Ozzfest

[Alice]

It's free this year.  Free.

Chicago's tickets were "sold" out in like 30 seconds - so I couldn't get any.

[eo000]

it hasn't been good since they discontinued the s & m booth.

[Alice]

Well now I'm confused... maybe the tickets haven't come out yet.  The site is not very clear.

[Bennyhana]

How is it free?  How are they making their money?

[Alice]

How is it free?  How are they making their money?

I'm assuming through sponsors and t-shirts and the like.

[Bennyhana]

How is it free?  How are they making their money?

I'm assuming through sponsors and t-shirts and the like.

Very strange.  Usually you have sponsors and T-shirts AND you have to pay.  Rock concerts are extremely expensive to put on.

[Alice]

"This will change everybody's impression of the way touring in the summer in America should be."--Sharon Osbourne

Imagine a day of wall-to-wall hard rock.

Imagine the world's greatest headliner sharing a bill with cutting edge new artists.

Imagine if this brass-knuckled beast was hellbent on coming to your town.

Imagine this earth-pounding event...FOR FREE.

2007 will forever mark the year OZZFEST spiked the concert industry's punch and gave every head-banging American kid a reason to strap on an air guitar with the historic announcement that tickets to the summer's premiere touring concert festival won't cost fans a dime.

Testing one, two, three...

That's right, OZZY and SHARON OSBOURNE and tour producer LIVE NATION broke the news today at the Concert Industry Consortium in Los Angeles that their 12th annual hard rock spectacular--a 25-date extravaganza launching July 7 in Los Angeles--is pulling the plug on ticket prices and giving the power back to the fans calling this summer's OZZFEST "FreeFest." The other OZZFEST cities as of now are 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 Palm Beach, Nashville. Note: a final confirmed list of cities and dates is forthcoming.

"For the last few years," says SHARON, "ticket prices have steadily climbed as artists demand more and more money for summer tours. 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."

Cited as "one of rock's biggest juggernauts" in the cover feature of Sunday's New York Times' "Arts and Leisure" section (6/25/06), OZZFEST and Live Nation will turn to sponsors to provide added support for the festival's new incarnation. This summer's OZZFEST will provide select sponsors with a unique opportunity to engage fans one-on-one utilizing one of music's best known brands.

"We're reaching the same point we did years ago when kids no longer wanted to pay for overpriced CDs," compares Sharon. "As a result, they found alternative ways of getting music. That's what's happening with summer touring in this country, it's out-pricing itself. We started this and we want to keep it and we want to make it bigger and bigger each year by getting bigger sponsors to be involved with the festival and underwriting the festival. That's what it's about."

"For the past 11 years, music fans have made OZZFEST the most successful and enduring rock music festival in the United States," said Jason Garner, Live Nation President of North American Concerts. "What better way to say 'Thank You' to the music fans who have made this possible than inviting them to attend OZZFEST for free."

To gain entry into the event, fans will go to www.ozzfest.com or www.livenation.com to find links that will direct them to special sponsor sites where tickets can be secured. More details regarding the process are forthcoming.

[Bennyhana]

This summer's OZZFEST will provide select sponsors with a unique opportunity to engage fans one-on-one utilizing one of music's best known brands.

I think this means that people are going to be trying to sell you crap you don't want while you're trying to listen to the concert.  OR, the artists onstage are going to do commercials.

"Man, that song really makes me tired."

"Here, dude, have a Red Bull."

"A what?"

"A RED BULL!  IT GIVES YOU WINGS!!!"

at which point, the guy drinks it and is suddenly lifted off of his feet, much to the amazement of the audience.

[Alice]

I think it means there will be booths all over the effing place.  But I'm fine with that.  I get to see Lacuna Coil... if I get in.

[Beefy]

Now if they'd only get bands worth listening to...

[Alice]

Now if they'd only get bands worth listening to...

They have Dragonforce!

[Beefy]

Now if they'd only get bands worth listening to...

They have Dragonforce!

Oooooooooooo