Ozzfest 2002 Review (1)

In a time where musical trends fly like flattened water bottles across a rowdy crowd, it is good to know that there are a few constants in life - the fact that no matter how sunny it is when you wake up it will, in fact, rain for at least ten consecutive minutes each day in England and, of course, Ozzfest. Fortunately for myself and thousands of other mud hungry metal fans, both were turned up to maximum volume for this year's festival at Donington Park. It was hard to believe upon first glance that so much metal could even be allowed in such a scenic rural setting, but it was. And with a line up that included Slayer, System of a Down, Tool, and Ozzy, and with loads of up-and-coming new blood thrown into this stew of aging darkness, it took every ounce of electricity that the small candle-lit town of Donington could spare to fuel this annual orgy of pure musical brutality.

 

It was good to see the turn out as well, with many concert goers travelling hours, and some flying in from distant countries for a mere glance at the 'Prince of Darkness.' Though it's hard to deny the fact that the hit reality series "The Osbournes" played a huge role in this year's attendance, as I stood at least a foot taller than the average fan and received continuous headbutts to the lower chest, it was just as comforting to see the same 'misled' youth waving fists of fury and mouthing along with 'Death Skin Mask,' 'Sober,' and 'War Pigs.' While Korn and Limp Bizkit seem to change their style like the political winds or the ocean's proverbial tides, any exposure young metalheads can get to a rock icon like Ozzy Osbourne is completely necessary. Having such a diverse crowd, in age and creed, only added to the overall atmosphere, as did the amazing amount of Chinese Food stands surrounding the venue. I suppose that drinking Cappuchino and talking on mobiles! between sets of Cradle Of Filth and Lostprophets only lends itself to a good helping of Sweet and Sour Chicken.

 

As for the music, what can one really say except that, even though most bands dropped their satanic image a long time ago, Ozzfest just seems to get badder and more evil (in as corporate a way as possible in this day of musical exploitation) as the years go on. With few exceptions, Ozzfest is one of the few festivals that has the integrity to do what it has always done, which is simply kick ass, stay true to its roots in a musical genre that Ozzy Osbourne, Slayer, and Tool literally invented, and then still sell albums in freezing rain to a mass of spotty-faced preteens. In a way, a warm sunny day for Ozzfest would actually seem almost too hypocritical.