Ozzfest is free this year

[Livia]

http://www.pollstar.com/news/viewnews.pl?NewsID=7649

Free Ozzfest
Updated 11:46 PST Tue, Feb 06 2007

Ozzy Osbourne and wife/manager Sharon Osbourne held a press conference at the Concert Industry Consortium February 6 that was promised to be historic, and was.

Osbourne dispelled rumors that he was retiring and announced the first free festival tour in the history of the U.S.

"Ozzy's been touring for 30 odd years and he's done very well, and just wanted to give something back," Sharon said.

The tour starts in San Bernardino July 7 and will continue through 25 cities including San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Denver, Albuquerque, Phoenix, Dallas, San Antonio, Kansas City, St. Louis, Chicago, Indianapolis, Columbus, Pittsburgh, New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Hartford, Charlotte, Atlanta, West Plam Beach and Nashville. A final confirmed list of cities and dates is forthcoming.

How this will work logistically is unclear, but it will be a ticketed event and is a Live Nation tour.

"For the last few years,ticket prices have steadily climbed as artists demand more and more money for summer tours," Sharon said. "We certainly want everybody to make money, however we also want the kids to be able to afford to come out and have an incredible experience. If we continued with the traditional touring festival model, we would have no choice but to raise ticket prices again this year."

The bands will not be paid. This gives artists an opportunity to get exposure by playing in front of thousands of Ozzfest fans, Sharon said. The artists will have the opportunity to secure other gigs during the tour.

A lineup is expected within two weeks.

[UnwindedDreams]

Yes....Yes...Yes!!! It's going to be so crazy though...lol!

[BTFLCHLD]

WOW :]

Thanks Livia for the post.

[UnwindedDreams]

What do they mean by New York...Jones Beach, Randall's Island...anybody know?

[Livia]

^^^ Guess we'll have to wait 'til the dates/venues are announced.

Can Jones Beach accommodate a sprawling festival, w/ many stages? I've never been there, but I always thought it was your typical shed - one stage, reserved seats, lawn...

[UnwindedDreams]

^^^ Guess we'll have to wait 'til the dates/venues are announced.

Can Jones Beach accommodate a sprawling festival, w/ many stages? I've never been there, but I always thought it was your typical shed - one stage, reserved seats, lawn...
I think they've had it there before, livia...

[HejiraNYC]

I think they've had it there before, livia...

Yes, they have. :nod: Jones Beach has no lawn whatsoever, so I kinda doubt they had multiple stages there. That is, unless they set up in the parking lot, which is massive.

My guess is that they will be on Randall's Island considering the large crowds this would draw. The tickets are free, but I'll bet the concessions will be outrageously expensive- $7 for a bottle of water, $8 for a hot dog, etc. It's an interesting business model... Sharon is no dummy... she knows what she's doing. :nod: If they attract 25,000 people at each stop, and each person spends an average of $30 on food, drinks and merchandise, that's a take of $750,000. And the money is all Ozzy's since they aren't paying any of the other performers. After expenses and overhead, he clears $300K easily. That's enough to pay for 30 facelifts! :eek:

[UnwindedDreams]

Rumours on the ozzfest board are that some shows will be indoor...

[estranged4life]

Rumor: 2007 OZZFest Changing To Indoor Arena Setup

Rumor Alert... HeadbangerNYC.com are reporting the following:

"Rumors are that this summer's OZZFest will involve a change from the tour's traditionally open-air format to an indoor-arena setup, with OZZY OSBOURNE serving as the headliner on most, if not all, the dates, and around 5 - 6 additional bands on the bill and a few others on select stops. The change will be made to reduce the high cost of running the festival as well as to address the sluggish ticket sales that have plagued the festival in recent years.

Although there has been no official announcement on the matter, it is believed that ALICE IN CHAINS will take part in this year's event, which is expected to kick off in late June or early July.

Other bands that are strongly rumored to be in talks to perform are: BLACK LABEL SOCIETY, SCORPIONS, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE and HELLYEAH."

Stay tuned for further updates.

-----------------------------------

With that rumored lineup I could see why the shows may be free, I sure wouldnt pay to see that weak lineup.

[gldstwmn]

The tickets are free, but I'll bet the concessions will be outrageously expensive- $7 for a bottle of water, $8 for a hot dog, etc. It's an interesting business model... Sharon is no dummy... she knows what she's doing. :nod: If they attract 25,000 people at each stop, and each person spends an average of $30 on food, drinks and merchandise, that's a take of $750,000. And the money is all Ozzy's since they aren't paying any of the other performers. After expenses and overhead, he clears $300K easily. :

Bingo! Not to mention the extra money fans will have to spend on merch. What a way to renew interest in Ozzfest. Sharon is one hell of a businesswoman.

[gldstwmn]

SCORPIONS

They're still around? I saw them in like 1988. I think Dokken may have opened for them.

[xdreamsunwindx]

Is Ozzy gonna show up at these shows? If I remember correctly, he just showed up randomly last Ozzfest.

Meh, what the hell. If it's free, I'll go. It's something to do. And I like Scorpions.

EDIT: Nevermind, I see that he is supposed to headline. Good.
EDIT 2: I do not see why Alice In Chains are still going, without Layne. Good on them, I guess. But I think it's weird.

[gldstwmn]

EDIT 2: I do not see why Alice In Chains are still going, without Layne. Good on them, I guess. But I think it's weird.

Jerry Cantrell is still pretty popular all on his own.

[estranged4life]

They're still around? I saw them in like 1988. I think Dokken may have opened for them.

still around and recording. I saw 'em (The Scorpions) in 1991 with Trixter opening the show.

[gldstwmn]

still around and recording. I saw 'em (The Scorpions) in 1991 with Trixter opening the show.

Trixter. Now there's a band I haven't heard of since like 1980.

[carrie721]

awesooooommmme.

now the only question is pittsburgh or columbus?

[GardenStateGirlie]

Sharon is no dummy... she knows what she's doing. :nod:

she's an incredibly savvy businesswoman. i have a feeling this will be the talked about event of the summer.

[estranged4life]

Ozzfest wouldnt be bad if they added better metal acts and less emo-metal and/or mall-core metal bands.

The last few years have seen mostly sucky bands with only a handfull of good bands, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Anthrax, Strapping Young Lad.

[SuzeQuze]

Ozzfest wouldnt be bad if they added better metal acts and less emo-metal and/or mall-core metal bands.

The last few years have seen mostly sucky bands with only a handfull of good bands, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Anthrax, Strapping Young Lad.

Nice sig, Bri. :thumbsup: I think this is quite a gesture regardless of the motive. Wow. Who is singing for Alice in Chains?

[estranged4life]

Nice sig, Bri. :thumbsup:

I strive for the best in sig pictures :nod:

[gldstwmn]

Nice sig, Bri. :thumbsup: I think this is quite a gesture regardless of the motive. Wow. Who is singing for Alice in Chains?

Probably Jerry. He actually sang a lot of the leads on the albums.

[gldstwmn]

I strive for the best in sig pictures :nod:

That one is a favorite and has been a personal fantasy for about six years now. :laugh:

[estranged4life]

Probably Jerry. He actually sang a lot of the leads on the albums.

info in regards to Alice in Chains:

New ALICE IN CHAINS Studio Release A Possibility

Arizona Daily Star (www.azstarnet.com) has issued the following report from Gerald M. Gay:

It took a natural disaster of epic proportions to reunite ALICE IN CHAINS after the 2002 death of the rock band's lead vocalist, Layne Staley.

When the 2004 tsunami devastated Southeast Asia, the group's three remaining members - Jerry Cantrell, Mike Inez and Sean Kinney - came together for a fundraiser in Seattle.

The event, which featured TOOL's Maynard James Keenan, PUDDLE OF MUDD's Wes Scantlin, Ann Wilson and others handling vocals, led to the idea of bringing Alice back for a series of club dates.

"It felt really good at that point," said bassist Inez in a phone interview last week from Los Angeles. "It felt like we could play our songs around the world."

The small but successful experiment turned into large festival runs, shows in Europe with the likes of GUNS N' ROSES and METALLICA, and now a 40-date national tour.

The tour's third stop is Tucson's Rialto Theatre on Tuesday.

"It is going to be a lot different without our brother Layne there with us," Inez said. "But we thought maybe we could do this as a celebration of Layne and of the music that we created together."

The band's new singer is William DuVall, who until joining Chains was the lead vocalist for the hard rock project Comes with the Fall.

"We didn't see many people, hold open rehearsals or anything like that," Inez said. "We just called our friend Will and he was nice enough to come. He is such a good guy and is bringing his own flip to the music. He is not trying to sound like Layne, either, which would have been the worst possible thing."

After successfully testing the waters with DuVall in Europe, the band is now armed with plenty of new material - electric and acoustic songs that may or may not show up on a new Alice in Chains album.

"We don't know what the hell is going on," Inez said. "We are just kind of surfing, seeing which way the wave breaks."

----------------------------------------

Here is a link about new singer William DuVall:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_DuVall

[UnwindedDreams]

^I saw AIC at the Heart Decades Rock show with W. Duvall...he was pretty good...I'd love to see them at Ozzfest...

[Peestie]

Sharon is an absolute genius. She can market just about anything and will find the way to make the most profit. Only reason I'd go to that (if I had the chance) would be to see Ozzy since he reschuduled the show I was meant to go to a three or four years ago and then had to cancel anyway after they thought he had Parkinsons Disease. And then he crashed the quad....

[UnwindedDreams]

Sharon is an absolute genius. She can market just about anything and will find the way to make the most profit. Only reason I'd go to that (if I had the chance) would be to see Ozzy since he reschuduled the show I was meant to go to a three or four years ago and then had to cancel anyway after they thought he had Parkinsons Disease. And then he crashed the quad....Isn't he doing a European tour...???

[estranged4life]

More OZZFest Ticket Info Revealed
---------------------------------------

The "OZZFest 2007 Fans" MySpace page has been updated with the following:

"Ozzfest 2007 will be free of charge this year.

Questions...

Q: Will Ozzy play at my show?

A: Ozzy will headline ALL Ozzfest dates on the main stage.

Q: How do I get tickets?

A: Those signed up to Ozzfest.com will get the info on how to obtain their free tickets first! You will need to get a ticket just like previous Ozzfests however you will do so online and for FREE. You will need to go to Ozzfest.com or one of our sponsors websites to do this. Those who are signed up to Ozzfest.com will get an email with instructions and links once tickets are available.

You will print out your tickets and bring them to Ozzfest or get them from one of our sponsors. Yes each venue has it's own capacity level and only the amount of people allowed will gain entry. You will know you will be allowed entry because you have your ticket in advance. The show will be general admission. The seats will be first come first to sit there and watch the show in that seat basis. There will be still a 2nd stage and it will be located in the same area of the venue as previous Ozzfest. Yes, it will still be an outdoors show.

Now you are inside and you paid nothing. Merch, beer, water, food and soda price will NOT be raised more than any other show at that venue in the summer of 2007 to cover your free entry.

Q: Will there be a limit to the number of tickets I can buy?

A: Again, yes, there will be. The amount has not yet been determined, but there will be.

Q: How will I gain entrance?

A: You will print out or recieve the tickets that you have secured and you will bring those with you to the event, where you will exchange them for entrance.

Q: How will the seating be decided?

A: As in previous years, the second stage will still be general admission for everyone without seats. However, as far as main stage, it will be first come, first serve basis for both general admission AND the seats. Of course, you do not stake claim to seats, meaning that if you stand up and leave the seats, others are entitled to sit there.

Q: Will merchandise and concession prices be raised to make up for the lack of ticket price?

A: No. The prices will remain up to the individual artists to decide, however, there will be no expected raise in prices.

Q: How will the artists make money off of this?

A: They are free to book themselves at local shows on days before, after, and days OF the fest. Also, they are, as always, welcome to bring and sell merchandise.

Q: How different will the bill be from date to date?

A: Some second stage acts may change, however, the main stage acts will be comitted and appear throughout the tour, unless otherwise stated.

Q: Will bands autograph CD's at the FYE tent in 2007?

A: There will still be a tent where the bands sell and do their cd signings. It may be FYE or could another store who handles it, but either way you will be able to purchase the bands' performing cds and have them sign those."

[estranged4life]

OZZFEST ANNOUNCES HOW FANS CAN OBTAIN THEIR FREE TICKETS TO THIS SUMMER’S GROUND-BREAKING EXTRAVAGANZA

You’ve heard about how OZZFEST is boldly redefining the concert industry this year by making all the tickets to the summer’s premiere touring concert festival entirely free for fans.

Well, Ozzfest fans have a number of ways to score a pair of tickets to “FreeFest”--which will rock mightily with festival’s namesake OZZY OSBOURNE and Lamb of God, Hatebreed, Lordi, Behemoth, Mondo Generator, Nile, Ankla, Circus Diablo, The Showdown, 3 Inches of Blood, Daath, Chthonic and In This Moment.

Ticket codes will be distributed through sponsor websites beginning May 12. Details on these programs are available on ozzfest.com, livenation.com, monsterenergy.com, jagermusic.com and fye.com. In the meantime, various sponsors will have offline initiatives, details of which will also be available via their respective websites.

These codes can be redeemed for tickets beginning June 12--exactly one month before the first OZZFEST 2007 show in Seattle. Fans will return to the site where they registered or www.livenation.com/ozzfest, enter their code and download two tickets to the show of their choice. Note: To ensure that everyone gets the chance for free tickets, there is a limit of two tickets per customer.

The 24-city earth-pounding 12th annual OZZFEST will launch July 12 in Seattle, WA at the White River Amphitheatre. OZZFEST will also hit George, WA, Sacramento, CA, Mountain View, CA, Devore, CA, Phoenix, AZ, Albuquerque, NM, Denver, CO, Kansas City, MO, Dallas, TX, San Antonio, TX, St. Louis, MO, Columbus, OH, Tinley Park, IL, East Troy, WI, Indianapolis, IN, Holmdel, NJ, Hartford, CT, Boston, MA, Philadelphia, PA, Pittsburgh, PA, Detroit, MI, Charlotte, NC and West Palm Beach, FL.

Stay tuned to www.ozzfest.com and www.LiveNation.com for the most up to date information on this summer’s extravaganza.

about 3 weeks ago and I am still wondering how they're pulling this off. Sad to know that the bands playing will not be paid for these shows - they have to absorb in the costs themselves.

Besides, only band on this bill I want to see is Behemoth