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THE BAND
- Ozzy Osbourne - Vocals
- Tony Iommi - Guitar
- Geezer Butler - Bass
- Bill Ward - Drums
- Adam Wakeman - Keyboards
CONCERT PHOTOS
You can visit the photo gallery for this concert
here.
TOUR REVIEWS & REMARKS
From: TripleJ
Subject: 8/21/04 Ozzfest comments
Date sent: Sun, 22 Aug 2004 09:30:35 EDT
Had a great time at the Tweeter Center
yesterday In Tinley park, Illinois. Got there just in time for Slipknot,
who sounded like garbage, and was not loud at all. BLS was outstanding,
wish they had a longer set time. Superjoint Ritual is an acquired taste,
as is Phil Anselmo, and his non stop talking about who knows what. Dimmu
Borgir was very good I thought, I will definitely be looking into these
guys further. They sounded very good, and the keyboards added a very
sinister tone to their music. Slayer was fantastic, very tight and heavy.
But most of their set was just listened to because we were defending
ourselves from the massive amounts of sod that was being flung toward our
seats. Judas Priest was very impressive. It doesnt look like they have
missed a beat since Halford had quit and since returned. Green Manalishi,
Victims of Changes and Painkiller were particular highlights. But then, it
was Sabbath. I thought that the whole main stage had been loud, but the
Sabs were definitely the loudest of the night. Sound was crystal clear,
but sometimes at that volume, it was hard to understand Ozzy's words in
between songs. I thought that Bill had a bit of a struggle on some of the
drum fills on Faeries Wear Boots, but that was it. His drums were so
impressive, simple yet incredibly heavy. My personal favorites were Into
The Void and Black Sabbath. I swear they turned up even louder for their
self titled song. This was my first time ever seeing the original line up.
I had seen the Mob Rules and Born Again tours back in the day. I spent a
lot of money for tickets, but do not regret it. I have trouble with $7.50
cups of beer, and $10 guitar shaped cups of beer. I have trouble with
assholes who filled those guitar cups with sod and launched them into the
crowd from the lawn seats. I have trouble with $40 and over concert
shirts, especially with the high price of tickets. I saw that some of the
same $35-40 shirts at the show were only $26 at the Ozzfest website. I
know those are a lot of complaints, but I went first and foremost for the
music. I went with my 2 best, long time friends, and with my son, who is
home on leave from his second tour of Iraq. He is a lance corporal in the
US Marines, and this was his first concert. Sabbath has always been an
important part of our music lives, and we have always shared that music
bond. I think that it was a great first concert for him, the stuff of
legends. When it was over, I asked him what was louder: the shock and awe
of the initial attack on Iraq, or Sabbath.....his answer was of course,
FUCKIN SABBATH! Thanks Joe, for giving us all somewhere to talk about our
favorite band, and thanks to everyone else for listening.
John Jodlowski
Sab fan since 1979
From: brett billedeau
Subject: Chicago Ozzfest
Date sent: Sun, 22 Aug 2004 13:10:01 -0700 (PDT)
I went to see the Ozzfest in Tinley Park
(Chicago) yesterday. Overall, my friend Matt and I had a good time. We
actually live in Michigan but were unable to get tickets to the Detroit
show.
We started the day by going to the second stage. All we managed to see was
part of Hatebreed's set and decided we'd had enough. The main stage
started up not long after the second stage ended. Black Label Society
kicked off the day with a killer, but way too short set. Zakk Wylde is
amazing. I would gladly go and see a full-length set by them. The set list
was:
Funeral Bell
Suffering Overdue
Stoned & Drunk
Guitar Solo/Stillborn
Band Intros/Genocide Junkies
Again, way too short for their talent, but oh well. Next was Superjoint
Ritual. If ever there has been a wasted time at a show, theirs is it. The
songs are too short and lack musicality, and Phil Anselmo was his usual
self: moronic, pointless, and ignorant. Dimmu Borgir was interesting, and
for Norwegian death metal, I suppose they were okay. Slayer was in fine
form, though being on the lawn meant we spent more time trying not to get
beat up in a mosh pit or hit with whatever objects came hurdling through
the air. We had fun anyway.
Then it was time for the mighty Judas Priest. I have never seen a band in
as fine a form as those guys were. Halford's voice was beyong perfection,
Glenn and K.K. were in sync the entire time, and Ian and Scott make for
the ultimate rhythm section. For much of the show Halford stalked the
stage like a caged animal, like a man possessed. Their set list was as
follows, though I may have put a song or two in the wrong spot. Sorry if I
did:
The Hellion/Electric Eye
Heading Out To The Highway
Metal Gods
Touch Of Evil
The Sentinal
Beyond the Realms Of Death
Victim Of Changes
Breaking The Law
Green Manalishi With The Two Pronged Crown
Painkiller
Encore:
Hell Bent For Leather
Living After Midnight
You've Got Another Thing Coming
On songs such as "Painkiller" and "Realms Of Death" he proved he still has
the finest scream in all of metal, but even his lower tones on every song
sounded great. What a thrill it was!
After the Priest, I thought that Black Sabbath may pale in comparison. I
have never been more wrong. As with the other shows, things started off
with a video collection of old footage and Ozzy screaming from behind the
curtain on stage. Then the sirens wailed and with a crash "War Pigs" began
and it was solid from start to finish. The set list was the same as the
other shows:
War Pigs
N.I.B.
Fairies Wear Boots
Into The Void
Black Sabbath
Snowblind
Iron Man
Children Of The Grave
Paranoid
The Priest's set may have been longer, but Sabbath was every bit as good.
Geezer's bass was pumped up more than usual, which added a lot of depth to
the songs. Bill Ward's drumming sounded almost tribalistic on many songs,
and Tony Iommi's guitar playing showed all the younger bands of the day
how it should be done. And as for Ozzy, despite missing a few notes, he
was in better form than he has been in years. He looked youthful and
vibrant on stage, constantly smiling at the crowd, and jumping and running
around like a madman. The guys seemed to genuinely enjoy being there, and
it showed. Iommi even walked around a bit to where Geezer was, which is
unusual for him. I wish they would have played longer, but what we got was
quality all the same. All in all, the show was definitely worth going to.
From: Dan Gilles
Subject: Cleveland Ozzfest Review
Date sent: Sat, 21 Aug 2004 02:34:57 -0400
It was a rainy day at the beginning, but the
real storm didn't occur until around 6 p.m.
We got to Blossom Music Center around 1 p.m. We walked in as Throwdown was
playing on the second stage. They were decent, a hardcore band. We really
didn't pay attention to them, walking around, etc. Lamb of God was next,
and I was very impressed. As a fan of death metal/hardcore, they combined
the death elements with some Metallica and Slayer-esque riffs. You can
tell who they grew up listening to. I would definitely check out their CD.
Up next was Hatebreed, one of my favorite "new" bands on the metal scene.
In a word, they were outstanding. They got the crowd into it, forming a
huge circle pit in the parking lot where the second stage was located.
Jamey Jasta (who is also the host of the new Headbangers Ball) kept the
crowd going. Anyone who wasn't into Hatebreed prior had to be won over by
their stage presence and their sound. Some of their messages in their
songs are cliche (most of their songs have a positive message, which goes
against the genre), but they are very good at what they do. My fiance met
the band afterward in the Jagermeister signing tent, and they took the
time to thank everyone for coming to the show and supporting them, always
engaging in a conversation with everyone as they walked through. Wow, rock
stars who care about the fans. What a novel concept! (Oh, Jamey Jasta
himself mentioned that, by logging on to his website, you can request any
video for the Ball, and he will get them on. www.jameyjasta.com).
Up next was Slipknot. I really don't care for Slipknot. They sound good,
but I don't like the gimmick. Plus, there's a Cleveland bias against
Slipknot for stealing the gimmick of a band called Mushroomhead, which is
a locally-based band. There were some boos. I spent this portion of the
show meeting one of my idols, Kerry King, getting his autograph and
shaking his hand. Slayer is the greatest!!!
I got down to the pavilion in time for Black Label Society. Zakk Wylde is
the best metal guitarist around. The man is one man concert. All his stuff
has a Sabbath-like sound to it, and Zakk's singing is like Ozzy Osbourne
with more balls. The fans that watched went nuts. His sound guy could have
been better, but Black Label held their own and then some. I'd love to see
Black Label headline, or get a better placement on the bill with more
time. The "Ohio Chapter," as he called us, definitely delivered for Zakk.
Superjoint Ritual ? Note to Phil Anselmo, heroin is bad, you shouldn't
shoot up heroin, mmm kay. Combine heroin with bitterness, and you have
Phil "Mother fucking, god-damn" Anselmo, the lead guy for "Super Fucking
Joint Fucking Ritual," mother fuckers. The man ranted for 5 minutes in
between songs, sometimes forgetting what he talking about, saying
"God-damn" and "Mother fucking" every other word. As in, "This next
fucking song goes out to all the god-damn mother fuckers out there who
don't give a fuck about god-damn anything. I want to see all you mother
fuckers out there making some fucking noise. God-damn right, mother
fuckers." I guess Phil wasn't happy with Cleveland. He tried to start an
Ozzy chant that didn't get picked up on, and then he said, "If I were
Ozzy, I'd be pretty pissed off at you fuckers." After his last song, he
said that "this Ozzfest crowd was the worst Ozzfest crowd he's seen. Suck
my dick!" and threw down his mic. Despite all this, I liked their stuff.
Very loud and fast, and Phil can still do that patented yell.
OK, Dimmu Borgir is fucking terrible. I saw Cradle of Filth last year.
Same gimmick, yet better stage show and music. And, I like death
metal/black metal, but these guys stunk up the place. Musically, they were
good. But, they went over like a fart in church. The only good thing about
them was I could rest up and get some beers before the mighty Slayer came
aboard.
Slayer is my favorite band of all time. I've seen them 8 times in my life.
Once again, they were phenomenal, but I could tell something lacked. They
didn't play Angel of Death (minus points for that), and after their last
song, Tom Araya simply said "Thanks," and walked off the stage. No encore
or nothing. Slayer needs to headline to truly appreciate them live. Even
friends of mine who didn't really like Slayer thought their performance
was cool. Everyone's favorite Satanists delivered once again.
I've never seen a band outdo Slayer in concert, and that includes Pantera.
However, Judas Priest blew EVERYONE off the stage. They were super. Rob
Halford can still bring it vocally, continueally hitting the high notes.
He strutted around the stage like he owned the joint, and for 75 minutes,
he did. Some people in my group weren't into Judas Priest before, but
after their set, were on their feet and yelling and cheering them on. I
definitely liked the older stuff, like Victim of Changes, The Green
Manalishi and Beyond the Realm of Death. Halford came out on the Harley
for Hell Bent for Leather, and finished up with Living After Midnight and
You've Got Another Thing Comin. I've never seen Judas Priest before, so it
was definitely a life-altering moment. I will definitely see them again if
they come back around.
The best part is, Priest is done, everyone's pumped, and you still have
Black Sabbath coming up. It's was like the cake was done and icing was on
it, now all you needed was the decorations. Sabbath was the decorations,
and Ozzy and Co. delivered. I had heard bad reviews about Sabbath's prior
performances, but they seemed motivated to put on a good show this time.
Ozzy was running all over the place (he always seems to play well in
Cleveland) and his singing was right on. Iommi was great, Geezer was
great, hell, even Bill Ward was great (he looked like he was about to keel
over when they came in 2001). Their set was exactly how it was described
in every other review I've read on this website, but it was still awesome.
The show ended just after 10:30 with Sabbath taking a much-deserved bow to
cap a truely amazing concert.
It was by far the best concert I've ever seen and well worth the $80 we
spent on pavilion seats. It's not every day you can see Slayer, Judas
Priest and Black Sabbath back-to-back-to-back. Throw in Phil Anselmo, Zakk
Wylde, Slipknot and Hatebreed, and some body painting, and you've got
yourself a show that will go down in history. Hopefully, next year's
Ozzfest will be just as good, but it will be hard to top.
From
Andrew Dorner -
taken with permission. Photos he mentions are online
here.
I haven't seen these guys since the 1999
Reunion Tour. I took the following Ozzfest photos on August 21st 2004 at
the Tweeter Center in Chicago. Our seats were decent and I managed to get
in a camera...enjoy
Opening Bands:
Main Stage: Judas Priest, Slayer, Dimmu Borgir, Superjoint Ritual, Black
Label Society, and festival headliners Black Sabbath.
Second Stage: Slipknot (headliner), Hatebreed, Lamb of God, Atreyu,
Bleeding Through, Lacuna Coil, Every Time I Die, Unearth, God Forbid, Otep,
Devil Driver, Magna-Fi, Throwdown.
Ozzy Osbourne - vocals
Tony Iommi - guitars
Geezer Butler - bass
Bill Ward - drums
Set List:
War Pigs
N.I.B.
Fairies Wear Boots
Into the Void
Black Sabbath
Snowblind
Iron Man
Children of the Grave
Sabbath Bloody Sabbath intro - Paranoid
My Review:
I’ll not bother reviewing any opening bands since they’re just not worth
it. In fact, while the opening bands were playing, the lawn-seat crowd was
throwing sod and empty plastic bottles around, which was far more
entertaining to watch.
As soon as Judas Priest came on, all sod throwing ceased permanently.
Priest was good, there appeared to be as many Priest t-shirts in the crowd
as Sabbath t-shits. Rob Halford’s voice was strong and he's still able
string out his long notorious screams. For the encore set Halford rode his
motorcycle on stage. They played a nice long set.
Now on to the main attraction… the video on the jumbotron showed a movie
montage spanning Sabbath's entire career. Then a curtain showing the
outline of the band was projected, the crowd roared feverishly! The
curtain lifted and there they were! The original Black Sabbath. The sound
of WWII air-raid sirens blasted, and then, the song War Pigs begins!
After War Pigs, Ozzy speaks to the crowd… “You know I had a major accident
on an 4-wheeler a while back and the doctor said Ozzy you can’t tour for
18 months. You know what I said? F*** YOU!.” Then Ozzy says “What did I
say to him?” The crowd: “F*** YOU!" This went on several more times. Ozzy
then said “The doctors gave me some really cool drugs, legal too!” He then
said: “I smell some really powerful weed coming from this section over
here!” “You know I don’t do that anymore”, putting his hand in front of
his nose and pulling it away slowly like Pinocchio's nose getting longer
(like Sam Kinnison used to do) and the whole crowd laughed.
Ozzy’s voice was as strong as ever. He doused a few people with buckets of
water. The rest of the guys looked and sounded great too. Geezer Butler’s
non-stop head banging makes me surprised he doesn’t need a neck brace.
Bill Ward has grown a ponytail. Tony Iommi did an extended guitar solo at
the end of the song Black Sabbath, it was sweet watching the master at
work.
After a few songs Ozzy introduces the band. He starts off “Mr. Geezer
Butler!”... the crowd cheers, then once again “Mr. Geezer Butler!”, more
cheering. Then “Mr. Bill Ward!”... “Mr. Bill…” Ozzy hold out the
microphone for the crowd to finish... The crowd: “Ward!”, this went on
several times… Then finally he says: “And now the one and only, Mr. Tony
Iommi!” The crowd cheers and Ozzy gets on his hands and knees and starts
play-worshiping Tony Iommi. Iommi loved it and was full of smiles!
Sabbath played a short set. At the end of the show Ozzy implored us to get
home safe and don’t drink and drive because he wants to kick all of our
asses again next time.
Sabbath was full of energy and sounded great, I only wish they would have
played more songs.
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