By the mid 1990s, touring festivals were big business in the U.S. Encouraged by the success of the pioneering Lollapalooza, new names like Blues Traveler’s jam-oriented H.
O.R.D.
E. Festival and Kevin Lyman’s punk-focused Warped Tour became major players in the summer live music landscape. See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news But no festival served to both bolster and encapsulate a scene as wholly and perfectly as Ozzfest, the heavy metal juggernaut that slashed its way across America – and, in time, much of the world – from 1996 to 2018.
Conceived by Sharon Osbourne, manager and wife of Ozzy Osbourne, as something of a middle finger to Lollapalooza, Ozzfest quickly defined itself as much more than mere payback. Rather, it was a roving nerve center for the multi-generational metal faithful, as well as a breeding ground and sometimes kingmaker for a wave of new (or, as some would label them, “nu”) metal superstars. “Anybody who was anybody played,” says Slipknot percussionist Shawn “Clown” Crahan.
“Socially, culturally, it was the place to be.” The cred was built in from day one: Sharon and Ozzy were metal royalty, and for the two inaugural Ozzfest dates in 1996, and most tours thereafter, Ozzy served as main stage (and, occasionally, second stage) headliner. The following year, Sharon engineered a Black Sabbath reunion – at that time, a Halley’s Comet-like event – as the main attraction.
For metal fans, Ozzfest was .