Ozzfest '99: The Last Supper

Let me just say that I expected a lot going into this year's Ozzfest. How could I not with a show consisting of great metal acts as Sabbath, Slayer, Rob Zombie, the Deftones, and newcomers Static X, (hed)PE and Slipknot. It was a huge lineup and one that I expected a lot from.

I wasn't denied. I showed up at Float Rite Park in Somerset brimming with anticipation. That was quickly reduced to dismay as I waited at least 20 minutes just to get in the door, only to find out that cameras weren't allowed. Luckily for me the lady taking away cameras was a moron. I had brought two cameras, one in one pocket and another in a different pocket. She patted them both down, and despite the fact that they were exactly the same, she deduced that I only had one camera. And I bet most people think us metal heads are stupid. Anyway, I managed to sneak one camera in at least. Since my wait cost me the chance to see Geezer Butler's son and his band Apartment 26, and Drain was playing on the second stage, I decided to head over to the main stage and try and get up front for the Static X show.

Let me digress by saying that, for those of you familiar with the usual setup at Somerset, things were a little different. At Somerset there is one big permanent stage which is usually, for events containing two stages, set up with one stage on the left and another on the right. It has been like this for every Edgefest and last year's Ozzfest. It was not so this year, which at first I found a little disconcerting, because I thought I might miss some bands, but which I later found to be a much better setup. Anyway, on to the show.

As I was saying, I worked my way up front for Static X, a band I had never really listened to, although I do own their CD. When listening to their CD I felt it was too industrial, which I don't really get into, hence my lack of interest in the CD, Wisconsin Death Trip (a fitting name for the location of the show). Yet, once they started playing I felt they were really a good band. Sure they sound a lot like Fear Factory as far as riffing goes, and one person in the crowd even started singing the lyrics to Zombie's Dragula during one of the songs because it sounded so similar, but I still thought they were pretty decent. Their bassist, Tony Compos, was right in front of me and he really got into it. He was a solid bassist, really bringing in the low end, something that I felt seemed a little low on the CD mix. Anyway, something you can't miss when watching Static X is lead singer/guitarist Wayne Static ( a young Rob Zombie maybe?). His hair kinda has this Marge Simpson look to it, piled straight up on his head. Then he accentuates that with a huge strand of facial hair coming off his chin that is tied up and goes half-way down his chest. Quite a look. Anyway, Bled For Days was great, as was the rest of the show. Dino from Fear Factory showed up briefly on stage to play with them, as did Shavo from System of a Down, something that happened almost everywhere one looked. Almost every band had members of another band joining them on stage, which only added to the uniqueness of the show and showed the respect that every band has for every other band.

Anyway, after the Static X show, Flashpoint played the second stage. Being a huge System fan, I decided not to risk my position and head over to the second stage, which ended up being a good idea as the girl in front of me, probably a little drained from all the pot she had smoked during the Static X show, headed off to get some munchies leaving me with a spot up against the wall in the front row. Let me just say kick ass and hats off to the munchy-inducing properties of marijuana. Anyway, after about a 25 minute wait System took the stage. There was Serj with a couple of streaks of paint on his face, but otherwise looking normal, Shavo, shirtless (and remarkably skinny) with his Wayne Static-like facial hair colored red and wearing some red pants, guitarist Daron Malakian with I believe blue dots all over his face and some very odd colored pants on, and drummer John Dalmayan ready to play some music. Let me just say they rocked. This band puts on an incredible show. Their background consisted of a whole bunch of newspaper headlines and a couple trees (which were later humped). I thought they had a lot more energy than at last years show. Serj, Daron and Shavo all found their way offstage and into the crowd for portions of the set. I know some people can't stand Serj's voice, but I think he sounds great live. He's got pretty good range and he sings like no one else. His rhythms and notes are altogether different from anyone else, and he's got that growl too. But Shavo really impressed me. That man can really play bass. I hadn't really noticed before how good he was. He was all over the place, even working in a little slap bass every now and then. Incredible, and again something I don't think quite shows up on the album. Anyway, highlights of the show for me had to be War and Suite-Pee. Great material. Of course, on the downside was the nudity at the end as two members bared all to screams from the ladies and the guy next to me uttering "Man, I'd take my clothes off too if I had that unit." Overall System played a hugely successful show, much better than their appearance at last year's Ozzfest.

After System I abandoned my front row view in favor of a quick trip to the second stage to see (hed) PE. Let me just say that I think these guys are great. They do a great mish-mash of punk, metal, hip hop, and everything in between. Being my first trip to the second stage (decorated with banners proclaiming the coming of a second Nativity In Black Black Sabbath tribute album) I was struck by how small it was in comparison to the main stage. The (hed) crew was about half way through their killer set by the time I showed up, but the place was really jumping. Having been pressed up against the railing for System of a Down, I finally got to open up and get a little movement going. It was great. I think I heard about four songs, all killer tracks, before the show was ended. Again, check out (hed)pe, I'm sure they'll be putting out an album soon (it's already been two years since their last one?) for some great music. If you ever get a chance to see them live do it. They're a great band.

Having abandoned the second stage for the first in order to see Godsmack, I found that even more people had arrived, making my trek to the first stage a little more difficult. I wasn't too disappointed though, as I never really have been a real big Godsmack fan. Sure they have a couple good songs, but the cd is a disappointment to me. I just don't think their guitars are very creative. Seems to be the same old metal riff over and over again. Nothing groundbreaking. Which is probably why they are so popular. It seems that any band that tries something new gets shunned. Oh well, that's what the MTV generation is bound to do. Anyway, back to the Godsmack show. Let me just say I was impressed by one thing in their act: their drummer. It didn't really come through on the album, but his guy rocks. It seems they let him improvise a little more live and it was really evident. His rolls were intricate and right on. The man was good. The band just seemed too bass heavy to me though. No guitars at all. Which to me kinda sucks. That and I think they ripped off Alice In Chains on a couple songs. And their name. But still, I was impressed by the drummer. Anyway, after a few songs I checked out, and as I was walking out an old lady, probably drunk, said to me "Too rough for you in there huh boy". To which I just smiled and said, "No, they just suck." She wasn't too happy with me I guess, but I didn't stick around to find out.

Most of you are probably wondering why I left early. The answer is simple: I wanted a good spot for Slipknot. Who? you are probably asking. Well, let me tell you. There album had come out two days before and I had picked it up based on their killer website (www.slipknot.com). They had some music samples on there that totally kicked my ass. Let me just say the album hadn't disappointed me. Totally kick ass music. Combine that with nine (yes nine) band members, killer masks (clowns, pointed noses, spikes, etc.) killer jumpsuits emblazoned with their respective numbers (they don't have names, just numbers), and the tiny second stage and I knew this band wouldn't disappoint me. I wanted to get closer to get some pics. Hence I checked out of Godsmack early. Let me just say as I was sitting there waiting I did hear Godsmack break into Whatever, which they punctuated with a kind of drum and bass jam in the middle while the lead singer bullshitted about something. Overall I thought it was kinda lame, but that's just my opinion. On to Slipknot.

Let me just begin my Slipknot review by saying I will no longer make any jokes about Iowans. Any state that can produce maniacs like this deserves respect. These guys were totally insane. They were jumping around, headbanging, and just totally kicking ass, all on a little tiny stage. It was a sight to see. I believe they have one lead drummer, two additional percussionists (set up on opposite sides of the stages with three or four drums and a keg on which the number 666 was painted. The kegs had these huge dents on top from the beating they took. These percussionists also had some type of platform that they could lift up in the air about five feet so we could see the guys just going insane. Many sticks were broken by these hardcore thrashers)two guitars, a vocalist, a bassist, a programmer, and a turntable guy. And man could they headbang in unison. The amazing part of it all was the wall of noise they created. I couldn't believe it. My throat was vibrating just from their music. And yet you would think that all of those instruments thrown together would just be too much. You would think you wouldn't be able to pick out any noticeable riffs or rhythms or anything. But they were really right. It was indeed an intense intense show. As soon as they took they stage this huge (and I mean huge) circle erupted right behind me and people were just going insane and killing each other. Amazingly enough, this happened throughout the show. When I checked out the Ozzfest site later, they showed a picture of a guy who puked, and then passed out in his puke immediately after the show. I believe it. It was intense. The amazing thing was the support they had from their hometown. The lead singer asked how many people from Wisconsin, how many from Minnesota, and then how many from Des Moines. There were a shitload of Iowans there. It was indeed impressive the way people rallied behind them. What more can I say about the show? You've got to see this band live, regardless of whether you like the music or not. It's that intense. Hopefully they'll be playing First Ave again soon so I can check out their show. The CD is great too, produced by Ross Robinson of Korn and Sepultura's Roots fame. Let me just sum up the Slipknot show in one word: wow. Buy the CD and be sure to see them live. The raw energy is incredible. They remind me of a young Slayer or Metallica with the way they can completely blow an audience away.

After that all-out assault I was dead. Luckily Primus was next up on the main stage so I chose to sit near the back and just take in the sound and sight that is Primus. Let me just say I own no Primus CD's, but have some exposure from my brother's collection. I've always thought they were an extremely talented band, with some hilariously original songs. Let's just say the show didn't change my impression of the band. Les Claypool is obviously a bass genius. Besides Geezer Butler there really isn't anyone that can play like him. The rest of the band is just as talented. Their guitarist and drummer are both pretty solid. Coming in I viewed them as the underdogs. I mean, quite honestly, these guys are by far the least heavy band to ever play Ozzfest. Yet, they are probably one of the most creative bands to ever play there. Although I did miss a little of their show, they played all the favorites, including probably my favorite Primus song, Jerry Was a Racecar Driver. I love that song. Probably their heaviest song, which might by why they played it. As Claypool said "People have been telling me that we aren't heavy enough for Ozzfest so we've broke out our heavier songs." He then continued by saying that people also said he didn't fit in cause he didn't say the word "fuck" enough. He followed that up by saying "fuck" about 50 times really fast. He continued doing this in between the next couple songs. It was hilarious. His strutting on stage was also great. I loved watching them play. The crowd was really into them too it seemed. Lots of crowd surfers, lots of jumping, and just some plain good old fashioned fun. It was a much needed break from the all out sonic warfare the other bands had been employing. Again, a great set by a great band.

Next up on the second stage was Puya. I've never heard their CD, but some of the tracks I've heard on the radio and on the net really didn't turn me on so I shied away and worked myself up front for Slayer. Let me be honest and say, although I only own a few Slayer albums, I burnt out my first college roommate's CD player with Seasons in the Abyss. Although the stuff since then hasn't reached that peak in my opinion, that album lands up there with Metallica's first three albums and Megadeth's Rust in Peace as some of the greatest albums to come out of the speed metal genre. I had always wanted to see Slayer live, and after watching them on the Ozzfest 96 video, and an appearance on a short-lived late night TV show whose name escapes me about 6 years ago, I've been dying to see them. Let's just say I wasn't disappointed. These guys can still shred like no tomorrow. I've heard a lot of people say Slayer isn't that talented, but all I have to say is listen to Angel of Death live and you'll know these guys are about as good as it gets. They opened the show with a killer shot of someone carving the name Slayer in their arm (which I believe has been a staple in their show for a while). Then came the show. Disturbing to say the least. The crowd absolutely went nuts. The young kids obviously still love the Slayer. Not all have been converted totally to the industrial, down tuned "new" metal. They can still get up for the old speed thrash. Which is great. A highlight for me had to be Dead Skin Mask. I totally love the song, and the live version was no disappointment. No one can delve into the mind of insane people and insane acts quite like Tom Araya. I was also surprised by some of the newer songs they played. They definitely sounded better live than on the album. They seemed to have a new sound that really was a lot more reminiscent of the older Slayer. Maybe I'll have to delve into the new stuff a little more. Stain of Mind seemed really altered, with a lot more shredding than I ever remembered on the album. Anyway, enough of my incoherent babbling. Another highlight was the Slayer staple Angel of Death which came complete with some very disturbing images of people being killed in Nazi Germany and some other brutal attacks. It quite honestly was sick. A little later a beating heart was shown, which was also very disturbing. Much like Slipknot, this is a band I wouldn't pass up the chance at seeing live regardless of your musical tastes. They can provide a huge sound that leaves your body and mind totally numb. Huge show.

Next up was the final band on the second stage, Fear Factory. I do own a couple FF cd's and overall I think they are a pretty solid band. Their newest album is a huge concept album and I love it, especially tracks like Edgecrusher and Shock. It's a solid album. Unfortunately, I wasn't all that impressed by the live show and left a bit early. Don't get me wrong, they were still pretty good, but after Slayer I guess I just wasn't in the mood for constantly repeating riffs. Quite honestly, I found Static X, who many see to be a Fear Factory clone, to be a lot more energetic. Of course, they had the edge of playing the main stage while Fear Factory was relegated to the second stage. Yet the show was still pretty cool despite my rather drab reflection. They had most in the crowd moving, and just about every band on the second stage was represented during the song Edgecrusher, which was really the highlight of the show for me. Also on stage was Dino's (the guitarist) son playing guitar. It was pretty cool to see the little guy jamming to the tunes. He must have been somewhere in the 6-10 year old range is my guess, maybe even younger. Anyway, the show was decent but I just wasn't into it all that much for some reason. Don't get me wrong I still like the band, but the two times I've seen them I just haven't been all that into it. So sue me.

Anyway, that finished off the second stage and left just three huge bands remaining. Overall, I found this to be one of the better second stages at the Ozzfest. It is one of the most wished for spots among all up and coming bands, so that should be no surprise. But the comraderie was impressive. You can tell these guys love playing on together and for the fans that show up. Anyone who made it over to the second stage was a true fan, and those who weren't were probably sure to be one. Again, they should all bow down to Ozzy for putting this thing together. We all know he could probably get close to the same amount of people to show up just for his show, but he instead invites all these young bands along to play with him in an environment that only encourages success. Sure it's commercial, but it also gives these younger bands a chance to play for an audience that probably wouldn't come out to support them at a smaller headlining gig. To me it was well worth the 48 dollars to see a whole day's worth of the best metal out there. Especially when I paid almost the same to just see Black Sabbath at the Target Center in January. Thanks again Oz. As much as people bitch about how much everything costs, you could charge me 200 bucks and I'd still think it was well worth it.

Next up on the mainstage was the furious aggression of the Deftones. Again, I'm a huge fan, and this was my third Deftones show. They didn't disappoint. Instead, I think it was the best show they had put on that I'd seen. Chino was his usual crazy self. All over the place, in the crowd, on a box on the stage, jumping up and down, throwing the mic, yelling, screaming. Incredible energy. This band just has it down. They were very very tight. But I do have a complaint. There was this strange echo on every one of their songs. I don't know if they did that on purpose, or if it was a fault of the crew at Somerset, but it got really annoying and made it hard to get into the rhythm of some of the songs. But that's a minor complaint. The set was huge, opening with Soulfly, the track written with Soulfly's own Max Cavalera. It was huge. They sounded great, the guitars, the bass, the killer dreadlocks, and the drummer, Abe Cunningham. That man is a god. He was stunning. Just an all out force behind the kit. Highlights had to be Chino's many forays into the crowd, allowing actual fans to yell some of the parts. It was great. Also, the scared faces that many of the security members showed when faced with this maniac. Another highlight came when someone threw a hack upon stage. Chino's remark? "Of all the fucking things to throw up on stage you guys threw this fucking hippie kicky ball. This is a metal concert. Who's playing with these kicky balls anyway? Get this out of here". It was great. Anyway, the show was intense as only the Deftones can do intense. I just hope they show up again real soon so we can go insane again. Chino also seemed to like the crowd, remarking about how great it was to come here, talking about 7th Street Entry and First Ave shows they had done in the past. Buy their albums and be amazed. Watch their shows and be stunned. The one, the only, the Deftones.

During the interlude between the Deftones and Zombie a few major incidents occurred. Nudity was rampant. I felt like I was in a strip club. Women all over were showing their breasts, helped, of course, by the cameraman at the front of the stage who had a sign on his camera that read simply "tits" which he flipped up intermittently. What started as an isolated breast showing erupted into mass chaos as the sounds of "show us your tits" could probably be heard back in Minneapolis. I'm guessing between 20-50 different sets of breasts appeared, some big, some small, some fake, some real, some perky some saggy, but breasts nonetheless. A highlight (or maybe lowlight depending on your take) was when one girl with an incredible rack (if I do say so myself) took off her shirt and started making out with the girl next to her. Meanwhile, a highly intoxicated girl who had been up front, worked her way back and onto some shoulders to start actually licking her breasts. A massive cheer arose from the audience, probably one of the loudest heard during the concert. Hard music and hard nipples, what more could a man ask for?

Second to last on the main stage was Rob Zombie. I own no Rob Zombie paraphernalia. Yet I still think he's good, and definitely one of the most talented people on the metal circuit today. Creative as hell. The show itself was pretty solid as Zombie mixed in a lot of new tunes with some old ones. Highlights for me included his intro to Living Dead Girl in which he stated that most of the women here were dirty girls, the bottom of the barrel, wild women. And I agreed as tons of women showed their breasts. Zombie really seemed to get into the crowd. He was all over the stage, and between every song he commented on how huge and great the crowd was. It seems this was the first show on the tour that actually had general admission seating on the main stage, something I couldn't complain about. It makes for better fan participation and better band interaction, making for better music and a better show. Anyway, Zombie said he had decided to make a home video out of the show cause it was the best crowd they had encountered on the tour. He said it was just like playing to one of those festival audiences in Europe. During two whole songs he had the camera focus on the crowd. But Zombie, along with his great music, also paid tribute to Sabbath, getting the crowd to yell for them on at least three occasions. A class move by a class guy. The stage was cool, with Zombie on a platform much like Chino had stood on, jumping off and on almost every minute, and just overall blowing away the audience. He really interacted with the audience alot, and the huge fire show that lit up the stage was impressive. The set even included a guest appearance by old friend Kerry King of Slayer during the Zombie's first hit, Thunderkiss '65. Overall it was a killer show. I definitely liked Zombie better live than on any album. I found it to be a much better warm up for Sabbath than Pantera had been on the Reunion tour. Zombie really got the crowd going, and got them pumped for the last appearance of the greatest heavy metal band that will ever grace the face of the earth.

And then there was one. The one. The only band worthy of the name heavy metal, Black Sabbath. The name breathes fear and revolt, conjuring up images of black masses and devilish midnights. The music speaks for itself. At once the heaviest and most melodic music ever written. And here they were, the original four members, standing before me, dressed in black, crosses adorning some of their necks, a leather trenchcoat, a naked upper body. This was the ONLY band I had ever truly listened to. If all other music were to fall of the face of the planet except for this I would still be enthralled. Welcome Black Sabbath.

The show was vintage Sabbath. Starting with War Pigs, featuring perhaps the most insane jam ever recorded smack in the middle, followed by a litany of classic Sabbath staples, Sweet Leaf's drudgy lows, Snoblind's soaring highs, the eerie chills brought on by the three note masterpiece that is Black Sabbath, surprises such as After Forever, and a brief interlude into Supernaut, the eternal masterpiece Iron Man, a brief Iommi solo, the crushing Children of the Grave- the song that is the original speed metal song, Into the Void, Fairies Wear Boots, and ending with their most popular song, Paranoid, the original members of the world's greatest band displayed their Mozartian genius with a stage presence that made all others look like mere children.

Ok, enough with the verbose ass-kissing. But it's all true. I've seen countless of today's greatest bands, but have yet to come across a band that can pack their set with 12 huge songs, and still leave almost 4 albums of terrific music untouched. Their genius just can't be duplicated. Unfortunately, though, the show was almost an exact carbon of the earlier Reunion shows, minus Dirty Women. I think the guys would have done good to throw in a few more songs from Sabbath Bloody Sabbath or Sabotage (say Killing Yourself to Live, or the Writ?), but hey, they're the geniuses, I'm just an homage paying fan. The set was killer. What more can I say? Simple human words can't explain the emotions one feels when seeing one of the greatest bands fade away into the dark Wisconsin sky. If only I could find the fountain of youth I would give it to these guys. Eternal youth and eternal Sabbath. But alas it shall never come to pass, and all I'll have is memories of a show by a band that will never be equaled.

Anyway, highlights for me had to be War Pigs, perhaps my favorite Sabbath tune, and Ozzy's antics. Such as putting a bucket on his head and prancing around stage. Or grabbing a bra that had been thrown on stage and putting it over his eyes. Or repeatedly introducing Bill Ward (sure he does it at every show, but who cares, it's still funny), the bowing to Iommi which brought all the stage hands out to bow to the guitar god. Another thing I'll never forget is the way the crowd totally got into the band. It was a sight to see. Around me was a plethora of different people, young, old, rich, poor, men, women, and even a select few children, all coming together for a brief moment to relish in the Sab's music. If only that moment could last forever.

As for the music, I was thoroughly impressed. I thought Bill Ward was ten times better than his earlier January performance and the performances captured on the Reunion disc and Last Supper video. The man was proving why he can still be considered as one of the greatest drummers to walk the face of the earth. Some of his fills, especially during War Pigs, and at the end of some songs, were very impressive. He was all over, hitting hard, fast, and giving Sabbath that good old Wardian drudge that they had missed at 97's Ozzfest when Faith No More's drummer filled in.

Geezer, man what can we say about Geezer? I thought he got a little more into it at the Minneapolis show, but he was still banging out the low end. I've heard people talk about who the greatest bassist of all time is, be it Burton, Claypool, or anyone else from their favorite band, but I think we all know who set the standard for everyone else to follow. Geezer was just all over. I swear his fingers move faster than the speed of light sometime. A great bassist, especially for a guy who didn't even play bass before joining Sabbath.

How was Iommi, you ask? Well, he was great. Better than his January show in my opinion. The solos were incredible, although there was a minor lapse during Black Sabbath for two notes, other than that the riff master was right on. Who else can compose such great music? No one. The amazing thing is he makes it look so effortless, standing there in his leather trenchcoat, a little smirk flittering across his face occasionally as Ozzy leapfrogs around or claps like a moron. Amazing.

And Ozzy? Well, he was Ozzy. A few cracks, a few mistakes as far as lyrics go, and a lot of swearing. Except, to me, Ozzy seemed a lot more vibrant. I've seen him play probably six times now, and I swear that when he is in Sabbath he is really having a great time. Sometimes with his solo band it just seemed like he was going through the motions, almost as if he was in a soap opera. Flame away at me, but that's what it seems like, especially when he repeats stuff like "you have my permission to go fucking crazy" six times in between every song. Not so on this night. During the brief interludes he was cracking jokes and just plain having fun. Like his introduction to Sweet Leaf when he asked "how many of you still smoke dope?" as the audience cheered. He followed that up with "How many of you have smoked dope today?" and "How many of you will smoke dope tonight when you go home?" followed by massive cheers to both. Nothing out of the ordinary. But then, with a huge smile on his face, he asked his final ironic question "How many of you are going to get arrested for it?" to a silent crowd. It was hilarious. It was also great to see the Ozzman spraying security with the water gun for like two minutes. I really do think this reunion has rejuvenated Ozzy. I think he really does enjoy touring with Sabbath much more than with his solo band.

I still get chills when thinking of the lighted candles during the song Black Sabbath as Iommi lays down the simple three note riff, Geezer backs him up with the bass, or Bill gives a few gentle taps on the drums. And then all hell breaking loose as Iommi opens up into a huge solo as Geezer and Bill bang out a huge bottom end and Ozzy stands there admiring it all. Or the brief jam during Sweet Leaf where the band just opens it all up and kicks it down. Or Iron Man, Fairies Wear Boots, and all the rest. The band, in my opinion, was the best band at the show, plain and simple. I gained a newfound respect for them after watching all these new bands try and do many of the things Sabbath has done for years. And I realized something. It's not speed that makes something heavy, it's talent. And Sabbath definitely has that.

Well, that pretty much wraps up my long long concert review. Just a few observations. First, hats off to everyone who put this thing together. It went out without a hitch and allows everyone to profit. The fans get to see some great bands all in one day for under 50 bucks, while the bands get exposure to a wide audience. Second, again hats off to the organizers who decided to put a day of rest in between almost every show. It sure makes sense to me, especially when the headliners are all in their fifties. But I think it helped the younger bands too as far as energy goes. Likewise to the week off. I think this ensures a show that is energetic and a show that everyone will enjoy. I know I certainly did. That's about all I have to say (I know I know, you're all cheering back at home). Ozzfest '99 was a huge success, plain and simple. It just doesn't get any better than Ozzfest, and that's a fact. I've seen Lollapalooza's, Edgefests, even a portion of a Warped Tour, (and luckily no damn Lilith Fairs) and I can honestly say none of them even come close to the power and energy that is Ozzfest.