Ozzfest, the traveling concert festival headlined by Ozzy Osbourne and featuring some of the world’s loudest and most powerful metal bands, was a staple of the summer concert season from its inception in 1996 through 2007.
From that point, however, it became slightly more inconsistent, with 2008’s Ozzfest being a one-off show in Frisco, Texas, and the next one, which occurred in 2010, only lasting for eight dates. Then there was Ozzfest Japan in 2013 and 2015, followed by Ozzfest Meets Knotfest, an event headlined jointly by Ozzy and Slipknot, in 2016 and 2017. Finally, in 2018, a proper Ozzfest took place in Inglewood, California, but there hasn’t been another one since.
It's possible, however, that the situation could change, based on a conversation which took place at the end of the most recent episode of The Osbournes Podcast.
Ozzy Osbourne at the press conference for the 2007 Ozzfest
In the midst of a conversation that featured a bit of Coachella bashing alongside praising of the Stagecoach Festival, Ozzy suddenly piped up and asked his wife Sharon if she'd ever do another Ozzfest, clarifying that he wasn't just talking about a one-off gig but, in fact, a proper Ozzfest tour.
"Yeah, sure," Sharon replied quickly. "Of course!"
Ever the voice of reason, Kelly promptly noted, "It always comes down to, are the bands and managers going to be realistic, though?"
Sharon concurred with her daughter, noting that it was great for fans that so many past Ozzfest artists have done their own spin-off festivals before wondering, "Why is it when it comes to us that everybody thinks that we are trillionaires and so that every manager who wants their band on our festival wants one of the f***ing trillions they think we’ve got to put on the festival?”
This, in turn, led to the entire family reminiscing about the glory days of Ozzfest and the artists - many of which had yet to find massive fame - that appeared on the festival's various bills over the years, with Sharon pointing out, “It’s always great to have the baby stage. That’s what it’s all about: breaking new bands. That’s why we did it.”
The first Ozzfest took place in 1996 and featured a main stage lineup that included Ozzy, Slayer, Danzig, Biohazard, Sepultura, Fear Factory, Neurosis, and Narcotic, with a second stage that offered performances by Earth Crisis, Powerman 5000, Coal Chamber, Cellophane, and King Norris. Over the years, a plethora of artists made their way into the lineup, including Marilyn Manson, Korn, Pantera, Rob Zombie, Type O Negative, Foo Fighters, Soulfly, Tool, Megadeth, Limp Bizkit, System of a Down, Deftones, Godsmack, Incubus, and countless others, including - lest we forget to mention it - a reunited Black Sabbath.
Whether or not a proper Ozzfest could be pulled off in 2024 remains to be seen, but at least we know that the Osbournes are up for it. Ozzy's health, however, isn't currently such that he'd be able to deliver a full tour, so for him to be involved, it's fair to say that it won't be anytime soon.
