Search Results for: system of a down

When Ozzy Osbourne was chiefly known in middle America for decapitating winged creatures and urinating on the Alamo, he and his annual hard rock hoedown were greeted with protests, boycotts and prayer meetings. But, oh, what a difference a year makes. The former most-feared man in rock has now become its most beloved father figure, courtesy of the rib-tickling warts-and-all series “The Osbournes.” So as he returns to the road for the first time since becoming the toast of prime time, Ozzy and Ozzfest 2002 are being greeted not with protests but with open arms, and at least a few… Read more »

OzzFest 2002 kicks off today (July 10) in Scranton, Pennsylvania, after the first two dates of the tour were postponed due to cancer surgery performed on tour mastermind Sharon Osbourne. This year’s festival faces heightened media scrutiny due to the unexpected success of the reality-based TV show The Osbournes. Sharon was asked if the show’s success will add to the success of this year’s OzzFest. “No, because it’s sold out for the last seven years, and it’s selling out this year,” she said. “So as far as Ozzy’s musical career, it’s as big as it ever has been. So, this… Read more »

The final seven dates of the European Ozzfest tour have been canceled after guitarist Zakk Wylde departed due to illness. Wylde, who has been playing with Ozzy’s band as well as his own Zakk Wylde’s Black Label Society, was on his way back to the United States at press time, according to his publicist, who said the specifics of Wylde’s condition were unknown. The dates affected were in Zurich, Switzerland (June 8); Copenhagen, Denmark (June 10); Stockholm, Sweden (June 11); Helsinki, Finland (June 13); St. Petersburg, Russia (June 15); and Moscow, Russia (June 16). A show was also scheduled for… Read more »

Strahov Stadium has had it all – communist rallies, anti-globalization protests, gymnastics exhibitions, drive-through movies and, now, Ozzfest. The crumbling structure, which stands as the largest stadium in the world per square foot, lent itself well to Ozzy Osbourne and his latest touring comrades, who hit the venue Thursday night for the seventh stop on the metal tour. With their stage parked in the middle of the field, the hard rockers used only half of the 200,000-capacity stadium, carving out an almost cozy cradle for Bohemia’s metalheads within the concrete monolith. While the tour got off to a less-than-grand beginning… Read more »

You know you’re a long way from home when Groove Armada and Faithless play for wilder crowds than the godfather of heavy metal. “I can’t f-ing hear you!” is Ozzy Osbourne’s standard concert rallying cry, but it took on a new urgency Friday night at the kickoff of the three-day Rock Im Park festival in Nuremberg. As the 53-year-old showman peered out at the half-full Frankenstadion, his famous baffled expression – mouth agape, black-lined eyes open wide, arms extended as though desperately soliciting a hug – looked a bit more confounded than usual. Of course the metal madman delivered, leading… Read more »

The first family of metal turned reality TV darlings the Osbournes hit midtown Manhattan to unveil a new album Wednesday and conjured up the requisite amount of vulgarity and bickering. Between f-bombs and friendly put-downs, patriarch Ozzy (greeting the press via satellite from London), matriarch Sharon, daughter Kelly and son Jack introduced The Osbourne Family Album, a collection of tracks handpicked – and in some cases recorded – by the family. The compilation, due June 11, runs through more mood changes than your average Osbournes holiday dinner, slamming tracks from System of a Down, the Kinks and Ozzy himself against… Read more »

Few albums have been as closely guarded as Eminem’s The Eminem Show. No one at Interscope Records has a personal copy, and journalists who want to review it have to go to special listening sessions where representatives from the rapper’s management deliver the disc, sit through the sessions and then take the record back to keep it out of enemy hands. Despite such precautions, all 20 songs were leaked to the Internet by May 11, a full three weeks before the disc’s release date. The tracks are available on various file-sharing services. Plus, bootleg vendors began selling the CD on… Read more »

Those WWF Smackdown spots just wouldn’t be the same without P.O.D.’s “Alive,” Creed’s “My Sacrifice” and Kid Rock’s “Cocky” blaring in the background. In many cases, shots of wrestlers powerbombing, chokeslamming and clotheslining one another are more captivating than the images in real rock videos. Let’s face it, loud rock and wrestling go together like salted bacon and farm-fresh eggs, the aggressive tones and violent visuals feeding off each other, creating a charged symbiosis of pumping testosterone. With over-the-top sound and sight, all you need is a sweat-and-blood-soaked rag under your nose to create the ultimate sensory experience. “Wrestling and… Read more »

P.O.D.’s next single, “Boom,” stands ready to blow up at radio next week, and while the song’s accompanying video isn’t exactly a sing-along, viewers will be able to follow the bouncing ball. A table tennis tournament sets the tone for the clip, which was filmed by director Gavin Bowden (Red Hot Chili Peppers, Lifehouse) Tuesday and Wednesday in San Diego. Set in the Cox Arena, the quartet is shown competing in the ping-pong play-offs against teams from China, Sweden and France. The video is expected to surface later this month. “Boom” was selected to be P.O.D.’s next radio salvo in… Read more »

Amazed by the building-block animation in the White Stripes’ “Fell in Love With a Girl” video? Impressed by the choreography in Kylie Minogue’s “Can’t Get You Out of My Head”? Well, you’re not alone. Each year the Music Video Production Association hands out awards to those little-seen yet highly integral members of the music video community – namely, everyone but the musicians themselves. This year Kylie’s choreographer and the Stripes’ special effects artists are among the specialists up for awards in 26 categories, ranging from Director of the Year to Best Video Produced Under $25,000. There are also several best… Read more »