One of Music’s Biggest Festivals Could Make a Comeback
Music festival image – Author Anne Erickson, Photo via Anne Erickson
Isn’t it the worst when one of your favorite music festivals calls it a day? It’s almost as bad as when a beloved band says farewell. But, they say to never say never, and one of music’s biggest festivals could make a comeback.
I’m hoping that if this does happen, the lineup is extra good. I mean, there’s no point in relaunching a music festival with a less-than-stellar lineup. So, they really need to bring their A-game.
This one is good news if you’re a metalhead. Sharon Osbourne says she’s open to reviving Ozzfest, one of the biggest traveling metal festivals on the planet. What’s even better is that she’s open to bringing it back as a traveling tour, like it was for some of its biggest years. I went to one Ozzfest, and it was back in 2010 in Chicago, Illinois. I was still a bit of a festival newbie at that point, and I was totally blown away by the festival. I also got to be backstage and on Black Label Society’s tour bus, but that’s a story for another day.
The most recent Ozzfest was a one-off concert back in 2018 at The Forum in Los Angeles. That’s fine and dandy, but the Osbourne’s originally conceived the festival as a Lollapalooza-inspired traveling tour, and that’s how it functioned for years. The first-ever Ozzfest took place in 1996.
Ozzy and Sharon talked about the possibility of bringing Ozzfest back during a new episode of “The Osbournes” podcast. They were talking about music festivals, and during the chat, Ozzy asked Sharon if she’d think about doing another Ozzfest.
“Not just one [at] the f***ing Forum, but a whole Ozzfest [tour]?” he asked. Sharon answered, “Yeah, sure. Of course.”
Then, daughter Kelly chimed in and mentioned that in order for an Ozzfest comeback, bands and artists would have to be “realistic” with their booking fees, because things have gotten out-of-control lately. Sharon responded, saying, “Why is it when it comes to us that everybody thinks that we are trillionaires, and so that every manager who wants their band on our festival wants one of the f***ing trillions they think we’ve got to put on the festival?”
From there, Ozzy said they could book smaller acts that aren’t as expensive, but Sharon said they’d need real “headliners” and a “baby stage” for lesser known bands. Son Jack also chimed in, comparing the current traveling metal festivals, such as Knotfest, to the original Ozzfest.
“Well, it’s the same bands just going around and around and around,” Sharon said. “But that’s what’s so good, because we started something, people have taken it, and it’s still great for the genre. It’s really good.”
So, if you’re like me and miss Ozzfest, rest easy that it could come back. Of course, this is all talk right now. Time will tell if all this talk results in an actual relaunch of Ozzfest. But, it’s worth pointing out that before the pandemic, there were rumors going around that the folks behind Ozzfest were cooking up a relaunch. So, perhaps that got put on hold for the pandemic, and now, those plans can move forward. Watch the latest episode of “The Osbournes” podcast below.
Check out some metal bands we wish would make a comeback here.
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