Great Debate: Is It Time For Ozzfest To Rest In Peace?

Is It Time For Ozzfest To Rest In Peace?

Yes! Grab A Shovel.

-- Brendan Butler

Much like the waning of a beloved TV show (I’ll miss you, Sopranos), there comes a time when a once successful and palatable venture must come to an end. After all, nothing lasts forever; therefore clutching onto things from the past while the rest of the world has moved on is, I’m sorry, sad.

This is precisely why the annual rocker haven Ozzfest was devised in 1996 by Ozzy Osbourne’s wife Sharon, due to the fact nobody else wanted to tour with her husband. Insisting Ozzy still had some headlining tours inside him, Ozzfest proved a summer sensation for a few years, confirming Sharon as a force to be reckoned with in rock (maybe even the most business savvy woman in rock?).

But as people learned who Ozzy is from the popular MTV reality show, The Osbournes, a washed up rocker who did so many drugs and alcohol that he needs his wife to look after him and constantly hold his hand, his “Prince of Darkness” persona evaporated.

It was announced last March that not only would Ozzfest continue in 2007 but it would also be free. Far be it for me to question Sharon’s direction on this one, lord knows she knows a lot more than I do, but this is a roll of the dice. Will those who attend this year’s shows be so floored that they’ll pay full price next year? Or is this merely a devised P.R. stunt putting the Osbournes in good with the entire rock constituency? Or was this the only way the 58-year-old Ozzy could sing at an arena ever again?

In any case, I know who’s not going: me. The whole thing reeks of desperation. Let’s move forward and allow Ozzfest to be a sweet memory in rock history.

No! Leave It On Life Support.

-- Lexi Feinberg

Since its birth in 1996, Ozzfest has been the go-to music festival for hard-rock fans and metal heads to escape from mainstream pop tunes, briefly, and do a little head banging.

I attended Ozzfest back in 1997 when I was 16, mainly to see Type O Negative crank out songs from Bloody Kisses, a release I was strangely addicted to for a time (along with Metallica’s Black album). Some teens experiment with meth; I inhaled some hard-rock metal. No judgments.

And now, to up the ante all these years later, organizers Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne have decided to make the show cost a big whopping nothing, allowing money-pinched fans to get in on the action. You may have to do a bit of hoop-jumping to get in the door (redemption codes, semi-random lottery) but even the hard-to-impress New York Times calls it “one of rock’s biggest juggernauts.”

Ozzfest remains enjoyable for its unpretentious vibe and ability to deliver so-loud-it’s-good music. And while the wild and daring Black Sabbath Ozzy may be a thing of the past, that doesn’t mean he’s lost his spark: The rock icon impressed critics and fans with his new album Black Rain, and there’s a good chance it will sound even better live.

Admittedly, the lineup for Ozzfest has slipped a bit (instead of Tool and Rob Zombie you now get … Lamb of God and Lordi) but where else can fans gather every year to enjoy heavy-metal screams and guitarists who can play more than three power chords, unlike many of their younger counterparts?

Ozzfest still serves a purpose. And at the very least, it will always be a much better time than Woodstock ’99.

Then again, so would a trip to the orthodontist.

Where Do You Stand?
Last Week’s Column: Are CDs Still Relevant In The Digital Age?

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