Ozzfest 2002
Saturday 25th May 2002Donington Park, Leics, England MAP
£37.50 without camping, £47.50 with camping
The entire audience were chanting "Ozzy". The venue was buzzing with excitement because of the eminent arrival of the one and only Ozzy Osbourne. The audience gave a volcanic roar of approval as soon as the 'father of heavy metal' strolled onto the stage. At last the audience had been awakened from its catatonic like state.
Unfortunately his performance rapidly went downhill after a few minutes. There was either a problem with the sound or I am going deaf. The people at the front might have been able to hear the songs clearly, but from where I was standing it was a struggle to hear what songs were being played.
As well as performing his solo material, he slipped in the classic Black Sabbath tracks 'War Pigs' and 'Paranoid', I'm certain he also squeezed in 'Iron Man' but it was difficult to tell, due to the problems of hearing the sound. The audience weren't impressed with the low volume, and so masses of people started to leave before Ozzy had even got half way through his set. This was quite understandable, however the cold wind was probably making it harder to hear the music as well.
This was a heart-breaking scenario, because I have seen Ozzy numerous times and I know that he always puts on a brilliant show. However this was the exception to the rule. Admittedly the sound problems are not Ozzy`s fault, but at the end of the day this minor glitch ruined the show.
review by: Luke Seagrave
photos by: Luke Seagrave