Billboard have newly published an oral history on the defunct ‘Ozzfest‘ touring festival. That past summer celebration of all things metal marauded its way across the country, and eventually the globe, from 1996 through to 2008. Created in response to Ozzy Osbourne being spurned by ‘Lollapalooza‘ at the time, his wife/manager Sharon Osbourne set out to create the ultimate travelling metal extravaganza.
The early years of the ‘Ozzfest‘ in particular played pivotal roles in pairing metal’s pioneers and established stars with a bevy of young and hungry talent. As such, groups like Slipknot, System Of A Down, Limp Bizkit, Disturbed, Coal Chamber, Lamb Of God, Incubus and more all got sizable boosts to their fanbases as a result of playing that trek.
The festival was last staged in an abridged touring format in 2010, later resurfacing as a series of destination festivals, the last of which took place back in 2018. A virtual ‘Ozzfest‘ was staged in 2022.
Along with Ozzy & Sharon, numerous individuals involved with the fest took part in this new discussion. Outside of peoples involved with production and promotion, members of Slipknot, Tool, Disturbed, Lamb Of God, Coal Chamber and more also shared their memories of playing the trek across the years, as well as the impact it had on their careers and personal lives.
Dez Fafara, frontman of Coal Chamber/DevilDriver, summed that up in the chat, offering:
“[Sharon] changed people’s worlds. I don’t think System of a Down, I don’t think Deftones, I don’t think Slipknot, I don’t think Coal Chamber, I don’t think DevilDriver would’ve been who we are without Sharon Osbourne coming up with the idea for the Ozzfest. I think everybody owes her a great debt. She’s a f–king shot caller and she gave me the shot. She gave me the shot twice.”
Sharon also discussed the possibility of resurrecting the festival at some point, offering:
“We get asked about [Ozzfest returning] all the time. And I honestly don’t know. After Ozzy’s accident, I don’t look into the future much. I would love the name to carry on for my husband, but I can’t plan long term right now. I just live in the day.”
You can take in the whole read over at Billboard.com.
