On a recent episode of “The Osbournes Podcast,” Sharon Osbourne shed light on the real reason behind the cancellation of the iconic rock festival, Ozzfest.
Ozzfest was a hallmark in the rock and metal universe throughout the late ’90s and the dawn of the 2000s. Its final curtain call was on New Year’s Eve 2018 in Inglewood, California. Sharon, the mastermind behind Ozzfest, explained the decision to end the festival:
“While it felt like a family reunion with many bands being close friends, their managers were another story. Many believed we were making a fortune from the festival, which wasn’t the case. We did turn a profit, but it wasn’t a goldmine. With management constantly demanding more, the economics of the event just didn’t add up anymore.”
She reminisced about an instance from an early Ozzfest when a band refused to take the stage unless they received an additional $10,000. Although she initially agreed, she didn’t give in eventually. The band in question? Danzig. Sharon felt they were breaching an agreed-upon contract that they and their representative had initially approved.
Back in 1995, Sharon had hoped for Ozzy to be a part of Lollapalooza. However, they declined, thinking Ozzy wasn’t the right fit. Spurred by this rejection, Sharon thought, “If they couldn’t recognize Ozzy’s value, we’ll create our own, superior metal festival.” And thus, Ozzfest was born in 1996. Starting as a two-day event, it became an annual tour from the next year. There were a few exceptions, like in 2008 when it reverted to a one-day event, and in 2010 when it took place across various cities. However, typically, the festival was hosted in a single location.
