Ozzfest!

noir_blood

I never gone to ozzfest, as there tends to only be one or two bands I'm really interested in, and a bunch of meh..but this year, the one band happens to be Metallica (and okay, Ozzy). Tickets right now are at the 80-130 range.

My question is for those that have gone, how much time is dedicated to each band? I would hate to go and have Metallica only play for half an hour or so.

Also, anything else I should know about Ozzfest?

deadonthestreet

noir_blood wrote: »

Also, anything else I should know about Ozzfest?

Yeah, it's miserable. Way too hot, too many meatheads, chances are you're too far away from the stage to actually see much of the bands. Depending on the venue, there will be no shade, and little chance to rehydrate at all.

It can be a good time, but it can also suck hardcore.

Bands play between half an hour and a bit over an hour depending on how big they are.

supabeast

The big headliners sometimes do shows in the 1-1.5 hour range, everyone else usually gets ~30 minute sets depending on how fast they can manage to set up. I remember Korn playing a 90 minute set, and 60-minute sets from Tool and Marilyn Manson. Anyway, its a great lineup, so assuming you can deal with the heat and sun, go for it.

Steev

I went to one of the first Ozzfests about 11 years ago. I got there around noon with two friends. We had general admission tickets and could barely see anything on the stage. It was also a cloud-free day, so the sun had free reign on our skin.

By the time we had seen Type O Negative around 4:30, we'd had enough. We were sunburnt and tired, didn't feel like trying to survive the mosh pits that would erupt out of the upcoming Pantera performance, and disappointed in the poor quality of sound. From what I heard, Pantera ended up playing for an hour, the reunited Black Sabbath played for a bit longer than that, and Ozzy played the longest.

Don't let me discourage you, though. I've come to realize I cannot stand huge festival-style concerts. If you've never been to one, go for it. Lots of people seem to have a good time. That's pretty costly for a ticket, though.

Also, Ozzy was pretty terrible when I saw him the year before that.

Local H Jay

Here's a two tips that will save you ALOT of time:
Don't wear black. I know that's kinda sanctimonious since it is a metal show, but seriously, you'll be DYING. I pretty much ruined my favorite Megadeth shirt with sweat and dirt.
Also, keep eating to a minimum before and during your time there. Bathroom lines are MILES long and once inside you'd wish you'd have shit your pants.
But it was so worth it to see Wayne Static do some shots.

supabeast

Something else to add: pit passes are worth the money (and one of the best deals in music) but the pit area is usually only open later in the day, long after it might have saved your ass from the noon Sunshine.