Photo gallery & review: Ozzfest at Pizza Hut Park (August 9)

by Kenneth Smith of 2K7 Photography

Frisco's Pizza Hut Park hosted 2008's only stop of the annual Ozzfest tour. 25,000 plus fans braved the hundred-degree heat to take part in the festivities. This year's show boasted three stages, over 20 bands and countless vendors giving away all kinds of free schwag. A "Texas Stage" hosted bands such as Rigor Mortis, Drowning Pool and The Sword while the Jagermeister stage was home to (amongst others) Goatwhore, Devildriver, and Sevendust. These two second stages were out in the parking lot while the Main Stage was at one end of the venue's soccer field. The Main Stage, which kicked off with In This Moment at 1:30 p.m. also had the day's biggest acts such as Apocalyptica, Jonathan Davis of Korn, HellYeah, Serj Tankian of System Of A Down, Metallica, Ozzy Osbourne, and a Special Tribute to Dimebag Darrell.

Though the heat wasn't as bad as it has been in these parts for the past few weeks, it was still quite brutal (even with a light cloud cover). Yet, there didn't seem to be any major problems as a result. The soccer field was divided into 3 areas. Right in front of the stage was a small, VIP-only (which meant you could buy a pass to get in for somewhere around $500) pit with a general pit ($150.00) behind it, and yet another pit behind it (all separated by barricades). Needless to say, it was quite a bizarre setup but seemed to work fine and I heard no complaints. Even the crazy-expensive VIP pit was packed full of folks willing to shell out the money to be that close.

By the time In This Moment took the stage, the crowd seemed more than ready to get started. They opened the Main Stage with an amazing set featuring songs from both their 2007 Beautiful Tragedy and upcoming release The Dream. Finland's Apocalyptica followed with a high-powered set that included orchestral-sounding renditions of Sepultura's "Refuse/Resist" and Metallica's "Seek and Destroy."

After Shadows Fall and Cavalera Conspiracy both put on great shows, Jonathan Davis of Korn began what would be one of the more intriguing sets of the day. Having not heard much about what exactly his solo act was, I wasn't sure what to expect. Turns out it's basically him in a pin-stripe suit with a Jazz/Funk band doing some solo material and variations of different Korn songs, while spending most of the set sitting in a chair that looked as if it belonged to a king back in medieval times. Though it sounds quite bizarre, it actually sounded pretty good and the audience was definitely enjoying what they heard.

HellYeah was up next and delivered the high-energy set that Ozzfest (and HellYeah-alike) fans have come to expect. Immediately following their set, an all-star tribute to Dimebag Darrell began, which featured artists such as Jamey Jasta (Hatebreed), Scott Ian (Anthrax), Jerry Cantrell (Alice In Chains), King Diamond, Lars Ulrich (Metallica) and more. The different artists took turns playing multiple Pantera songs, as well as a semi-acoustic rendition of Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here," while a video montage of Dimebag played on the venue's huge screens. The sides of the stage were lined up with pretty much every band member on the bill, Sharon Osbourne, and multiple other recognizable faces to witness this truly touching tribute to the fallen icon.

Before Ozzy's set began, a hilarious video reel of him playing multiple different parts, including Amy Winehouse, a Dancing With The Stars contestant, and Hillary Clinton, was shown on the screens. He took the stage at around 7:50 p.m. to a deafening roar from the crowd. If there's anything to be said about Ozzy, it's that he's still got it. Despite being 60 years old, he still has no problem putting on a great show and is quite active on stage. He played a good mix of his catalog while the entire venue sang along. It also should be mentioned that apparently he didn't want to quit playing when his set was over considering he remained on stage and played for an additional half-hour longer than expected.

Ozzfest headliners Metallica went on after a very quick stage changeover (necessary due to Ozzy's extra set time and the venue's stage curfew) around 10:00 p.m. and completely blew the roof (not that there really is a roof) off of Pizza Hut Park. Playing in front of a massive screen that was showing a live-feed from cameras on stage, the guys played what was easily the best set of the day to the packed venue. Fans went absolutely wild as they tore into both old and new songs, one after the other.

This year's Ozzfest was arguably the best yet. Everything seemed to go flawlessly. There was plenty to see and do and more than enough great music to go around. All bands involved played great sets and the crowd was definitely satisfied. If you weren't lucky enough to catch the only Ozzfest this year, well, you missed out. Hopefully we will be lucky enough to host the event next year, as well (though that might just be wishful thinking).