Black Sabbath, Slipknot Headline Ozzfest, Knotfest Weekend
Ozzy Osbourne and Slipknot‘s Corey Taylor announced that Ozzfest and Knotfest would be joining forces for a standalone mega-fest this fall at a press conference Thursday. The event, officially dubbed Ozzfest Meets Knotfest, will feature Black Sabbath‘s final California concert. Sharon Osbourne introduced the artists at the press conference, which included Slipknot‘s Shawn “Clown” Crahan, Zakk Wylde and members of Anthrax, Hatebreed and others.
The fest will take place on September 24th and 25th at the San Manuel Amphitheater and Festival Grounds in San Bernardino, California, and each day will feature a special lineup that represents each of the artist’s fests.
Participating bands on the Ozzfest day include Black Sabbath, Disturbed, Megadeth, Opeth, Black Label Society, Children of Bodom, Hatebeed, Dead Cross, Municipal Waste, Kataklysm and Nails, among many others. The Knotfest day will feature Slipknot, Slayer, Amon Amarth, Anthrax, Suicide Silence, Emmure, Butcher Babies and others. In total, more than 40 acts will perform over the two days.
Tickets for Ozzfest Meets Knotfest go on sale Friday, May 20th and 10 a.m. PST.
Sharon Osbourne, who has spent the past week in headlines concerning her alleged separation from Ozzy, introduced the cast of characters at the press conference in Hollywood. The audience cheered so loudly when she came onstage that it was difficult to hear her on a Facebook broadcast of the event. “I love you, too,” she said. “Believe me, I do.” She then thanked the fans and introduced her husband, who gave her a huge hug, and his Black Sabbath bandmate Geezer Butler, as well as the Slipknot members.
Once the full panel was assembled, they answered questions from the press. Taylor said that Slipknot owes a debt not only to Ozzfest but also to Black Sabbath, so they wanted to “make the last North American show for Black Sabbath absolutely fucking monumental.” Butler later clarified that it is not the last Black Sabbath show in the U.S. but simply the last one in California.
When someone asked what people should expect from Ozzfest Meets Knotfest, Ozzy said, “a great crazy weekend.” His bandmate Butler said, “Lots of good music and good dope.” The audience erupted in applause. “What we know is what we can expect from each and every one of the fans,” Taylor said. “You guys determine the energy. We can give you as much as we’ve got, and you know that we will.”
The Slipknot singer also said he hoped the fest will show people the importance of their genre. “I think the best thing for this is that we send a statement to the rest of the world that heavy metal and hard rock will never fucking die,” Taylor told the audience.
Black Sabbath are set to return to the U.S. for another leg of their “The End” tour in August and carry on through the Ozzfest. Slipknot will be touring North America with Marilyn Manson in June and July.