Ozzfest Review

I saw the show Thursday evening in Phoenix and Saturday evening in Devore, CA. Actually, I saw Iron Maiden. I read online that they had been stealing the show throughout the tour, so my expectations were high. I got there about 90 minutes before Maiden took the stage, and saw Mudvayne. Holy crap did they suck. They played this aggressive style of rock that today's high school kids like. The singer didn't even sing, he just shouted into the microphone in a deep, aggressive voice. The kids near me knew the lyrics though. Anyway, after Mudvayne they set up the Iron Maiden stage, which took about 15 minutes. Maiden came onstage with a flourish, opening with a song I never thought I'd hear them play - Murders in the Rue Morgue, a song from their 1981 album "Killers". After that, they played nine more songs - The Trooper, Phantom of the Opera, Revelations, Run to the Hills, Hallowed Be Thy Name, The Number of the Beast, Iron Maiden, Running Free, & Sanctuary. It was a very good set (though abbreviated due to the festival itinerary), encompassing their first four albums, 1980-1983. After Maiden, Black Sabbath came on. I'd read that they were also going to play 10 songs, but I left after five, because Ozzy needs to be in a rest home, not onstage. All in all, it was a great Iron Maiden show. They never disappoint.

But on Saturday, Sharon Osbourne tried to change things. Apparently she had been feuding with Bruce Dickinson, so in order to be the bitch she is, she planted people in the front of the crowd with eggs and tomatoes to throw at the band when they came onstage. When that didn’t stop them, she actually pulled the plug on their PA on three separate occasions, rendering them silent. After the concert was over, while Bruce was trying to apologize to the 45,000 fans that had come to see them, Sharon pulled the plug on his microphone, and he waved and walked off the stage, frustrated and angry. She then came on the stage and called him a “prick”. At least it was a memorable show, and Maiden was able to get past the distractions and turn in a good performance.