cardinal of sin returns to London to rock his fans
Ozzfest 2010 review
Tuesday 21st September 2010
As the cardinal of sin returns to London for another visit, thousands of fans flock to London for a chance to see their hero. No, not the pope, Ozzy Ozbourne has returned for the latest incarnation of Ozzfest to hit the UK, with its debut at the o2 arena. Despite back problems calling off the his previous night in Germany, everything looked good to be going ahead without hitch.
A completely different line up to its American counterpart, everything looked set to be a unique show. With queues out the doors and most of the way to the tube station at 3pm, a quick change in set up allowed most of the fans in before the first band on took to the stage. Skindred blended a fusion of Metal with a variety of genres to set the bar high for the rest of the day. I grabbed the opportunity to check out all that was on offer in the Village of the Damned, advertised as having a variety of stalls selling alternative clothing and the like. Unfortunately, the Unfairground lived up to its name with only a set of unholy dodgems without the waltzers... and more. Not really being fussed by having fairground rides I headed back to the main stage for the next band.
Steel Panther are not to be taken lightly. Playing a set comprising of their greatest hits they tore through monsters like ‘Death to all but Metal’ and ‘Asian Hooker’ flawlessly. A humble performance let you appreciate the sheer quality of the musicianship, songwriting and harmonies. It was refreshing to see a band opposed to the usual showboating and one-upmanship you'd expect from a glam rock band. Homages to rock legends like Status Quo ensure this band will Tap into the mainstream market in no time at all.
Somewhere under the horror film themed stageshow, there's a band called Murderdolls. They looked impressive and I hope they lived up to the show they promised but I felt kinda hungry and decided to check out the extensive cuisine on offer. If hotdogs and chips don't really float your boat, you might struggle to hold down your beer for the whole night. With a good set of restaurants on the other side of the entrance to the arena in the o2 foyer not being allowed to re-enter seems a little over the top when you're given a wristband on entry which does very little except glow in the dark.
Having not listened to Korn
in about 10 years I wasn't expecting to know much of the set. They surprised me by playing a set I mostly knew. 'Freak on a Leash', 'Dead Bodies Everywhere', 'Blind'... even bringing out his his bagpipes for 'Snakes and Ladders'. Fuzzy bass, distorted guitars and more pyrotechnics than a firework display are good ways to put on a show. A heavy dose of nostalgia put me in a good mood for the pontiff of metal.
Opening with a set of videos featuring Ozzy in an assortment of roles, from replacing Beyonce in Gaga's Telephone to being a vampire in Twilight. From the very start, a great show. Ozzy looked on great form despite any injuries he had with nothing stopping him running round the stage, throwing buckets of water into the audience and spraying the front row (and any photographers in the pit) with a fire-hose with an endless supply of foam whilst laughing manically.
Classic Sabbath tracks like 'War Pigs', 'Paranoid' and 'Iron Man' punctuated the set with cheers. New songs like 'Let Me Hear You Scream' sounded impressively good with Gus G's stunning guitar playing. Shredding his way through Van Halen's 'Eruption' was a great way to keep the crowd going while Ozzy had a short break an hour into the gig. I can't beat the final words from the great man himself "God bless you fucking all". Though I think he was preaching to the converted.
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