Also a reminder for myself, but the "Free" Ozzfest ticket redemption starts today, June 12.

I've actually never seen Ozzy, so if I remember and get some, I'd go just to see him. Isn't Zakk Wylde playing with him again? That'd be cool. I can skip all the shitty supporting bands that Sharon Osbourne booked.

Free? How so?

You go to the Ozzfest website and sign up for a code that will allow you to get 2 free Ozzfest tickets. I've had my code for a few weeks now, though the show I'm trying to go to (Boston, of course) isn't up for grabs until 3 today.

ehh...didn't work for me. I didn't remember until 90 minutes after the on-sale time. I'm "in line" right now, but it's been like that for over and hour now.

It didn't work for me either. I was there on time, but obviously the site was overloaded and I was in "line" for over an hour also. So I figured "fuck it" since the line-up isn't that good (only Lamb of God and seeing Ozzy for novelty's sake intrigued me).

What was suspicious to me was that there were three levels of "free" ticket codes. One level if you bought Ozzy's album, a second if you bought some energy drink and a third for everyone else. I'm guessing your chances of getting a "free" ticket increased if you bought something.

Your chances of getting a "free" ticket improve drastically if you buy a ticket. Cheap bastards.

Actually, are they selling any tickets? I thought I heard the whole thing was free.

Oh, the whole thing IS "free".... but good luck getting a ticket. You had to jump through all those hoops to get your "free" ticket.

I imagine the inevitable eBay ticket sales will pop-up soon.

No such thing as a "free" ticket. Free would be if you simply showed up at the gates, day of the show, and they let you in. But obviously, it wouldn't take much to spur a riot in that case.

Right. A free concert of that magnitude is really a stupid thing for a promoter to do. It's just not safe, and in order to limit patrons, you make the attenders jump through hoops to get a ticket. That just pisses fans off. Just make your ticket a fair price and get out there and give the audience their money's worth. That'll always do more good in the long run than a confusing, riot-inducing, "free" concert.

Well they got some publicity out of it. I'm a longtime metal fan and haven't paid any attention to, or felt a desire to go to Ozzfest in the 10 years or so that it's been around. Even the year that Iron Fuckin' Maiden was on the bill. But I was suckered in by the "free" gimmick this year.

I feel no guilt, hypocrisy or emptiness by saying the show was sour grapes, anyways.

Don't get me wrong, I don't think it's stupid for fans to want a free show. I think it's a great idea for fans, just not the best thing logistically for promoter to try to pull off.

What did the sour grapes comment mean?

Just that the show didn't seem that great, anyways. Like the fox who goes through all that trouble to get to the grapes on the branch...then gives up, walks away and says "they were probably sour anyways".

Ahhhhhh.

Yeah, you think Sharon was planning the tour as usual, then looked at the lineup and thought, "We better try to give this one away."

Probably. The only acts on the bill who I've even heard of are Ozzy, Lamb of God, Hatebreed, Nile, Static X, and maybe one or two who I'm forgetting.

Out of the listed names, I had slight curiosity in Nile and was somewhat interested in seeing Lamb of God live.

Nile? As in Nile Rogers? Guitarist for disco band Chic?

:lol:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nile_(band)

I knew that.

But I didn't know they were from SC. Hey Southern boys makin good!