Ozzfest Live in St. Louis, MO
By
Tokemaster General,
Contributor
Thursday, July 24, 2003 @ 2:28 PM
| Ozzfest Live at the UMB Bank P
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REVIEW BY: Shawn Thompson
It was a hot and humid day on July 17th, 2003. When Ozzfest is in town, it doesn't matter how hot or humid it is.
Arriving right at the start of the show, I walked around aimlessly until Hotwire came on. This band didn't have a metal sound and would be better suited to the Vans Warped or Lollapalooza tours.
Next up was Twisted Method. The vocalist in the band really got the crowd to move. It seemed as if everyone had awoke by the time Twisted Method's performance came to a end.
Next up was Killswitch Engage. It seems like this is the band that will gain the most from playing Ozzfest this year. Not only did the crowd take to the band’s stage presence by starting a huge pit, the band sounded awesome as well. When the band launched into set closer “My Last Serenade,” the crowd got into what was the biggest frenzy of a pit seen all day.
Shadows Fall came out next and slaughtered the crowd with a onslaught of old school riffage and guitar solos. A huge circle pit was started in honor of Shadows Fall. These guys knew how to perform, with “Thoughts Without Words” and “Destroyer of Senses,” leaving the crowd wanting more. After the band finished playing, I waited in line to meet the guys and thanked them for keeping old school metal alive on the Ozzfest 2nd stage. Guitarist Matt Bachand was really cool and vocalist Brian pointed out my Down shirt and gave me a thumbs-up sign.
Next I went to go meet Disturbed at the FYE booth. As I waited in line, Nothingface stormed onto the second stage and performed a great set. Waiting in line isn't boring when you have Nothingface performing in the background.
After I met Disturbed, who were all cool and signed stuff and took pictures, I walked around checked out the booths. I went to the Jagermeister booth and found out Slayer is going to tour with Hatebreed in the fall. That got me excited.
Up and coming hardcore band Sworn Enemy took the stage and gave Ozzfest a well-deserved sonic assault. The NY band blazed through a set list that included “Sworn Enemy” and “IDS.”
Next I got into line to meet current Ozzy and Black Label Society guitar god Zakk Wylde. Zakk was very friendly and took pictures with those who asked.
While waiting in line to meet Zakk, Motograter came out late and performed the song “Suffocation.” It was the only song they performed due to a band meeting, vocalist Ghost claimed. I was disappointed because Motograter was one of the bands I wanted to see the most on the second stage.
Already sun burnt and exhausted by 3:30pm, I ventured to my place in the pit to get out of the sun. Voivod had just started to play as I left for cover. The band sounded decent, but were a bit out of place at Ozzfest, as not many older metal heads were that familiar with the band, while the younger people only knew of the band via Jason Newsted being a member.
After resting in the pit, Chevelle came out and kicked off the mainstage festivities. Playing “Send the Pain Below” and “The Red,” many in the crowd seemed to like Chevelle.
Next up was Marilyn Manson. I had never seen Manson perform before and I was in for a great show. The band sounded phenomenal! Not only is Manson a great vocalist, but a great performer as well. His stage show is top notch and his dancers were awesome! I was totally impressed by Manson. He stole the show this day!
Disturbed performed next. Many were surprised that Disturbed was rotating with Manson every show. Disturbed performed very well. Vocalist David Drainman got the audience ready for Korn and Ozzy. I felt bad for Disturbed. Even though they put on a great show, following Manson was a huge task. They did good regardless.
Korn opened with “Blind” and played their new songs such as “Did My Time” and the older material as well, such as “Faget” and “Freak on a Leash.” I am not a huge Korn fan, but the band did sound good. Fieldy is an awesome bassist. Unfortunately for Korn fans, the band did not seem to play more than about 30 to 40 minutes. But that was okay with me, cause the real reason everyone was at Ozzfest was about to hit the stage.
And hit the stage he did... Ozzy came out with “War Pigs” and was led by guitar virtuoso Zakk Wylde, bass king Jason Newsted, and drum extraordinaire Mike Bordin. Michael St. Claire added keyboards throughout the show. His playing on “Mr. Crowley” was unbelievable. Zakk was on fire the whole night and Mike Bordin didn't miss a beat! Jason Newsted showed he could hang with Geezer Butler when the band played Black Sabbath classics “Iron Man,” “Sweet Leaf,” “Children of the Grave” and “Paranoid.” He also put his own personal touch on “Mama I'm Coming Home,” “I Don't Know” and many other Ozzy songs. Ozzy informed us that Sharon was 100% cancer free, according to doctors last week. Add this to Zakk Wylde's guitar solo that included the “Star Spangled Banner”… many awesome performances from both stages. I can say Ozzfest was worth the cash and the sunburn and the exhaustion. I will be there in 2004!
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