This year Ozzfest was going to be free and also find some of the most brutal of the Metal bands around as a part of it. Getting the ticket was easy if you followed some details and the capacity crowd affair found Ozzy taking the stage with the likes of Lamb Of God, Static X, Lordi, Black Tide, Hatebreed, Behemoth, Devildriver, In This Moment, Nile, and Chthonic as the Metal lead offs. Our travel to the show caused us some delays and hence missing a few acts but we were there to bring you the scoop so to see more just keep scrolling down past the logo. It was an incredible day of Metal under the blistering heat of the summer sun.
Artist: Ozzy Osbourne (Ozzfest)
Venue: PNC Bank Arts Center (Holmdel, NJ)
Opener: Lamb Of God, Static-X, Lordi
Date: 8/16/2007
Label: Epic Records
In 2007 it was decided that instead of charging an incredible amount for tickets that the Ozzfest event would be free of charge and be aptly referred to as “Freefest”. If the Metal Legions wanted access to the show they would need to follow advertising and sponsor promotional links or purchase the new Ozzy Osbourne album in order to potentially be allotted a pair of tickets. This might sound pretty straightforward but it was actually a little more confusing that many had expected it to be. There was talk of redeeming issues and continual internet run around which I can attest to being true as I tried to help my friend get his tickets for the area appearance in my vicinity. Since the show was going to be free it would mean that the bands themselves would not be paid and instead get all their operating capital from merchandise sales at each stop on the tour. Resultant of this the now free event would not attract what some people considered to be “top tier bands” and instead drew groups like Lordi, Behemoth, Hatebreed, Lamb Of God and Static X to its stages. I really had a problem with people who were making that statement because while a band like Disturbed and System Of A Down might be good and at times quite heavy, when compared to some of the bands that I just named, come up very short in terms of being in touch with the actual Metal scene of today. These “underground Metal upstarts” for the roster in 2007 would quite possibly go down in history as the MOST relevant lineup based on what is happening in the Metal world right now. This aspect appealed to me as both a journalist and fan of Heavy Metal music overall.
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