Ozzfest 2004
July 10, 2004
The Meadows Music Theatre ~ Hartford, CT
Reviewed by: Bill Klopfer

Every year people are waiting for an event to take place that will blow their minds. Not every day will the world take part in an extravaganza such as this. The whole New England Metal community showed up in support of the metal scene. According to the opinions of many fans this was the show of the year. Unlike every other year the line up consisted of heavier bands that comprised of mainly hardcore and metal music. The majority of bands on this year’s bill were not for a radio audience. This years Ozzfest was strictly for the fans. At the Meadows Music Theatre in Hartford, Connecticut on July 10th, 2004 Ozzfest was the craziest show this state has witnessed all year.

As the sun came out the second stage opened up with complete intensity. People were moshing, jumping, and screaming with utter insanity. The sand on the ground was rising with an attack of a mini sand storm. That didn’t stop anyone - some people came prepared and wore bandanas across their face. The show opened with “Second Stage” featuring Darkest Hour, Magna Fi, Throwdown, Devil Driver, God Forbid, Unearth, Every Time I Die, Lacuna Coil, Otep, Bleeding Through, Atreyu, Lamb of God, Hatebreed and Slipknot. Unearth stuck out as probably one of the best bands this tour has to offer. People who have never heard them were mesmerized. Their melodic guitar riffs sound similar to old Iron Maiden and In Flames while their breakdown riffs conquer the sounds of every Hardcore band. This band has been around a while and with a tour like this they are going to prophet from their new album like you wouldn’t believe.

As the second stage continued the wrath of the sun was taking its toll on the fans, but that didn’t stop them from participating in what was about to come. The next couple bands comprised of woman singers. Lacuna Coil took the stage and the crowd went wild. Those who knew the lyrics to the Italian metal band began to sing a long. Next was the other band fronted by a woman singer. The band goes by the name of Otep. This Lady was able to growl and scream like a professional. Many males were in shock when they watched the woman take her stand. After that it was all brutality as the pits began to intensify. Many people were facing vicious sunburn and sand in the eyes. Bleeding Through, Atreyu and Lamb of God were next in line. As their sets neared the crowd began to get bigger. Lamb of God’s pits were fierce and awe-inspiring. They ended with their classic underground hit “Black Label” which received a big response. By the end of Lamb of God’s set the majority of the fans were victims of ruthless sunburn. Some people were suffering so bad they had to hide out from the sun in the Lavoratory area.

All that was left on the second stage was Hatebreed and Slipknot. As always Hatebreed received an awesome response from their home crowd. They played various songs from every album including “I will be heard”, “Last breathe”, “This is now” and “Before Dishonor”. The pit began to get larger. In fact there was more than just one pit; there was about three or four located in different areas. A few people took a beating and every now and then you would see someone walking out with a bloody nose. Slipknot came out and the crowd went wild. People were chanting to the “Heretic Anthem” and having a good time. Their conclusion of the second stage was successful.

The fans began to move themselves over to what would be called the “Main Stage”. If you didn’t by a seat or a pit ticket, then you were in the back on the lawn. When seated on the lawn the bands on the stage look like ants and the sound becomes very distant. That still didn’t matter the whole New England metal community was having a great time no matter what. The main stage opened up with Black Label Society. Ozzy’s old guitarist Zack Wylde was jamming out to his solo material with a top notch performance. Following Black Label Society was former Pantera frontman Phil Anselmo with his band Super Joint Ritual. During the break of every song Phil had something to say. He thanked the fans for being there for him and so forth and told everyone to stay drunk and high. They played a bunch of new material off of “A lethal Dose of American Hatred” and evened it out with some favorites off the first release “Use Once and Destroy”. Songs included “F*** your Enemy” “The Alcoholic”, and “Ogena”.

Dimmu Borgir was the next band to hit the stage. These musicians were a little different than other bands at Ozzfest. They are a well known Black metal band. Their new album “Death Cult Armageddon” has been receiving good reviews and their performance shows it. The Dimmu Borgir fans paid close attention to their intricate music. The Almighty Slayer was next up with another appearance at Ozzfest on the main stage. The pits were very harsh once again as people were moshing everywhere. The lawn was ruthless. The whole walkway was nothing but a war zone. If you needed to make a trip to the lavatory or to buy a beer you had to fight like a maniac to get there. Slayer’s set list included a number of classics such as “South of Heaven”, “Dead Skin Mask”, “War Ensemble”, and “Raining Blood”.

At around 8 P.M metal gods Judas Priest took the stage. These legends had the longest stage time slot than anyone else adding up to about 75 Minutes. They played classics such as “Pain killer”, and “Breaking the Law”. During their set the fans on the lawn began to go to wild and the vicious attack began. This will be remembered as the “The Bottled Wars”. Fans began to throw bottles up in the air. Everywhere you looked you had to dodge a bottle from hitting you in the face. It was all cool because the bottles were made of plastic. Some fans got a little out of hand and began throwing dirt and grass. One person even lit a garbage can on fire but security stopped it from going any further than that.

Last but not least the extravaganza of the year concluded with the devils themselves, Black Sabbath. They played the usual tunes such as “paranoid”, “Iron Man”, “N.I.B”, etc. They started out with “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath” and the music stopped, and Ozzy did his famous crazy train laugh and switched it to “Paranoid” During the show there was a T.V Projector showing some hilarious and offensive material. The most controversial visual of the projection showed a comparison between George Bush and Hitler. Not everyone in the band agreed with the statements showed on the screen. According to Geezer Butler of Black Sabbath (Blabbermouth.net) he was not in agreement of that comment and had nothing to do with it. During the song “Sweet Leaf” the projector showed various graphics of Marijuana Leaves. The crowd began to cheer when they saw this visual.

Ozzfest was a show for the people of the Metal Community. It is true that it can cause mayhem of some sort. The water, beer and the food were highly overpriced. There were a few cars broken into and some minor casualties, but in the end we all look back at it as a highlight of our life. This show at the Meadows Music Center in Hartford, Connecticut gave excitement that comes from nowhere else.

Official Ozzfest Website

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