Ozzy Osbourne has just announced that this year’s trek (on which he appears with Black Sabbath) will be his final stint as the festival’s yearly headliner. For the past ten years as Ozzfest’s namesake and lead attraction, Ozzy has closed each show with either his solo band or with the immortal Black Sabbath. Ozzfest will carry on in 2006, however Ozzy will limit his performances to only a few, select cities. After 10 years the Ozzfest’s name and reputation has been established. It’s time for me to move on and do other things, says Osbourne.
Osbourne has been dogged by throat problems, which have forced the band to drop off of the bill on several recent dates, reports MTV.com.
The August 7 concert which had been slated for Somerset, Wisconsin’s Float Rite Park Amphitheatre was postponed until September 10 in an effort to give Osbourne time to rest his strained vocal chords; it will be the last date of this summer’s trek, according to MTV.com. Sabbath have canceled three Ozzfest appearances so far this year shows on July 27 in Holmdel, New Jersey, July 31 in Noblesville, Indiana and August 2 in Columbus, Ohio as a direct result of Ozzy’s stressed voice. Ticketholders for all three dates were offered full refunds, while co-headliners Iron Madien were called upon to extend their set.
Originally launched in 1996 as a limited experiment, Ozzfest has taken on a life of its own and has become a virtual breeding ground for rising bands. The festival has been instrumental in catapulting the careers of platinum-selling artists like System of a Down, Linkin Park , Limp Bizkit, Incubus, Slipknot, Disturbed, Queens of the Stoneage, Drowning Pool, Godsmack and Chevelle.
The summer’s Ozzfest presents a mighty, unrivaled lineup: the mainstage features Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Mudvayne, Shadows Fall and Black Label Society with Velvet Revolver and Slipknot on select dates. The second stage hosts headliner Rob Zombie, Killswitch Engage, As I Lay Dying, Mastodon, The Haunted, In Flames, Arch Enemy, The Black Dahlia Murder, Bury Your Dead, Soilwork, Trivium, It Dies Today, A Dozen Furies and more.
Ozzfest tour dates:
Aug. 13 … .. Mountain View, CA … .. Shoreline Amphitheatre
Aug. 15 … .. Marysville, CA … .. Sleep Train
Aug. 18 … .. Phoenix, AZ … .. Cricket
Aug. 20 … .. Los Angeles, CA … .. Hyundai Pavilion at Glen Helen
Aug. 23 … .. Albuquerque, NM … .. Journal Pavilion
Aug. 25 … .. Dallas, TX … .. Smirnoff
Aug. 27 … .. Houston, TX … .. Cynthia J. Woods Pavilion
Aug. 28 … .. San Antonio, TX … .. Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
Aug. 31 … .. Nashville, TN … .. Starwood Amphitheatre
Sep. 02 … .. Charlotte, NC … .. Verizon
Sep. 04 … .. West Palm Beach, FL … .. Sound Advice
Sep. 10 … .. Somerset, WI … .. Float-Rite Amphitheater
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