http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=4069123/08/2005OZZFEST - SAN BERNARDINO AUG 20
Maiden are currently returning from America and preparing for UK festivals this weekend and don't wish to waste time giving Sharon Osbourne's statement the dignity of a reply. Considering the disgraceful nature of the events that occurred they feel it's a pretty dismal effort at self justification and they don't think Metal fans are at all gullible and that they will easily see through it. They want no more to do with this sorry incident and are very much looking forward to headlining Reading and Leeds Festivals this weekend.
I would however like to add my own comment on this.
In 30 years in this business and after attending hundreds of gigs l have never seen anything anywhere near as disgusting and unprofessional as what went on that night. I was standing on our sound desk out front as usual but ran to the stage as soon as the hail of missiles began and from then on watched from the front of the stage right next to Bruce's walkway. The scale, viciousness and concentration of the throwing made it obvious that this was a premeditated and co-ordinated attack. Assaulting musicians while performing by throwing bottle tops, lighters and eggs at them from just a few yards away is vile, dangerous, criminal and cowardly. It is incredible that Ozzfest security apparently did nothing about it - aren't they there to protect the bands too? Especially when the band is concentrating on a performance in front of 45,000 people and the missiles are coming out of the glare of the spotlights. And to spit at a band on stage is unforgivable.
Iron Maiden, like all the bands on Ozzfest, had to sign quite onerous legal documents part of which was promising not to throw anything into the audience, even wristbands!!! Ironic isn't it.
It is well documented on the web who was responsible for planning and participating in this attack and for musicians to join in this assault on other musicians is a shocking disgrace akin to treachery. You should all be thoroughly ashamed of yourselves.
We know who authorised the making of the 'ozzy - ozzy' chant tape the day before and how it was played secretly through the PA at the very beginning and end of our set.
We also know who continually turned off the power interrupting our set at crucial moments. It is a good thing that the power was turned back on before there was a riot as you could sense on stage a lot of the huge audience were getting totally pissed off at this continual onslaught on the band.
The great majority of the Ozzfest crew throughout the tour were terrific and we thank them. Those who participated or stood idly by and watched as this all went down should also be ashamed of themselves and l would certainly hope they never come near a tour with which we are involved.
There is little point in my commenting on the chap with the flag or their trying to hold up Eddie or Sharon's speech as the audience made their feelings very clear on each occasion.
And in the end what was all this about?? If l had any sort of problem or misunderstanding with a band working on a tour we were involved in l would go and talk to them or their manager - not wait until the end of a tour and assault and ambush them. Or was that really it?
I find it staggering that this ambush would take place in front of any audience, let alone in San Bernardino, the biggest audience of the tour. Didn't that audience merit any consideration? They pay an awful lot to be there in terms of prices for tickets, parking, food, beer etc. Surely if they spend this sort of money they deserve to watch the bands they paid to see be able to put in a full unhindered performance. Free of danger and intimidation. If I had paid I would ask for my money back!
And this audience really were outstanding, giving the band incredible support and many voting with their feet in disgust after the set and the speech, which to many was the final insult.
I have to say l was immensely proud of Maiden who stood up to it all and showed great courage and just got better and better through the adversity. Their heads never dropped, instead they went on the offensive. It was a truly memorable moment when Bruce went to the very front of the stage during Trooper - something which he never normally does as he is usually on the ramps - waving the flag whilst avoiding the hail of missiles and yelling 'This is a fucking British flag, and these colours don't fucking run!'. The imperturbable attitude and ability of the band shone through and in the end made this a truly remarkable rock and roll event, even if for all the wrong reasons.
We will have no more to say on this matter except that l do think the band deserve an apology from a number of people, and you know who you are.
ROD SMALLWOOD
MANAGER, IRON MAIDEN
CHAIRMAN, SANCTUARY ARTIST MANAGEMENT
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www.IronMaiden.com23/08/2005A review from THAT GIG!
During Mudvayne's set at Ozzfest on Saturday, lead singer Chad Grey exclaimed that Ozzfest was Christmas for his band and metal heads everywhere. Unfortunately, in the case of Iron Maiden, Scrooge was manning this ship.
Undoubtedly, Iron Maiden was the highlight of the entire event at Glen Helen Pavilion in Devore and one of the few - and I mean few - bands on the bill that has a singer. Bruce Dickinson, who along with Ronny James Dio, Rob Halford of Judas Priest and Ozzy Osbourne, is among the few frontmen in metal who can keep an audience on its feet for the entire set. And with an incredible band that includes Steve Harris (bass), Dave Murray (guitar), Adrian Smith (guitar), Janick Gers (guitar) and Nicko McBrain (drums), Maiden is the consummate metal act.
Unfortunately for Maiden, and its fans, things were not rosy in metal land. During the day, each band that performed was introduced by an emcee. However, Iron Maiden was the only band that did not have an intro. Instead, the only thing that could be heard over the P.A. system before the band came on was a loud, obnoxious voice screaming 'Ozzy, Ozzy, Ozzy.'
And when the band members opened up the set with 'Murders in the Rue Morgue,' they were pelted with eggs, bottle caps and ice that came from one specific area of the pit. And from there, the evening got worse.
In the next song, 'Trooper,' Dickinson came onstage with the British flag, as he has always done when the group performs this number. But near the end of the song, someone walked out from stage left and started to wave an American flag. On his back was written 'Don't (mess) with Ozzy.' After being hustled off stage, the man appeared again with the flag, waving it again near the front of the stage. Besides this incident, there were power outages, in which the P.A. system was switched off in key moments of three of the band's songs. In addition, while Dickinson was speaking to the audience at the end of the band's encore, that same voice came on the P.A. yelling for Ozzy. But Maiden fans drowned it with chants of 'Maiden.'
Frustrating? Yes. And it was apparent in Dickinson and the band's demeanor. At one point, Dickinson exclaimed, 'You'll never hear Maiden on U.S. radio, MTV and certainly never see them in a reality show.'
Nevertheless, Iron Maiden kept its cool the best it could, and delivered an outstanding 60-minute set, which apparently the Ozzfest organizers had told the band to keep to 55 minutes. Despite all these distractions and problems, what stuck out the most was Sharon Osbourne's appearance on stage after Maiden finished its set.
One might have thought Osbourne was going to apologize to Iron Maiden and do some damage control, but instead, the moment took on some heavy metal drama. She told the audience that Ozzfest organizers 'absolutely loved Iron Maiden and their crew and they are all wonderful, but their singer, Bruce Dickinson was a (jerk) and had disrespected Ozzfest since they began their stint with the tour.'
At this, many in the audience started to boo Sharon Osbourne. While the shenanigans were very weird, one has to wonder how anybody could have sneaked in the approximately two dozen eggs that were hurled at the band. And how someone can gain access to the back stage is anybody's guess.
After the incident, tour officials would not comment on the events, or on whether there was any bad blood between the two camps. Saturday's performance was Iron Maiden's last gig on Ozzfest. From this point on, Velvet Revolver will finish the last seven stops of the tour.
As for the rest of the day's events, Black Sabbath did perform. And Ozzy Osbourne managed to get through the set. Interestingly, the set was pretty much a mirror copy of last year's set. The band performed favorites such as 'N.I.B.,' 'After Forever,' 'Iron Man,' 'War Pigs' and 'Paranoid,' but it was obvious that the evening went sour after the Maiden fiasco.
Ozzy Osbourne recently announced that he will be cutting back his performances at future Ozzfest shows, and Saturday's performance showed that it's the right move. While it was great to see him with his old mates, he's like the old racehorse that needs to be put out to pasture. It's OK - Ozzfest lives on, and it's clearly a part of the American landscape.
The second stage saw some notable performances, particularly by Bury Your Dead, As I Lay Dying and Rob Zombie, who closed the second stage. Zombie, who hadn't performed in three years before joining Ozzfest, was clearly getting more comfortable on stage and gave a good performance.
On a side note, if the new sound of metal - the pounding, the growling, the screaming, the I'm-so-tired-of-living-and-I-hate-everyone stance - is what the kids want, so be it. But can we please get a little identity here? Does every band have to sound the same? And let's face it, the Norwegians have been doing this since the late '80s, which is why bands like As I Lay Dying and Bury Your Dead offer an alternative.
On the main stage, Black Label Society, which is actually Zakk Wylde's project, was once again noteworthy with its distinct Southern metal sound mixed with biker attitude. Why this band doesn't make it to the big time is beyond me.
Mudvayne and Slipknot, which only performed this one date on Ozzfest, were entertaining. With Slipknot, whose band members all wear masks or heavy makeup, the brief set was entertaining, but the music forgettable, and after 10 minutes, the antics got old.
Taken from the Orange County Register.
Source:
www.IronMaiden.com---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Personally, I find this utterly direspectful. Seeing as I do not live in the United States I could not attend any of the Ozzfest shows, I wish I did though. To see this disrespect for one of the great Metal bands ever by the selfish Osbourne family is a disgrace to music and the business itself. I can't respect any of the osbournes after this, nor their music. I hope Iron Maiden does not return to the United States for any tours, they deserve much better than that, and the european countries will continue offering that.
