Ozzy (& Sharon) vs. Iron Maiden

Anybody, especially in the soCal area know what the deal is with this crazy Ozzfest incident that happened? Apparently, Sharon and the Oz camp people had some beef with Maiden which subsequently turned into Sharon ordering a small troop together (including Kelly) to sabatoge Maiden's set at the Glen Helen Pavillion near San Bernardino, CA. Among other things Maiden was spit on, had eggs and bottle caps thrown at them, and had their power cut off several times during their set. Gotta hand it to Maiden though, they endured and continued through their set. Sounds crazy! So far Sharon has owned up to the cutting off of the power.

If I was at this show and paid to see Maiden, I'd be pretty pissed. I can't call myself a huge metal head, but I have been a fan of Maiden, Sabbath, and Ozzy for years. I think though that with the popularity of 'The Osbournes' reality show, that family has become drunk with power. It's absolutely disgusting how much money they have. Ozzy looks like he should be put out to pasture, and Sharon and Kelly are just ridiculously spoiled human beings. Jack...well, not that repulsive somehow.

Whatever the case, ya think Sharon coulda dealt with her issues with Maiden back stage, instead of bringing 45,000 paying customers to the brink of chaos and riot?

more info at http://www.ironmaiden.com/

Here's Sharon's statement:

Sharon Osbourne has issued the following "open letter" to IRON MAIDEN manager Rod Smallwood:

"Rod,

"I found your statement to be completely void of the facts that led up to Saturday's show. Your press release was written like an old-time '80s manager, trying to use every opportunity to try and sell the record and the upcoming shows instead of just dealing with the truth.

"These are the facts:

"You claim to have been in the business for 30 years and have been to hundreds of gigs, but can you tell me how many times you have heard of an opening band talking sh*t about the headliner during their set and getting away with it? Not only is Ozzy the headliner, but he is also the man who is paying your band $185,000 a night. We gave IRON MAIDEN a chance to play to the biggest audiences they have ever played to in the U.S.A. We accommodated them with their stage set and at the band's request we even scoured the audience for people wearing IRON MAIDEN t-shirts and brought them down front during their set to make them feel more comfortable. Tell me, what other headliner would do that? Unfortunately those gestures were completely lost on Bruce Dickinson who for over 20 shows continually berated Ozzy and Ozzfest during his set.

"Over the last 10 years of Ozzfest, we have worked with over 200 bands. None of them were ever disrespectful to Ozzy or any of the other bands on the tour. But for 20 shows we were forced to hear Dickinson's nightly outbursts from the stage: 'When we come back to America, we'll be back with a proper sound system,' or "We won't be playing the same old songs every night (like SABBATH),' 'We don't need a teleprompter (like Ozzy)' and 'We don't need a reality show to be legit (again, like Ozzy).' Night after night we heard his complaints from the stage about how 'corporate' the venues were and how 'outrageous' the ticket prices were. Strangely enough, if you want to get a general admission ticket to stand in a field to see IRON MAIDEN at Reading this weekend it's going to cost you over $120. I would say that's very pricey, wouldn't you?

"When an artist comes on stage and says he's not playing the 55 minutes that he was allotted and that he is going to play for as long as he wants (cutting into SABBATH's set), I'm not going to let that happen. Dickinson was under the delusion that the 46,000 people in San Bernardino had come only to see IRON MAIDEN. He even proclaimed 'This is not the Ozzfest, This is Maidenfest.' I guess no one told him that we have an audience of 45,000 to 53,000 people every year in San Bernardino.

"Here's another fact for you. Bruce Dickinson's own band was embarrassed by him. IRON MAIDEN leader, Steve Harris, even came to Ozzy's dressing room to apologize to Ozzy for Bruce's behavior before MAIDEN took the stage in San Bernardino.

"It's shameful that Dickinson felt he had the right to air his issues publicly onstage every night as a way to boost his own ego. Dickinson never once came up to Ozzy and me to voice any concerns. He certainly had the opportunity to do so every night. If he wasn't able to show us that courtesy then why should I give him the respect to air my grievances with him in private? Ozzy's only interaction with Dickinson was on the first night of the tour. Ozzy, being the true gentleman that he is, passed Bruce in the hall and said 'Good luck and have a great show.' Unfortunately Dickinson felt the need to turn his back to Ozzy and walked away. Frankly, Dickinson got what he deserved. We had to listen to his bullsh*t for five straight weeks. He only had to suffer a couple of eggs on the head.

"On closing, yes, I did cut IRON MAIDEN's sound. This is the way I look at it: Ozzfest is our tour. We built it into something that's lasted 10 years now. We've been responsible for breaking many new bands and resurrecting the careers of former superstars. Part of our success stems from the fact that when a band is on Ozzfest we treat them with nothing but kindness and respect just as if we had invited them into our home. You can ask all of the bands who have been on the tour. They all describe it as the 'ultimate summer camp.' It's like one big family. Unfortunately Dickinson doesn't have the manners to realize that when you are invited into someone's home, are seated at their dinner table, are eating their food and drinking their wine, you shouldn't talk disrespectfully about them (Ozzy, BLACK SABBATH and Ozzfest), otherwise you just might get your ass handed to you. Every action has a reaction. Was Dickinson so na�ve to think that I was going to let him get away with talking sh*t about my family night after night? I don't think he realizes who he's dealing with. I will not endure behavior like this from anyone.

"I know you would love to keep talking about this because this is the most press that IRON MAIDEN has had in the U.S. in twenty years, but let's move on, shall we?

"Sincerely,

"The 'Real' Iron Maiden

"Sharon Osbourne"

Ooooohhh SNAP! I love a good drama! I agree that the fans should not have suffered and it was unprofessional, but this same woman threw rotten ham at her neighbors so it's not exactly out of character! This is really straight out of Spinal Tap and it's why I love metal shows! RAWK!!! F*CK YEAH!!!

Check out the eggs on the monitor...

[ Edited by: stuff-o-rama 2005-08-26 22:49 ]

Yeah..no doubt Bruce Dickinson has a big mouth, and needless to say, a huge ego. But what the hell, shouldn't he? I saw them at Madison Square Garden a few years ago with Motorhead, and Dio. Dickinson went on what I thought was a pretty cool 5-10 minute rampage against MTV and all the crappy music that dominates the market these days. Too many people in show-biz never want to express their opinions and play it safe with what they say publicly. However, I don't think that his comments on the Ozzfest were appropriate. It is Ozzy & Sharon's 'house' after all. But compromising the safety of 45,000 people is uncool and in this case very selfish. If this thing erupted into a riot, people could've really gotten hurt...badly. All I can say about Sharon Osbourne is HER bills are paid with PLENTY left over. Build a frickin bridge and get over it.

On 2005-08-26 23:12, donhonyc wrote:
Yeah..no doubt Bruce Dickinson has a big mouth, and needless to say, a huge ego. But what the hell, shouldn't he?

Big egos and political statements are what rock & roll is all about. (Just check out the new VH1 show "Gene Simmon's Rock School" but that's a whole 'nother thread...) How many times have you gone to see one of your favorite bands only to be held hostage during a 6 minute rant by a member of the band? Getting people to "rally the cause" is part of the "rock code." To get so upset about a verbal statement that you sabotage someone in front of their fans is just silly! Sharon is dripping in diamonds because she created the whole absurd rock extravaganza, she is a shrewd business woman so I have to tip my hat to her in that respect. However, the grade school tactic of "I'm taking my ball and leaving 'cause I don't want to play with you anymore" is plain retarded. It's a good thing Ozzy called off Ozzfest for next year because I'm sure this lame act would have effected ticket sales... and stadium rock shows have become about the all mighty dollar and not about music. It's all t-shirts and product and units sold, gross ticket sales and breaking last shows record. That's my experience anyway and why i left the music biz. I have to admit if I had attended this show to see Iron Maiden I'd be pissed off, but as an outsider I find it strangely hilarious. Guess it's my sick sense of humor.

You can say whatever you want about Sharon Osbourne, but one thing you can't say is that she's ever backed down from a fight! I still chuckle when I think back on her "Interview" with the Insane Clown Posse on the Howard Stern Show a few years back.

I don't know, it doesn't hold a candle to the Hillary Duff v. Lindsey Lohan feud....

mrs. pineapple

I was at the first show for this year's OzzFest in Manfield, MA. I remember at one point Dickinson was talking about bands that do the same old tours rehashing the same old tunes and Maiden wasn't one of those bands. I turned to my wife and mentioned "does he realize who is headlining tonight?".

Sharon was totally out of line pulling the power on their set. And I wouldn't doubt if the eggings etc... were her doing. Yeah Bruce put the "Dick" in Dickinson saying some of that stuff, but deal with it on your own time Sharon - not the fans' time.

I was at the Ozzfest concert in Pittsburgh, PA. Bruce is right. It really should have been the Maidenfest. Never once did he say anything bad on stage about Ozzy. The only comment he made was that it was a little shorter set than they were used to, which is absolutely correct. I can't believe the great humility that it must have taken for Iron Maiden to agree to do the Ozzfest. It is Maiden that has fans around the world, not Ozzy. Most of the other bands were mediocre at best. The level of musical talent that Iron Maiden exhibits is simply not in existence among most newer bands. There are a few exceptions such as Mastadon and Soilwork, but most of the bands just plain sucked. If Maiden hadn't done the tour, I don't think there would have been many people there. The only reason many people went this year was because of Maiden. I thought Black Label Society would be good, old school music, but they were terribly boring live and their music was very simplistic. Many people left after Maiden's set, because Ozzy looked and sounded terrible. In fairness, the remaining members of Black Sabbath were amazing. It is sad that Sharon has taken a great legend that has given us much and destroyed him in her quest for money. Ozzy is the one who needs help, not Maiden.

[ Edited by: crazyhips 2005-10-07 10:49 ]

Priceless.

You don't $#!+ where you eat. If you don't like where you're eating, eat somewhere else.

Once upon a time there was a great metal band that even punks liked...then Bruce Dickenson joined the band and F#@*&d it up.

If your sharing the bill with a bunch of other bands, then get out there and just kick ass when your time slot comes up. If you only have one hour, then give the fans all you got for an hour.

The last thing I want to hear is a frontman who's a F****n whiner. Shut up and play.

[ Edited by: JimTandem 2005-10-11 15:48 ]