUR (read TOUR, not the last time
they work together), as Oz doesn't seem up to it anymore from what I saw
with my own eyes to other reports I've read. End of soapbox. I'm sure
I'll get flamed for this, but there's an awful lot of people out there
with the "Ozzy is God" mentality that seem to want to look at the
situation with closed eyes. That's too bad. ]
(This Ed Note was from me, Joe Siegler)
From: "Shawn L. Reed" <slreed@sprynet.com>
Subject: Ozzfest / Dallas
Date: Wed, 14 Jul 1999 18:31:44 -0500
I just got back from Dallas after recovering from Ozzfest at the Starplex
in Dallas.
May sound like I am getting old, but most of the bands were not that great
- the heat didn't help much either.
We got there when Slipknot was finishing their last two songs on the
alternate stage - I was impressed, although I didn't understand why they
were wearing masks. However, I will probably look for one of their CDs.
Puya (from Puerto Rico) wasn't that bad either.
Slayer totally rocked!
Rob Zombie puts on a great show!
By the time Sabbath got on the stage, I think the majority of the crowd
were sufferring from heat exaustion. Seems like Ozzy and the group were a
little "out of it" as well. Oh well, I suppose they can't do every show
perfect. In the end, Ozzy said they would do one more song - Paranoid, I
suppose - but the band never came back out. They just lit the fireworks and
threw the black confetti without the band.
The whole experience made me wonder about the outcome of metal as I have
grown to know it.
Shawn L. Reed
slreed@sprynet.com
Date: Wed, 14 Jul 1999 20:25:23 -0500
From: Jeff Downing <madmonk@fastlane.net>
Subject: Ozzy Does Dallas
I am glad Joe and Steve ponted out how terrible Ozzy was in Dallas. They
were still too kind, in my estimation. I posted this on the Sab newsgroup
because I thought it was THAT BAD . He brought the entire show down. I was
about twenty feet from him the whole time, and for the first time ever, I
was embarassed by Ozzy the way you would be if your dad stumbled into a
room full of your friends and pissed all over the television. Actually that
would at least show some pizzazz in an obnoxious kind of way, and you
wouldn't be out any $. Simply ridiculous. Here is my original message:
Allow me to start by telling you that I am a Sabbath fan. I collect Sabbath
rarites, have been a fan for twenty years, and have flown many miles on
numerous occasions to see them . I love Sabbath and was blown away by the
show here in January. But about last night...... Ozzy.....ouch.......I was
sooo disappointed. I have seen Oz many times, and have heard about him
being incoherent and messed up, but never saw it with my own eyes until
last night. What a rip off. He could hardly walk, and stood there in a
daze. He couldn't sing or even clap in time. I think the mic stand was
holding him up. A lot of people came a long way to see them, and if he was
that bad off for reasons other than being totally fucked up, they should
have cancelled. It was one of the worst performances I have ever seen
anywhere by anyone. I realize he is fifty. He acted like a heavily
medicated eighty. I have seen hundreds of shows, and let me tell you: Ozzy
sucked. Iommi,Butler and Ward were great, as always. There was no
interaction, as Ozzy couldn't hardly even move. They only played an hour or
so, and just stopped after "Iron Man". I bet the shit hit the fan
backstage. I am glad this is the end because I could not stand to see
Sabbath do such a shitty show again. I had a whole entourage of friends
with me who shelled out big bucks to the show at my urging. If I had the $,
I would personally refund their money. It is a sad thing. How could anyone,
let alone his wife, and musical comrades, let Ozzy get to this state of
being? He looked like someone hit him over the head with a 2X4. Poor guy.
Poor us. He looked like he stumbled onto the stage by accident. . I will
remember them from the Dallas show in January , which was AWESOME, and try
to forget this ever happened. Won't risk the disappointment next time. I
had a good time at Ozzfest, but it is ironic that the festival's namesake
was the real letdown. It was like seeing someone falling apart before your
eyes. A lot of young people left before Sabbath even came on, and I
heckeled them for it. Now I am glad that at least some people didn't have
to see the mess. What is really funny is that the Dallas Morning News gave
it a decent review, while they slammed the show in January. Idiots......
They are EXTENDING their U.S. tour?!
I am not mad at Ozzy. I love Ozzy. I am angry that this was allowed to
happen at the expense of 20,000 people.
Jeff Downing
On a lighter note , Rob Zombie and Slayer were great.
Date: Thu, 15 Jul 1999 18:27:23 +0000 (GMT)
From: Brian Woodward <sayozzy@yahoo.com>
Subject: Ozzfest in Dallas July 13
Hey all fellow Sabheads!!
This is my review of the Dallas Ozzfest that took place on the 13th.. First
of all, I mean no offense to anyone living in Dallas area when I say this
but the Starplex has got to be the crappiest designed outdoor venue I have
ever been to. I live in Oklahoma and drove down for the show. The seating
arriangement was horrible. Now onto the show.. I arrived there just as
Zombie was finishing up thunderkiss 65. and then the Sabs came on. everyone
was right, Ozzy looked sick..very sick. but he did try to give it his all.
Being from Oklahoma I have seen Ozzy 4 times before but nothing as
monumental as Sabbath has come anywhere in the state. Anyway, the man of
the night was definitely Bill Ward. He played like he was still in his
20's..hell so did Tony and Geezer. I have to say that Sabbath was the best
sounding live band I have ever heard. What was kinda strange is that me and
my friend were the only ones around where we were that were singing..no
make that screaming the lyrics to every song that sabbath played. the
highlight song was 'Black Sabbath'. The torches were a nice touch..and the
last riff toward the end of the song was KILLER!! I have never seen Tony
play that fast. It was so sweet..One last thing..to whoever said that they
were glad that Pantera wasn't there..well, Dimebag and Rex were in the
crowd for Zombie; I shook their hands and asked them about their strip
club. Overall, it is a night I will never forget..
Brian "SAYOZZY" Woodward
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