Ozzfest 2008
The road
We were on the road about 6:30pm after eating at Burger King in Lock Haven Thursday 8/7. Then the miles started to add up as did the hours. We drove for about 9 hours stopping to sleep at a Rest Area in Indy. The next morning brought a wonderful 14 hours on the road. For as far as we went and for all the states we hit, construction on the way down was at a minimum, even though in many areas it could have used some. We arrived at a hotel around midnight only to find it was book. After about a half hour of calling around we found a room for two nights about 9 miles away from Pizza Hut Park.
After one hell of a fucking show we got back to the hotel at 12:30am (In Texas 12:30am = 92 degrees outside) slept and were back on the road the next day. We drove for 14 hours Sunday stopping in the same spot on the way home to sleep as we did the first night on the road. After a terrible few hours of sleep (I found myself sleeping on a picnic table) we finished up the last 6 1/2 hours and I got home 5:30pm Monday.
Total time down about 23 hours.
Total time home about 20 hours.
I saw many places I didn't think I would going to Texas. Some of them would be Africa, Dublin, Venice, Miami, just to name a couple. I saw more of the country than I have in my previous 30 years on the planet having touched Ohio, Missouri, Indy, Oklahoma, Kentucky, Arkansas, and Texas of course.
GPS = Why leave home without it. This thing was fucking awesome and if we ever find ourselves in a position to take vacations regular like we will own one of these. It was our live safer in finding a hotel when the one we pulled into was book. It let us know when a better route was available, step by step directions and we didn't get lost once. It would let you know about a mile a head of time when attention was needed. Example, Keep left on 279 or take ramp on right to 44. Even though Ben & I referred to it as our bitch (due to it's woman robotic voice) it was the MVP of the trip.
The car: 2008 Suzuki SX4. For such a little car it only got 30 mpg. It ran fine, was a little tight and terrible on gas for it's size.
The show
My my my, look at me this year, this is not Pittsburgh people. Nope, this is fucking Dallas, Texas. Home of Pizza Hut Park and home of Ozzfest 2008 the only show for the year! We got to the show around 10am and parked about 3 blocks away. Park close to the park was $30! Parking about 3 blocks away was $20, so $20 wins. After smuggling in my contraband for a 13th consecutive year we hit the second stage for awhile. The bands were good, but I couldn't understand a word out of their mouths. It's a good way to get your blood pumping in prep for the main stage.
We decided to bail on the second stage to go check out the field. When we got over there it was pretty quiet as the stage was still being set up and a handful of people were chilling down front. You see usually the area right down front is blocked off but for some reason they had the gates wide open to get down there so Ben and I decided to get "down front" and down front we were. After realizing we had prime time spots so we didn't leave. We watched as the roadies goofed off some, filmed us a little and took some pictures. Before you knew it the band In this Moment took the stage.
In this Moment is fronted by a chic. She came out wearing some sort of dress. I said to myself, what the fuck is this? Well friends, they showed me exactly what the fuck it was. They kicked fucking ass. I know none of their songs or albums but can tell you I will be giving their stuff a listen. A great way to open the stage. I give them a 8 only because their set was short.
Next was Apocalyptica. A drummer, and four guys playing Cellos. No vocals even though they did have a guy come out and sing one song. I was pleasantly surprised by this band. They covered a few Metallica (more on these fuckers soon)tunes, did some sick classical shit and a few originals. I thought they played a little long but they were enjoyable.
Shadows fall was up next and honestly as I am racking my brain I can't recall them at all...
Cavalera Conspiracy followed and this band was pretty good. I didn't care much for the vocals but they put on a good show and rocked the fuck out of everybody.
Ok here is where I thought I was going to start to get the bang for my buck. The front man from Korn has a solo projoect, Jonathan Davis . His band comes out all dressed in suits and he comes out last wearing and all black suit with a red tie. I was preparing for a beating as up to this point mosh pits were every fucking wear and I thought to myself how is this going to be, the lead singer of Korn, we are going to die out here! Well, I was very unhappy with his solo stuff. He even did 2 Korn songs and they were not all that. Jonathan Davis does not equal Korn, nor should it. I was let down and would pass on the chance to see him solo ever again.
Texas's own Hellyeah was next. This was something special as at the end of the set it included a tribute to Dimebag Darrel (guitarist shot and killed on stage from Pantera). You see his brother is the drummer in Hellyeah. The tribute include 3 Pantera songs, appearances by Ian from Antrax, Jerry Contrel & Mike Inez from Alice in Chains. There was an acoustic version of "Wish you were Here" by Pink Floyd. It saw Dimebags long time girlfriend on vocals. Even though she doesn't have the best voice, it was the purpose, ya know?
Up next was Serj Tankian the lead man from System of a Down. I was preparing for another let down but man, did he kick the shit out of us. System = Serji, Serji = System. He didn't cover on System song but I would go see him again, and again, and again. Great show, and great top hats guys!
Who's that guy that was next? Oh shit, Ozzy Osbourne? Oh fuck yes. The moment his intro movies came on I knew I had made the right decision in going all that fucking way. It was just a great show. I would say it's the best show I've seen him do in a few years. He looked rested, fresh, and sounded great. It looked like he was having a good time out there. Wearing devil horns and a crown at one point, gifts from the folks down front. He was slotted for only 75 minutes but played well past that. His set included 2 songs that I have never had the pleasure of seeing him play. Those being Fire in the Sky & I don't wanna stop. The total set included in no particular order:
Bark at the moon - Opener
I don't know
Mr. Crowley
Crazy Train
Fire in the Sky
War Pigs
Iron Man
Paranoid - Closer
No More Tears
Road to nowhere
I don't want to change the world
Mama I'm coming home
I don't wanna stop
Not going away
Here for you
After the show there was a nice fire work display. Ozzy, you made my year. I'll see you next year!
That's it right? Not this summer boys and girls. This year we have Metallica closing. Even though I feel a little funny about Metallica closing I was looking forward to it. There was quite a delay in between them and Ozzy as they had to prepare the stage but once they came on, it fucking hit the roof. Loud, classic, new, and in your fucking face. It was great to see them again. I saw them in 1996 on their "Poor mans tour" and I was too fucked up to remember much more other than I was in the last row of seats.
Thoughts from down front
You see from 1997-2007 I have gone to Pittsburgh for Ozzfest and I have always been on the hilside. A place that you can sit down, relax, smoke some weed and move away from any danger that may be approaching. Not this year, oh hell no. This year I would say I was only 20' away from the stage, and with such a kick ass spot comes a price. The price, getting your ass kicked all day long. I saw a man get his eye fucked up. I got destroyed by a crowd surfer at one point and went on to rock. I'm a big man. Slight over 6' and almost 300 (I've lost 11 pounds with ease and the rest must need work) I was in a spot that was suited for an ironing board. I've never smelled so much B.O. in my life. I witnessed a little kid get dropped crowd surfing and heard the crowd go "Awww". So many boobs, so few words. I saw two concession workers braving the crowd get absolutely ran over by one massive crowd push. I was on the outer ring of a pit more times than I can count, pushing those fuckers right back in where they came from. With all this said, I do not see how I can ever go to an Ozzfest again, without being down in the shit. I was close enough to get wet from the hoses, and even Ozzy's water/foam gun. Being able to look up on the stage and feel as if, hey he can actually see me is awesome. I am ready.
In closing
Year #13 is in the fucking books. It was worth every second and every dime it took. I will see you next year. I missed Julie more than she will know as well as my rugrats. Their thoughts filled my mind and heart most of my time away. It was a different experience being apart that long. My only hope is that next year, Julie gets to come!
Later.
I love you Julie.
We were on the road about 6:30pm after eating at Burger King in Lock Haven Thursday 8/7. Then the miles started to add up as did the hours. We drove for about 9 hours stopping to sleep at a Rest Area in Indy. The next morning brought a wonderful 14 hours on the road. For as far as we went and for all the states we hit, construction on the way down was at a minimum, even though in many areas it could have used some. We arrived at a hotel around midnight only to find it was book. After about a half hour of calling around we found a room for two nights about 9 miles away from Pizza Hut Park.
After one hell of a fucking show we got back to the hotel at 12:30am (In Texas 12:30am = 92 degrees outside) slept and were back on the road the next day. We drove for 14 hours Sunday stopping in the same spot on the way home to sleep as we did the first night on the road. After a terrible few hours of sleep (I found myself sleeping on a picnic table) we finished up the last 6 1/2 hours and I got home 5:30pm Monday.
Total time down about 23 hours.
Total time home about 20 hours.
I saw many places I didn't think I would going to Texas. Some of them would be Africa, Dublin, Venice, Miami, just to name a couple. I saw more of the country than I have in my previous 30 years on the planet having touched Ohio, Missouri, Indy, Oklahoma, Kentucky, Arkansas, and Texas of course.
GPS = Why leave home without it. This thing was fucking awesome and if we ever find ourselves in a position to take vacations regular like we will own one of these. It was our live safer in finding a hotel when the one we pulled into was book. It let us know when a better route was available, step by step directions and we didn't get lost once. It would let you know about a mile a head of time when attention was needed. Example, Keep left on 279 or take ramp on right to 44. Even though Ben & I referred to it as our bitch (due to it's woman robotic voice) it was the MVP of the trip.
The car: 2008 Suzuki SX4. For such a little car it only got 30 mpg. It ran fine, was a little tight and terrible on gas for it's size.
The show
My my my, look at me this year, this is not Pittsburgh people. Nope, this is fucking Dallas, Texas. Home of Pizza Hut Park and home of Ozzfest 2008 the only show for the year! We got to the show around 10am and parked about 3 blocks away. Park close to the park was $30! Parking about 3 blocks away was $20, so $20 wins. After smuggling in my contraband for a 13th consecutive year we hit the second stage for awhile. The bands were good, but I couldn't understand a word out of their mouths. It's a good way to get your blood pumping in prep for the main stage.
We decided to bail on the second stage to go check out the field. When we got over there it was pretty quiet as the stage was still being set up and a handful of people were chilling down front. You see usually the area right down front is blocked off but for some reason they had the gates wide open to get down there so Ben and I decided to get "down front" and down front we were. After realizing we had prime time spots so we didn't leave. We watched as the roadies goofed off some, filmed us a little and took some pictures. Before you knew it the band In this Moment took the stage.
In this Moment is fronted by a chic. She came out wearing some sort of dress. I said to myself, what the fuck is this? Well friends, they showed me exactly what the fuck it was. They kicked fucking ass. I know none of their songs or albums but can tell you I will be giving their stuff a listen. A great way to open the stage. I give them a 8 only because their set was short.
Next was Apocalyptica. A drummer, and four guys playing Cellos. No vocals even though they did have a guy come out and sing one song. I was pleasantly surprised by this band. They covered a few Metallica (more on these fuckers soon)tunes, did some sick classical shit and a few originals. I thought they played a little long but they were enjoyable.
Shadows fall was up next and honestly as I am racking my brain I can't recall them at all...
Cavalera Conspiracy followed and this band was pretty good. I didn't care much for the vocals but they put on a good show and rocked the fuck out of everybody.
Ok here is where I thought I was going to start to get the bang for my buck. The front man from Korn has a solo projoect, Jonathan Davis . His band comes out all dressed in suits and he comes out last wearing and all black suit with a red tie. I was preparing for a beating as up to this point mosh pits were every fucking wear and I thought to myself how is this going to be, the lead singer of Korn, we are going to die out here! Well, I was very unhappy with his solo stuff. He even did 2 Korn songs and they were not all that. Jonathan Davis does not equal Korn, nor should it. I was let down and would pass on the chance to see him solo ever again.
Texas's own Hellyeah was next. This was something special as at the end of the set it included a tribute to Dimebag Darrel (guitarist shot and killed on stage from Pantera). You see his brother is the drummer in Hellyeah. The tribute include 3 Pantera songs, appearances by Ian from Antrax, Jerry Contrel & Mike Inez from Alice in Chains. There was an acoustic version of "Wish you were Here" by Pink Floyd. It saw Dimebags long time girlfriend on vocals. Even though she doesn't have the best voice, it was the purpose, ya know?
Up next was Serj Tankian the lead man from System of a Down. I was preparing for another let down but man, did he kick the shit out of us. System = Serji, Serji = System. He didn't cover on System song but I would go see him again, and again, and again. Great show, and great top hats guys!
Who's that guy that was next? Oh shit, Ozzy Osbourne? Oh fuck yes. The moment his intro movies came on I knew I had made the right decision in going all that fucking way. It was just a great show. I would say it's the best show I've seen him do in a few years. He looked rested, fresh, and sounded great. It looked like he was having a good time out there. Wearing devil horns and a crown at one point, gifts from the folks down front. He was slotted for only 75 minutes but played well past that. His set included 2 songs that I have never had the pleasure of seeing him play. Those being Fire in the Sky & I don't wanna stop. The total set included in no particular order:
Bark at the moon - Opener
I don't know
Mr. Crowley
Crazy Train
Fire in the Sky
War Pigs
Iron Man
Paranoid - Closer
No More Tears
Road to nowhere
I don't want to change the world
Mama I'm coming home
I don't wanna stop
Not going away
Here for you
After the show there was a nice fire work display. Ozzy, you made my year. I'll see you next year!
That's it right? Not this summer boys and girls. This year we have Metallica closing. Even though I feel a little funny about Metallica closing I was looking forward to it. There was quite a delay in between them and Ozzy as they had to prepare the stage but once they came on, it fucking hit the roof. Loud, classic, new, and in your fucking face. It was great to see them again. I saw them in 1996 on their "Poor mans tour" and I was too fucked up to remember much more other than I was in the last row of seats.
Thoughts from down front
You see from 1997-2007 I have gone to Pittsburgh for Ozzfest and I have always been on the hilside. A place that you can sit down, relax, smoke some weed and move away from any danger that may be approaching. Not this year, oh hell no. This year I would say I was only 20' away from the stage, and with such a kick ass spot comes a price. The price, getting your ass kicked all day long. I saw a man get his eye fucked up. I got destroyed by a crowd surfer at one point and went on to rock. I'm a big man. Slight over 6' and almost 300 (I've lost 11 pounds with ease and the rest must need work) I was in a spot that was suited for an ironing board. I've never smelled so much B.O. in my life. I witnessed a little kid get dropped crowd surfing and heard the crowd go "Awww". So many boobs, so few words. I saw two concession workers braving the crowd get absolutely ran over by one massive crowd push. I was on the outer ring of a pit more times than I can count, pushing those fuckers right back in where they came from. With all this said, I do not see how I can ever go to an Ozzfest again, without being down in the shit. I was close enough to get wet from the hoses, and even Ozzy's water/foam gun. Being able to look up on the stage and feel as if, hey he can actually see me is awesome. I am ready.
In closing
Year #13 is in the fucking books. It was worth every second and every dime it took. I will see you next year. I missed Julie more than she will know as well as my rugrats. Their thoughts filled my mind and heart most of my time away. It was a different experience being apart that long. My only hope is that next year, Julie gets to come!
Later.
I love you Julie.
posted by JW at
8:10 PM
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