I went to Ozzfest in Mansfield, Mass yesterday with my friend Peter. In short, it was the best time I’ve ever had at a concert. I was shocked with Iron Maiden, pleasantly surprised with Ozzy and of course, loved Zakk Wylde’s performance.
The first of the big three to hit the stage was Zakk Wylde’s Black Label Society. Zakk hit the stage in usual no-nonsense style and completely took control of the show, getting people on their feet with an introductory blazing guitar riff that left your chest bruised.
Zakk started the show with Stoned and Drunk from The Blessed Hellride. He did other new hits like Fire It Up and Suicide Messiah from the bands new album Mafia, finishing up his set playing Stillborn.
Zakk appeared to get pissed off with the sound at one point when the band started a song. Zakk just tore into a solo and the band kicked into backup mode while Zakk carried the song for several minutes. Being the pros they are, Nick, James and Craig had no trouble laying down a nice riff for Zakk to play with.
During this stage in the concert, Zakk took off his Buzzsaw custom Les Paul and threw it into the crowd. People went absolutely crazy trying to get their hands on the guitar, bring Zakk’s roadies out of the woodwork to retrieve the guitar, which they eventually did.
Zakk paced the stage for a minute and then finally took another guitar — this time his white polka dot Flying V. It wasn’t too long before Zakk held that guitar out over the crowd, dangling it over their heads as they screamed. And yes, he dropped it into the mass of waiting fans.
This time, Zakk jumped into the crowd himself and the roadies passed him the guitar that had quickly recovered from the crowd. After he strapped on the guitar he tore into an amazing solo in the middle of everyone.
I don’t blame Zakk for being pissed at the sound. Of the big three, Zakk sounded the worst. Come on Ozzy, give Zakk his due — give the man a better setup. I saw Zakk in LA in January and the sound was amazing. The show would be much better if he could rip it out like we all know he can.
I saw Iron Maiden before and was certainly looking forward to their show, but I had no idea it would be as good as it was. Bruce was simply incredible from the time he took the stage until he left. He was all over the place and the voice of Iron Maiden hasn’t lost anything over the years.
From Hallowed Be Thy Name and The Trooper to Revelations and The Number of the Beast, Maiden showed their fans they can still belt it out. While Bruce looked really good, the rest of the band left a little to be desired.
Bruce had a short haircut and looked really good for his age. The other members just looked plain old — not that they didn’t play well, but they looked like middle-aged people trying to capture their past. They should all take a note from Bruce’s playbook.
And then there’s the Ozzman and Black Sabbath. I was almost sure when Bruce Dickinson left the stage that he had just stolen the show — I was wrong. Ozzy came out and looked like the Ozzy of old, not the befuddled man we see on television.
Ozzy was laughing, jumping and singing his ass off for about an hour, punching out hits like The Wizard, Black Sabbath, Iron Man and Paranoid. Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward were amazing in their own right, as Sabbath solidified to their fans that they are back and can play with the best young bands in metal today.
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