This page is basically compiled of everything I've recieved about the incident involving IRON MAIDEN's last show at Ozzfest. Sharon Osbourne sabotaged the band and tried to make them look like fools,but IRON MAIDEN persevered because YOU DON'T FUCK WITH IRON MAIDEN!
Sunday August 21st
The
following report was submitted by David Priest,
editor-in-chief of On Track Magazine:
"Last night's [August 20] headlining performance of
IRON MAIDEN at Ozzfest in San Bernardino, CA rendered
some interesting, if not disturbing, results. Although
MAIDEN played one hell of a show, they were under
attack from the moment they began their set. From the
time they hit the stage, they suffered power loss on
at least three occasions and they were continuously
pelted with ice, bottle caps, and eggs, among other
things. Vocalist Bruce Dickinson was even spit on by
one attendee. He seemed to believe these occurrences
were not by accident and insinuated that they had been
planned from the beginning of the night [Download MP3
files of Bruce's on-stage rants at last night's
Ozzfest: Bruce#1, Bruce#2]. He also encouraged the
other audience members to break the arm of anyone that
they saw throwing things their way. Upon concluding
their performance, the emcee for the evening began to
chant Ozzy, Ozzy while Bruce was still speaking. Bruce
retaliated by chanting MAIDEN. After he left the
stage, Sharon Osbourne took over the mic and informed
the crowd that they absolutely loved IRON MAIDEN and
their crew and stated that they were all wonderful but
that their singer Bruce Dickinson was a prick and had
disrespected Ozzfest since they began their stint with
the touring summer festival [Download MP3 file of
Sharon's anti-Bruce rant at this location]. This, of
course, came as a shock to those of us in attendance
and the there was ample confusion and speculation from
audience members there after. As previously announced,
last night's show marked the final performance of IRON
MAIDEN on this year's Ozzfest. VELVET REVOLVER will be
taking over their slot on the last remaining dates."
From IRON MAIDEN's official message board:
"About 10 minutes before MAIDEN came on, I was in the
center of the pit a few feet from the front railing
when a guy comes barging in from the right escorting 4
or 5 people. At first, I tell him to F-off because I
thought he was trying to take my spot, but he said he
worked for Ozzfest and showed me his passes. He also
told me that Ozzy's daughter was with the entourage he
brought with him. There were a few girls with him and
one of them looked a little like Kelly Osbourne, but I
couldn't tell for sure because all of them were
wearing bandanas over their noses and mouths. After I
heard her speak, I was pretty sure. At that point, I
tapped her on her arm and said, 'I really liked you on
the show. You were great,' to which she responded,
'Thank you.' There was no doubt at that point. The
bodyguard who came with them starting getting chumy
with us because he needed a few of us to help him
protect the girls from the moshing that would start
when MAIDEN came on. I saw the girls passing eggs, and
I said, 'What's that for?' The bodyguard said
something to the effect, 'You'll see. Something big is
going down. You'll hear about it everywhere after
tonight. It's all because Bruce Dickinson made some
comments in Detroit dissing the 'Osbournes' reality TV
show.' He also said that there were about 60 people in
the pit who were going to participate in the mayhem.
Most of them were wearing the same Ozzfest shirts.
Before MAIDEN came on, they all started chanting,
'Ozzy, Ozzy...' I actually saw Bruce off to the left
of the stage before they came on. His mike was on and
he said something like, 'What the fuck?' — probably in
response to the 'Ozzy' chanting.
"When MAIDEN came on, eggs started flying and all
these guys were flipping off the band. Nicko had to
stop after one song to clean his set. Bruce was
obviously very pissed. Thank God they continued their
set. At one point, someone through a cup of corn with
milk or something. It got all over Bruce, me, and
about a dozen other people. Then the technical
problems started. The sound went out on about three
songs — 'Phantom of the Opera', 'Hallowed be thy
Name', and one other one I can't remember. I could not
believe what was going on. I was furious because I
didn't want the guys in MAIDEN to think badly of the
fans who love them. I do think that Bruce understood
because the band continued to play the full set, and
Bruce made comments to distinguish the fans there from
the guys throwing stuff. Towards the end of the set,
Bruce started yelling at a guy in the pit to my left
about 10 feet. Bruce said he saw him throwing stuff
and wanted the fucker out. It took a long time for
security to get him out. The reason why is that one
guy from Kelly Osbourne's entourage was holding down
the guy security was trying to take out. Eventually
security pulled both of them out. After MAIDEN's set,
it was obvious that Sharon Osbourne was in on it,
because she came out to say that 'Bruce Dickinson is a
prick.'
"Needless to say, it was insane. I was really pissed
that MAIDEN got treated this way. I wanted to enjoy
their set and instead got drama from egg throwing and
songs cut short by someone pulling the power. Bruce
was obviously pissed and the rest of the band seemed a
little irritated. It showed in their playing too
because some of the songs were sloppy, but of course
you couldn't blame them given the situation."
For reactions from concert goers visit WWW.BLABBERMOUTH.NET
The last show of Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath's headlining tour, Ozzfest, in Somerset, Wisconsin on September 10th was cancelled. The tour was supposed to hit Somerset on August 7th but had to be rescheduled because doctors said Ozzy could not perform two days in a row. Since other bands performing at the festival had scheduling conflicts on that day, organizers felt it was better to cancel the show. Osbourne recently announced he was going to retire from the tour after this year.
Monday August 22nd
IRON MAIDEN have posted the following message on their
official web site:
"IRON MAIDEN wish to thank all the 45,000 metal fans
at Ozzfest in San Bernardino on Saturday night for
sticking with us and giving us such a great response
at the end of a difficult set. It was obvious to all
there that we had a 'series of unfortunate events'
throughout! These made it difficult for us to keep our
momentum but your incredible support certainly helped
us get through it. We guess it all adds up to a pretty
memorable gig though!!!
"This is, however, a metal festival. It is supposed to
be fun for all. You fans pay very good money to be
there and deserve to get a full and unhindered
performance from all the bands. This was not the case
last night.
"So with this rather bizarre end to a good tour we are
returning to the U.K. today for the Leeds and Reading
festivals and once again thanks to all of you who came
out to see us these last few weeks."
Sharon Osbourne has issued the following statement via
the official Ozzfest web site, Ozzfest.com:
"IRON MAIDEN were chosen for the Ozzfest tour because
the Ozzfest committee felt they were a good band, plus
the fact that they had not done shows in the U.S. for
some time. From day one, Bruce Dickinson started
berating Ozzy and belittling the Ozzfest audience. He
stated he 'didn’t need a reality show to give him
credibility'; 'We're not just some f*cking reunion
band'; and continuously complained about the sound
system, saying that when he comes back to America
he'll have a better one. I understand he hasn't toured
in the U.S.in these size venues in a while and no
longer understands the political structure of things.
Out of 200-plus bands over the last 10 years, he has
been the only person who hasn't had the Ozzfest
spirit. He thought he was at a battle of the bands,
always making other comments about the other artists.
"Might I say, the rest of the band are gentlemen and
have a great professional attitude. The crew are
absolutely great. But how sad it was, after 10 years,
that this little man tried to ruin it for everyone.
The bands of Ozzfest don't even look at Ozzfest as
touring, but as its heavy metal summer camp. Bruce is
in fact a jealous prick and very envious. None of his
tirades were directed at SABBATH, only Ozzy. Steve
Harris [IRON MAIDEN's bassist] personally came to Ozzy
in San Bernardino and apologized for Bruce's behavior
this summer, stating that he and the rest of the band
were 'embarrassed' by their own singer. It also
offended me every night how he took out the English
flag in America. There are American boys going to war
alongside the English boys every day. How dare he
forget the American troops on their home turf? He has
had no respect for the American audience he has been
playing for, stating in an interview, 'When you do the
'hits' tour here [in the U.S.], the audience is smug,
and there's a sense of self-satisfaction, like, 'We
got what we wanted…I'm looking at an audience that is
self-satisfied and happy and fat, and getting what it
wants and isn't prepared to get off its ass..'
"Before there was SAMSON, there was SABBATH!
"Ozzfest 2005 continues on with our summer of fun with
the addition of VELVET REVOLVER. This is where the fun
begins….."
The manager of a well-known heavy metal band (*NOT*
IRON MAIDEN) who attended this past weekend's Ozzfest
show at the Hyundai Pavillion in Devore, California
has submitted the following first-hand account of the
evening that will surely go down as one of the most
shameful moments in recent rock history (NOTE: at his
request, the author's identity is being protected)
"Saturday night's Ozzfest at the Hyundai Pavillion
near Los Angeles was a debacle on so many levels, I am
still in shock as I write this. As a fan of many of
the bands [Saturday] night, one can only hope this was
an isolated incident, but sadly, it most likely
wasn't. As many of you have heard already,
co-headliners and metal legends IRON MAIDEN were
pelted with eggs, bottle caps, beer cups, spit on, had
people from the Ozzfest camp talking over the PA
during their set, had 'Eddie' delayed from his onstage
entrance, had members of the [BLACK LABEL SOCIETY]
entourage rush the stage with American flags, and had
the PA intentionally turned off over 6 times, all by
the OSBOURNE CAMP.
"While it's still unclear as to the exact reasons why
the terrorizing started (rumors abounded as to why,
with everything from Bruce calling out Ozzy in the
U.K. rock magazine Kerrang! on the widely known fact
that Ozzy uses a teleprompter, to various vague
references said on stage about a 'reality show' at an
Ozzfest stop in Detroit), one thing was very clear:
The whole thing stunk, and left me, and nearly all of
the 40,000+ heavy metal fans in attendance angered and
disappointed. Not that behind the scenes bickering or
magazine trash talking is anything new to rock fans,
but the shocking lack of professionalism at one of the
largest stops in North America in front of 40,000 +
spectators, at the hand of the Osbournes was nothing
short of disgusting.
"It all began early in the afternoon, when many side
stage bands were openly approached in clear view of
everyone backstage by Sharon and Kelly Osbourne to
'join them in throwing eggs at IRON MAIDEN this
evening.' All the bands were encouraged to rally the
other side stage bands to do so. Members and/or
friends of the hardcore band BURY YOUR DEAD were seen
actively trying to encourage other side stage bands to
'join in the fun.' Thankfully, many side stage bands
angrily declined.
"Later that evening, as IRON MAIDEN came on stage,
their intro was interrupted by [BLACK LABEL SOCIETY]
hanger-on and biker wannabe Big Dave, who was at the
soundboard loudly chanting 'Ozzy, Ozzy' over the PA.
MAIDEN opened their set and the entire band was pelted
from the front row with eggs, beer, beer cups, spit,
and various other objects by an Ozzfest-credentialed,
bandana-wearing, Osbourne entourage. IRON MAIDEN, ever
the professionals, continued through their set, and by
the time they launched into their second song, 'The
Trooper', Bruce changed into a civil war-era, red coat
and began waving a Union Jack — British flag. Then,
someone in, or associated with, BLACK LABEL SOCIETY
tried to rush the stage waving and American Flag with
the words 'Don't fuck with Ozzy' scrawled across his
bare chest. He was tackled and beaten by MAIDEN crew
and promptly thrown off stage.
"As 'The Trooper' ended, frontman Bruce Dickinson,
with characteristic spunk, launched into a scathing
attack on the people terrorizing his band, calling
them 'a sorry excuse for an Ozzy Osbourne fan,' and
wondering aloud how, 'three dozen eggs could get snuck
into the front row of Ozzfest by people with Ozzfest
laminates?' Though he never named names, all in
attendance could understand who he was referring to.
Nicko McBrain ran up to the front asking Bruce to hold
on while he cleaned egg off his drums. He then stated
the the next song wouldn't be heard on 'Your local
cocksucking corporate radio station, wouldn't be seen
on MTV anymore, and sure as hell wouldn't be played on
a fucking reality TV show,' met by a huge roar from
the crowd.
"During the song 'Hallowed Be Thy Name', Bruce, after
only the first two lines, stopped singing and ran to
the front row, firing back at his terrorizers, saying
'That asswipe right there, with the curly hair, the
fucking glasses, and Ozzfest laminate throw his
fucking ass out of here right now. It's gonna take
more than eggs to stop IRON MAIDEN, and if it wasn't
for a lawsuit, I'd rip your fucking head off right
now, you piece of shit!!!!' He had the various
attackers ejected and continued with a blistering
version of the song until right before the big sing
long at the end, the PA was INTENTIONALLY cut off.
When it came back, Bruce launched into another
scathing attack saying that they were supposed to play
a shorter set than normal today, and only play 55
minutes, but IRON MAIDEN can't drive 55, or play 55,
and were going to play our whole fucking set tonight.
"The band endured six more 'PA cuts,' including having
the power to their amps turned off at one point. When
the PA would come back on, they would simply launch
into the next IRON MAIDEN classic, never missing a
beat. Frankly, with every PA cut, the band just got
meaner and meaner, playing each new song with an anger
and a fire that was at times, simply astonishing to
watch. Bruce began the introduction to IRON MAIDEN
with a speech about 'Your constitution has something
about 'We The People.' Well let me tell you, the only
reason we are up here tolerating this bullshit, is
because of you people. You have been amazing Glen
Helen, and there are A LOT of IRON MAIDEN fans here
tonight,' eliciting a huge roar from the crowd. He
continued, 'It's gonna take more than eggs to stop
IRON MAIDEN, NOTHING is going to come between us and
our fans, and it will be death before dishonor, this
is 'Iron fucking Maiden',' which was greeted by a
thunderous applause. During 'Iron Maiden', longtime
MAIDEN mascot Eddie was purposely delayed from making
his entrance, making a brief appearance at the end,
and one could only wonder as to how. As the band
closed there set with a furious version of
'Sanctuary', the PA was again cut only to have Big
Dave repeatedly chant 'Ozzy' over the PA, while the
band tried to say goodbye to their fans. The
now-furious crowd angrily drowned him out with chants
of 'MAIDEN, MAIDEN.'
"Then, not 10 seconds after MAIDEN left the stage,
Sharon Osbourne walked on stage and predictably, tried
to give MAIDEN some fake, half-hearted praise about
how they'd like to 'thank IRON MAIDEN,' and what a
wonderful band IRON MAIDEN are, and how their crew
were 'fantastic,' then sneering, 'But Bruce Dickinson
is a prick.' The entire crowd, now fed up with the
entire affair, began loudly booing her, pelting her
with beer cups, and yelling 'bitch.' She tried to
carry on, adding that 'Bruce had disrespected
Ozzfest,' only to be drowned out by an ocean of boos,
and soaked with beer. She slammed the microphone down
and stormed off stage. Many in the crowd, fed up with
what they had just witnessed, especially considering
that many had come solely for MAIDEN, and paid upwards
of $150 to do so, left in droves. SABBATH played to
maybe half the audience that was there prior, and
seemed stagnate compared to the band preceding them.
As a huge fan of SABBATH, I honestly couldn't stand to
watch them.
"I've seen IRON MAIDEN probably 10 times in my life,
and frankly this was the very best IRON MAIDEN show
I've had the pleasure of witnessing. You DON'T want to
fuck with IRON MAIDEN. The more the Osbournes tried to
fuck with them, the better they got! IRON MAIDEN was
on fucking overdrive! Considering the amount of
terrorizing and intimidation that IRON MAIDEN had to
deal with at the hands of the Osbournes and the other
side stage and main stage bands participating, they
were the consummate professionals. They had the crowd
in the palms of their hands, and IRON MAIDEN and Bruce
Dickinson proved beyond a shadow of a doubt why they
are the greatest metal band on earth right now, and
quite possibly, the classiest, too.
"The Osbournes are drunk with power. Shame on them,
and shame on ANY of the bands that participated in the
terrorizing and intimidation. It was disgusting
display, that NO BAND should have had to endure, but
especially a legend like IRON MAIDEN. That fact that
it happened in front of 40,000+ people, at a Clear
Channel-sponsored event, while Hyundai Pavilion
Security turned a blind eye and let the Osbourne camp
pelt one of the main headlining bands with eggs, beer,
and spit, was simply inexcusable.
"I will proudly be attending next year's MAIDEN fest,
and as much as I hate to say it, I can't bring myself
to spend another dime on the Osbournes.
"Ozzfest, hang your head in shame."
Boston metalcore outfit BURY YOUR DEAD have issued a
statement via their official web site refuting reports
that they actively participated in pelting IRON MAIDEN
with eggs during the British band's co-headlining
appearance at this past weekend's Ozzfest in Devore,
California. The statement reads as follows:
"Despite rumors flying, BURY YOUR DEAD was not
involved with the unfortunate events that took place
during IRON MAIDEN's set at Ozzfest this past Saturday
at the Glen Helen Hyundai Pavillion. Guitarist Rich
Casey said, 'We have the utmost respect for IRON
MAIDEN and Ozzfest and BURY YOUR DEAD did not partake
in Saturday's ill-fated events.'
Tuesday August 23rd
IRON MAIDEN's European record company, EMI, has hit
back at Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne after MAIDEN's
headlining set at Devore, CA's Hyundia Pavillion was
allegedly sabotaged by Ozzfest crew. In a statement,
the band's label said: "As many of you now know,
Sharon Osbourne and assorted hangers-on dramatically
and deliberately sabotaged IRON MAIDEN's final
performance on the Ozzfest on Saturday 20 August in
Los Angeles. As a result of further developments IRON
MAIDEN will respond to Sharon and co's inflammatory
and upsetting behaviour later today [August 23]."
IRON MAIDEN's manager, Rod Smallwood of Sanctuary
Artist Management, has issued the following statement
regarding the band's final Ozzfest performance this
past weekend in Devore, CA:
"MAIDEN are currently returning from America and
preparing for U.K. 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."
OTEP frontwoman Otep Shamaya has posted the following
message on the group's official web site:
"I was able to get away for a bit and visited a few
friends & allies [co-conspirators] at Ozzfest in [San
Bernardino] [Saturday] ... I arrived just in time to
watch the mighty SLIPKNOT destroy the main stage ... I
stood with Kelly Osbourne and a few other friends
while the members 9 annhiliated the storm of people
swimming before them ... it was great to catch up and
see many of our supporters there as well ... the SoCAL
chapter of the Shadow Soldiers were out in full force
& it was a proud moment for me to see such solidarity
... I also witnessed the carnage that took place while
IRON MAIDEN played ... I don't think its ever a good
idea, I don't care how many albums you've sold or how
big you think your ego is, to berate, insult, or
subtly attack the man who started the festival you are
playing on ... BLACK SABBATH fans are savagely loyal
and it showed tonite ... eggs, water bottles, assorted
other items were thrown at the stage ... I am not sure
why there was such animosity spewed from the IRON
MAIDEN camp, but it wasn't well received ... Perhaps
they should start a Maidenfest and then they can
insult whoever they like without the hypocrisy of
using Ozzfest for your benefit and attacking its
creators at the same time ... Eh, whatevah."
Wednesday August 24th
Boston metalcore outfit BURY YOUR DEAD have issued
another statement reiterating their non-involvement in
the events surrounding IRON MAIDEN's co-headlining
appearance at this past weekend's Ozzfest in Devore,
California. The statement reads as follows:
"Despite the rumors of August 20th Ozzfest, BURY YOUR
DEAD had nothing to with what transpired during IRON
MAIDEN's set. Although being asked to be a part of
what took place, we declined out of respect for IRON
MAIDEN as we are all fans and watched the band almost
every night. I'm sorry to see that people are so quick
to believe what's written on the Internet, and we are
confident we will be exonerated."
OTEP frontwoman Otep Shamaya has posted the following
message in her online diary:
"Attention douchebags from around the world ... This
is MY diary ... I post MY personal opinions here ...
if u do not like them, don't read them ... I do not
care.
"And now that it has been proven that I was not
involved in the mass-egging of IRON MAIDEN most of you
are emailing me upset that I am siding with SABBATH
... are you that fucking stupid and hypocritical? ...
Are you honestly trying to state that, as loyal MAIDEN
fans, if another band was on tour with MAIDEN, on
stage, insulting them, that you wouldn't get upset
with this band trashing MAIDEN? ... in front of you?
... Bullshit ... You fucking posers are doing that now
... Same as SABBATH fans ... except your anger is
misguided here ... I am not trashing MAIDEN ... I am
not supporting SABBATH ... I only wrote that its never
a good idea to insult someone so revered as OZZY on
OZZFEST ... I thought it was only fans in the pit
involved, I had no idea it was this complex.
"So in light of the emotional response my tiny little
journal has received, it seems apparent that some
lucidity is needed here ... So this is how it appeared
to me ... as a spectator ... First, I should clarify i
had never seen MAIDEN live but was told they were the
highlight of the tour ... So I made my way to the
side-stage area near the lawn so I could see the
entire stage as I was told their live show was
something not to be missed ... Security was tight and
i missed the opening of the set ... by the time I made
it to the only open area I could find, the singer was
waving an enormous British flag over the pit area ...
Some boos erupted from some of the more intoxicated,
Bush supporters in the crowd ... but the band kept
playing and until the singer addressed the crowd,
'THIS IS A BRITISH FLAG AND THESE COLORS DO NOT RUN.'
I don't think anyone in the back areas or the lawn
knew what was happening ... San Berdu Ozzfests are
known for their massive lawn pits and bon fires ...
Then I saw someone on the far left waving a large
American flag and my initial thot was band hi-jinx ...
that it was all a part of the show ... I was told, let
us review, that MAIDEN's live show was not to be
missed ... It wasn't until security and sheriff
deputies started pouring in that I knew something was
wrong ... I went backstage and the rumor mill was
firing out all sorts of stories ... the most constant
theme was 'MAIDEN was talking shit about Ozzy and it
pissed off SABBATH fans' ... Ah, that seems likely as
this is a very territorial genre ... Everyone went to
watch SABBATH play and the backstage cleared out ... I
was chatting with my friend when they started playing,
I said my goodbyes to some of the guys in SLIPKNOT,
and headed back to Los Angeles ... I got home, wrote
about my day in my diary, did some reading, and went
to sleep ... those are the facts ... and the rest is
lies, bullshit, & childish finger pointing ..."
According to ZakkWylde.com, BLACK LABEL SOCIETY
mainman and OZZY OSBOURNE guitarist Zakk Wylde has
issued the following statement regarding the recent
war of words between IRON MAIDEN and Sharon Osbourne:
"Although I'm a huge fan of the IRON MAIDEN band and
their music, I have a problem with Bruce Dickinson
talking shit about America and more personally, about
the Godfather of my first-born son."
August 25th
BURY YOUR DEAD bassist Rich Casey has told MTV.com
that his band are the unfortunate, yet innocent,
victims of Internet rumor regarding their
participation in the events surrounding IRON MAIDEN's
final Ozzfest appearance this past weekend in Devore,
California.
He claims he was sitting backstage, in Ozzfest's
catering area, enjoying some late-afternoon nosh, when
all of a sudden, "people are being asked to be part of
an egging of IRON MAIDEN, for whatever reason," Casey
recalled. "At first I thought, 'Is this a last show,
you know, let's have fun with MAIDEN sort of thing?' I
didn't know there was actually beef between the MAIDEN
camp and the Osbourne camp.
"At first I was sitting with a bunch of the other
bands, and we all look at each other, like, 'Well this
is coming from someone high up, who's asking people to
do this.' But it didn't sound right," he continued.
"This person just kind of walked away and then,
basically, came back around and asked the question
again, and that's when everyone I was sitting with
declined the offer to be a part of it. Maybe it was
the way I said it. I told this person to f--- off.
Maybe it was the tone of my voice. I don't know if
that set off this entire thing of our band's name
being dragged into this [egging incident.] But I
assure you we were not involved."
In fact BURY YOUR DEAD even have video footage, shot
during MAIDEN's set, which shows most of the band
"wasn't even near the main stage."
At first Casey thought the egging was a joke and that
it wasn't really going to happen. But then he heard
someone chanting "Ozzy, Ozzy" during MAIDEN's intro
music, and "I'm like, 'Wow, this is really going to
happen,' " he said. "I run up to the center of the
soundboard and then all of a sudden, as soon as the
band comes out on the stage, eggs are being thrown at
them. And then here we are two days later, getting a
call from our manager asking us if we've read our
e-mail."
Iron Maiden fans have started a petition against Sharon Osbourne for wrecking the band's set at Ozzfest. .
Supporters of the heavy metal band began the petition, which they plan to post to Sharon, in response of the feisty reality TV star's outrageous behaviour at the Californian music festival.
Sharon and daughter, Kelly, are alleged to have encouraged the crowd at the concert to pelt the veteran rockers with eggs and beer bottles after lead singer Bruce Dickinson slammed her husband, Ozzy, and criticised the family's reality show, 'The Osbournes'.
Iron Maiden also experienced sound problems during their headline set, during which a man wearing a T-shirt proclaiming 'Don't f*** with Ozzy' jumped on stage. Sharon even stormed on stage, after Maiden's performance, to brand Dickinson a "pr*ck" before praising the other band members. .
Iron Maiden fans have now hit back, with one petitioner saying: "Sharon and Kelly's actions towards Bruce and Iron Maiden are despicable at best", while another wrote: "It clearly shows how low the Osbournes are willing to go to upstage an incredible act that were asked by the family to co-headline and yet Maiden are treated with disrespect.".
Sharon denies any involvement in the pelting incident or technical problems and insists Ozzy's loyal fans are to blame.
August 26th
Sharon Osbourne has issued the following "open letter"
to IRON MAIDEN manager Rod Smallwood:
"Rod,
"I found your statement to be completely void of the
facts that led up to Saturday's show. Your press
release was written like an old-time '80s manager,
trying to use every opportunity to try and sell the
record and the upcoming shows instead of just dealing
with the truth.
"These are the facts:
"You claim to have been in the business for 30 years
and have been to hundreds of gigs, but can you tell me
how many times you have heard of an opening band
talking sh*t about the headliner during their set and
getting away with it? Not only is Ozzy the headliner,
but he is also the man who is paying your band
$185,000 a night. We gave IRON MAIDEN a chance to play
to the biggest audiences they have ever played to in
the U.S.A. We accommodated them with their stage set
and at the band's request we even scoured the audience
for people wearing IRON MAIDEN t-shirts and brought
them down front during their set to make them feel
more comfortable. Tell me, what other headliner would
do that? Unfortunately those gestures were completely
lost on Bruce Dickinson who for over 20 shows
continually berated Ozzy and Ozzfest during his set.
"Over the last 10 years of Ozzfest, we have worked
with over 200 bands. None of them were ever
disrespectful to Ozzy or any of the other bands on the
tour. But for 20 shows we were forced to hear
Dickinson's nightly outbursts from the stage: 'When we
come back to America, we'll be back with a proper
sound system,' or "We won't be playing the same old
songs every night (like SABBATH),' 'We don't need a
teleprompter (like Ozzy)' and 'We don't need a reality
show to be legit (again, like Ozzy).' Night after
night we heard his complaints from the stage about how
'corporate' the venues were and how 'outrageous' the
ticket prices were. Strangely enough, if you want to
get a general admission ticket to stand in a field to
see IRON MAIDEN at Reading this weekend it's going to
cost you over $120. I would say that's very pricey,
wouldn't you?
"When an artist comes on stage and says he's not
playing the 55 minutes that he was allotted and that
he is going to play for as long as he wants (cutting
into SABBATH's set), I'm not going to let that happen.
Dickinson was under the delusion that the 46,000
people in San Bernardino had come only to see IRON
MAIDEN. He even proclaimed 'This is not the Ozzfest,
This is Maidenfest.' I guess no one told him that we
have an audience of 45,000 to 53,000 people every year
in San Bernardino.
"Here's another fact for you. Bruce Dickinson's own
band was embarrassed by him. IRON MAIDEN leader, Steve
Harris, even came to Ozzy's dressing room to apologize
to Ozzy for Bruce's behavior before MAIDEN took the
stage in San Bernardino.
"It's shameful that Dickinson felt he had the right to
air his issues publicly onstage every night as a way
to boost his own ego. Dickinson never once came up to
Ozzy and me to voice any concerns. He certainly had
the opportunity to do so every night. If he wasn't
able to show us that courtesy then why should I give
him the respect to air my grievances with him in
private? Ozzy's only interaction with Dickinson was on
the first night of the tour. Ozzy, being the true
gentleman that he is, passed Bruce in the hall and
said 'Good luck and have a great show.' Unfortunately
Dickinson felt the need to turn his back to Ozzy and
walked away. Frankly, Dickinson got what he deserved.
We had to listen to his bullsh*t for five straight
weeks. He only had to suffer a couple of eggs on the
head.
"On closing, yes, I did cut IRON MAIDEN's sound. This
is the way I look at it: Ozzfest is our tour. We built
it into something that's lasted 10 years now. We've
been responsible for breaking many new bands and
resurrecting the careers of former superstars. Part of
our success stems from the fact that when a band is on
Ozzfest we treat them with nothing but kindness and
respect just as if we had invited them into our home.
You can ask all of the bands who have been on the
tour. They all describe it as the 'ultimate summer
camp.' It's like one big family. Unfortunately
Dickinson doesn't have the manners to realize that
when you are invited into someone's home, are seated
at their dinner table, are eating their food and
drinking their wine, you shouldn't talk
disrespectfully about them (Ozzy, BLACK SABBATH and
Ozzfest), otherwise you just might get your ass handed
to you. Every action has a reaction. Was Dickinson so
naïve to think that I was going to let him get away
with talking sh*t about my family night after night? I
don't think he realizes who he's dealing with. I will
not endure behavior like this from anyone.
"I know you would love to keep talking about this
because this is the most press that IRON MAIDEN has
had in the U.S. in twenty years, but let's move on,
shall we?
"Sincerely,
"The 'Real' Iron Maiden
"Sharon Osbourne"
RockConfidential.com earlier today (August 25)
conducted an interview with BLACK LABEL SOCIETY
mainman/OZZY OSBOURNE guitarist Zakk Wylde. An excerpt
from the chat follows:
RockConfidential.com: Ozzy announced on this tour that
he'd be retiring from Ozzfest and only doing select
shows in the future. What do you think about that?
Zakk Wylde: "I always told Ozz that the great thing is
that he's the namesake of it. If you created the
Superbowl and played in the first Superbowl, people
are gonna show up to see other Superbowls. Just
because the Green Bay Packers were in the first two,
what nobody's gonna show up if their not in 'em all?
It's still the Superbowl. I told Ozz he should take a
year off. That's the beauty of it. Take a year off and
let somebody else headline the thing, chill out and
relax. If anybody deserves to take a weekend off it's
definitely him! They say James Brown is the hardest
working man in show business, but Ozzy never stops!"
RockConfidential.com: Is the whole thing with IRON
MAIDEN overblown or is it for real? How did all the
drama start?
Zakk Wylde: "This is fact and this is reality. It's
not the guys in MAIDEN and their crew. They're a
beautiful bunch of guys. Bruce Dickinson every night
would be saying 'Ozzy sucks,' 'Ozzfest blows,'
'Corporate America sucks,' 'America sucks,' and all
this other crap. He was bagging on America and bagging
on Ozz. Ozzy's the godfather of my son. It wasn't like
Bruce said those things one night. This happened every
night on the 'fest. If you got signed by George
Steinbrenner to play for the Yankees and every day you
say, 'Steinbrenner sucks,' 'Yankee Stadium blows,' 'I
can't stand playing for this team — it sucks ass,'
then why are you playing for the Yankees? Shut your
fuckin' pie hole. All he had to do was go up there,
play for an hour, whoop some ass and go home. The only
thing Ozzy's ever done was given MAIDEN a stage to
come over and play to the biggest audience in the
summer. Ozzy would give you the shirt off his back.
He'd never do a bad thing to anybody. Sharon didn't
like him talking about her husband like that and
talking about Ozzfest like that. It's just not kosher.
The bottom line is Bruce was being a wad! You act like
a cunt, you get treated like a cunt! That's what
happened. He's definitely not one of the guys.
Everybody in their band and crew are cool. I love
MAIDEN but he's talking about the godfather of my son,
he's bagging America and all the troops are fighting
overseas defending our way of life and freedom and
fighting terrorism. This dickwad's taking American
money and then he's gonna go home. At the same time he
thinks he can badmouth America. It's not cool. He got
pelted with a batch of eggs and they turned the power
off on him! Go home!"
The Daily Texan spoke this week with Tim Lambesis,
bandleader of Ozzfest second-stage act AS I LAY DYING,
about the tour thus far, their new album, and the
bitter feud between IRON MAIDEN's Bruce Dickinson and
Sharon Osbourne. An excerpt from the chat follows:
The Daily Texan: I actually just read from Ozzfest.com
that the lead singer of IRON MAIDEN [Bruce Dickinson]
was causing some commotion on the tour, belittling the
audience and questioning Ozzy's credibility.
Tim Lambesis: "Of course that's their side of it. For
me, I think it went both ways. Sharon Osbourne also
came on stage in front of 40,000 people and called him
a prick. So both sides acted childish, creating this
high school drama. I'm not going to choose sides, but
they were both at fault."
The Daily Texan: IN FLAMES leads what could be deemed
a Swedish metal invasion that includes THE HAUNTED,
ARCH ENEMY and SOILWORK. Has that changed the
environment for the bands at Ozzfest, like AS I LAY
DYING, that are the leaders of this new sound and
style in American metalcore?
Tim Lambesis: "In my opinion, that style of guitar
with the heavy harmonies and layering has been around
since IRON MAIDEN. What I think Swedish metal has done
is taken that and made it into something much more
aggressive. I think American metal has added a whole
other step, though, that brings in those hardcore
influences and breakdowns. If someone is a fan of
metal as a genre, the energy and aggression, they're
going to find something they enjoy in our music. We're
really proud of the new record and the way it was able
to blend some melody with the metal."
Popular hard rock/metal DJ and VH1 host Eddie Trunk
has posted the following message on his official web
site:
"Many have asked for my thoughts on the shocking
events during MAIDEN's last Ozzfest date in
California. What makes me sad is that it's
stereotypical crap like this that gives the genre a
bad name. I was not there and only know the same
things you have no doubt read. I actually first heard
about Bruce Dickinson and his calling out the crowd
after the band played the NY/NJ area. It was a topic
of great discussion on my show that week. I'm not
exactly sure what Bruce's issues were or are, and I
like the guy very much (he's been on my show many
times), but it just doesn't make much sense to me to
diss people who paid an awful lot of money to see you
or the country your in from the stage! If he or the
band were unhappy about any aspect of Ozzfest they
should have left the tour or expressed it after it
ended. Ozzfest has been going 10 years now, any band
on it should know the up and down side by now. That
being said.....
"There is NO excuse in the world for how MAIDEN were
treated on the final show. If half of what I read is
true that is without a doubt an awful mark on the
history of metal. Ozzfest is run by Sharon Osbourne,
Ozzy is just the figurehead. It's been that way
forever. IF she was behind something like this, so
juvenile and pathetic, she should be ashamed beyond
belief. I would imagine Ozzy himself had no knowledge
of what took place in advance of it happening, and
that's part of the problem! I have always believed
Ozzy doesn't want to, and should not be touring on a
regular basis. The man is one of the biggest legends
the genre has, but he clearly lost his ability to sing
years ago. He should simply host Ozzfest and maybe
sing one or two songs at the end of the night with the
headline act. Ozzy should have bowed out from touring
years ago. The trend of Sharon protecting him has gone
on for years (re-recording rhythm tracks on the first
two albums is still beyond my comprehension!), but if
she was behind this attack on MAIDEN she has gone WAY
over the line this time, and metal fans never forget.
If MAIDEN had an issue they should have walked, if
Ozzfest had an issue with MAIDEN they should have been
booted, what happened is disgusting to any music or
metal fan."
The U.K.'s The Sun Online paper spoke to IRON MAIDEN
vocalist Bruce Dickinson about the group's ill-fated
final Ozzfest performance in San Berardino and their
future plans. Read on:
The Sun Online: Why is Reading so special?
Bruce Dickinson: "It's where I was asked to join the
band and it's also the first festival I ever went to
in my life and also played. And this year it will be a
big one, I promise and yes we'll be nervous."
The Sun Online: You're playing just the four albums on
this tour because of "The Early Years" DVD Part One?
Will there be a Part Two?
Bruce Dickinson: "Yes, Part Two will be based around
'Live After Death' and 'Powerslave' and 'Somewhere in
Time' and we have started working on it. The plan is
to do what will be our biggest, most spectacular tour
we have ever done. The 'Powerslave' era was the one
that had all the toys. It had the massive Eddie, the
huge mechanical hands and Ancient Egypt. And we want
to recreate the whole deal."
The Sun Online: You've ridden out every rock music
trend and almost every band throughout has cited you
as an influence. Why?
Bruce Dickinson: "Yes that's weird isn't it? It's
because we've never compromised. MAIDEN is about
loyalty and pride and doing what you believe in and
sticking with your beliefs. It's a bit like people who
follow football teams. They sign up for a football
team and support them all their lives even if they
lose. That's us, and our fans are part of our gang."
The Sun Online: Ozzfest, Reading and Leeds are all
about new fans. Why are they important?
Bruce Dickinson: "People who are as old as I am are
generally not that fun to play to. I know there'll be
people reading this saying 'It's not true,' but
47-year-olds don't rock like 15-year-olds. They go
absolutely mental and that's what keeps us going. We
are playing songs approaching 25 years old and yet we
have the youngest audience."
The Sun Online: So what happened when you went on
stage at Ozzfest?
Bruce Dickinson: "We were hit by a co-ordinated
barrage of bottle tops, lighters and eggs from a
certain section at the front! Then the power for the
PA and backline was completely pulled three or four
times during songs. The band held it all together
incredibly though and we just got really pumped up. It
ended up being an amazing show. MAIDEN can pretty much
deal with anything. We don’t get fazed too easily."
The Sun Online: Who do you think was behind it all?
Bruce Dickinson: "Everyone knows it's Sharon Osbourne.
It's certainly not Ozzy or SABBATH — they have too
much class to condone stunts like that. She hates me
for making remarks about reality TV. I hate reality
TV. People should get off their arses and do stuff and
not be so voyeuristic."
The Sun Online: Her stunts seemed to backfire as you
played a magnificent set and soon after, thousands
walked out in disgust?
Bruce Dickinson: "We left for the airport pretty well
straight after we came off but we could tell there
were a lot of disgusted fans who had paid good money
to see us. The audience was incredibly behind us all
the way and they really lifted us. If they hadn't been
happy, there may have been a riot as those fans were
really disgusted with the cowardly attacks."
The Sun Online: Did you enjoy the Rockwalk of Fame
presentation and what does it mean to you?
Bruce Dickinson: "Well it's very American but behind
it there are all these fans that are really into it
and have all turned up. It's great. We are very proud
of that day, though we ended up with filthy hands. It
was great that Eddie rightfully got a handprint too."
The Sun Online: You left the band in 1993. Is it
something you regret?
Bruce Dickinson: "Hindsight is a wonderful thing. When
I left I had no intention of coming back but in the
intervening period, I ended up becoming a much better
singer than I was before, certainly live. And coming
back into the band I had a hell of lot more energy
than in the two or years before I left and I stayed
with it. I also came back with a determination that
I'm never going to walk on stage again doing something
I don't want to do as it's soul-destroying and eats
you up."
The Sun Online: How does MAIDEN fit in with family
life?
Bruce Dickinson: "Well, we get to run around like a
lunatic and play music and my kids can come and watch.
My 15- and 13-year-olds were in the front row at our
New York gig, in the mosh pit. I suddenly saw these
four security guards jump in and hold someone down. I
thought they had my kids but then I looked and saw
their little faces, sweating and screaming and I was
ready to dive in."
The Sun Online: And next for MAIDEN?
Bruce Dickinson: "We have the live album 'Death on the
Road' out on Monday with a DVD to follow and then we
record the new studio album next spring, which will be
out next autumn. First we have the special fundraising
Hammersmith Odeon show next week. It's for our old
drummer Clive Burr's Multiple Sclerosis Trust Fund.
I'm really looking forward to it. It will top off an
amazing year which included a show in Sweden, where we
played to 56,000 and were broadcast live to 20million
people."
The Sun Online: And next for you?
Bruce Dickinson: "I go back to my 6 Music radio show
and my job as an airline pilot. It's a proper,
straightforward, regular job. I had to book holidays
for the tour. I was straight off stage at Ozzfest to
hightail it to LAX airport."
August 30th
Sharon Osbourne spoke exclusively to Kerrang! magazine
last week regading IRON MAIDEN's final performance on
this year's Ozzfest tour, during which she cut
MAIDEN's power and arranged to have the band pelted
with eggs and debris from the crowd. A couple of
excerpts from the interview follow:
Kerrang!: Reading between the lines of [IRON MAIDEN
manager] Rod Smallwood's statement, the unspoken
suggestion is that you orchestrated this whole
thing...
Sharon Osbourne: "Of course I did. I had the PA turned
on and off. And look, it's not hard for someone to
walk into a diehard Ozzfest crowd and say, 'Who wants
to throw an egg at a rock star?' Who wouldn't wanna do
that? I went out and bought 50 eggs and me and my
daughter had a fucking blast. C'mon, it's rock 'n'
roll. No-one died. They'll be waiting a long fucking
time for an apology from me."
Kerrang!: The most astonishing thing about all this is
that the metal world has always had such camaraderie,
such a "one for all, all for one" attitude...
Sharon Osbourne: "It has, right? But for some reason
Bruce Dickinson [IRON MAIDEN singer] seemed to view it
as a battle of the bands. He'd stand up on that stage
and say that this wasn't the Ozzfest anymore, it was
MAIDEN-fest. How fucking disrespectful is that? He's
got such an '80s mentality. He's up there saying,
'Fuck MTV and fuck radio and you wouldn't catch IRON
MAIDEN doing a reality show' and it's like, 'Hang on,
you're a shareholder in Sanctuary, which is one of the
biggest corporations in the music business.' He's
never said a word about SABBATH either, only Ozzy, so
it's personal. We've had 220 bands play this tour over
the last 10 years and I've never felt the need to egg
anyone."
Kerrang!: Up to this point you’re being painted as the
"Wicked Witch" here, Sharon...
Sharon Osbourne: "I'm as nice as can be to people
until they fuck with me and my family. I've always
said that. I'm surprised that after everything that's
been reported about how protective I am of my husband
that anyone would even be shocked by this."
Kerrang!: Saying things like this could make this run
and run...
Sharon Osbourne: "Not for me. We have Ozzfest shows to
do so I'm not thinking about this anymore. Bruce
Dickhead doesn't exist to me anymore."
Sharon Osbourne's entire interview with Kerrang! can
be found in the magazine's latest issue, out on the
stands tomorrow (August 31).
Copyright © 2005-Metal Beer Horror Webzine/Chris O'Brien.