The real reason Ozzy Osbourne canceled Ozzfest was disclosed by Sharon Osbourne in a recent Osbournes Podcast episode. Throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s, the festival has been recognized as one of the most important occasions in the rock and metal world. On New Year’s Eve of 2018, Ozzfest took place in Inglewood, California. Ozzfest’s originator, Sharon, discussed the reasons behind its cancellation. The management were avaricious and, for some reason, believed that we were making billions on it, even though we weren’t, which made it a really strange beast. All of the bands were our friends. We were profitable. However, it wasn’t like we could live there forever. Additionally, it was no longer cost-effective because managers and agents kept asking for more and more. We gave up as it was simply not profitable. She then remembered an incident from the second or third Ozzfest in which a band had asked for more money in order to play, stating: Many years ago, during perhaps our second or third Ozzfest, one of the bands insisted on not performing until I gave them an additional $10,000.
I responded, “Of course, of course, I’ll give it to you,” as they were holding everything up. She revealed that it was Danzig when her son Jack enquired about the band. In the end, Sharon clarified, she refused to accede to their request for further funds. She believed the band was trying to take advantage of her by going back on the agreed-upon contract, which they and their agency had both approved, by choosing to play in spite of this. Ozzy was supposed to be on the Lollapalooza roster in 1995, but Sharon insisted he wasn’t cool enough, so they turned him down. She then made the decision to create Ozzfest, their own festival, alongside Ozzy. When asked how Ozzyfest came to be, Sharon said at the time: “All I could think was, f*ck them.” If Lollapalooza was incapable of appreciating what Ozzy had to offer, we would have produced a superior version of our own metal. Ozzfest was first held in 1996 and was originally a two-day event.
It became an annual tour the following year, with the exception of 2008, when it returned to being a one-day event. While it took place in multiple places in 2010, it was held in one location most of the time. You can view the entire podcast episode down below.
