At a press conference in Los Angeles earlier today, Ozzy Osbourne and Corey Taylor, along with Sharon Osbourne, Black Sabbath’s Geezer Butler and others, unveiled “Ozzfest Meets Knotfest,” a two-day event that will see the merging of the two major metal festivals.
The event is set for Saturday, September 24 (Ozzfest) and Sunday, September 25 (Knotfest) at San Manuel Amphitheater and Festival Grounds in San Bernardino, California.
Saturday’s Ozzfest will be headlined by Black Sabbath—marking their last Southern California performance as part of the band’s final tour—and Sunday’s Knotfest bill is topped by the festival’s namesake, Slipknot. On hand at the press conference were Ozzfest founder Ozzy Osbourne and Slipknot’s Corey Taylor and M. Shawn Crahan (aka Clown). The event began with a movie screening, followed by a Q&A session with artists from the “Ozzfest Meets Knotfest” bill and concluded with a performance from Zakk Sabbath, led by Zakk Wylde.
“We are here to create havoc and history,” says Ozzy Osbourne. “Let the madness begin…”
“This could be the one of the coolest things I’ve ever been a part of,” says Corey Taylor of Slipknot. “Starting out as an Ozzfest band, coming into our own with Knotfest and now combining forces to make a little metal history…it was meant to be and I’m proud to be a part of it.”
“Playing with Black Sabbath is always an honor,” Shawn “Clown” Crahan of Slipknot exclaims. “Merging both festivals will be a legendary experience that will be life-changing for all fans. We are excited to bring all the families together again.”
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“We want it to be the loudest, biggest, dirtiest festival in California. We couldn’t be happier,” says Sharon Osbourne.
“The impact of Ozzfest on heavy music and on Slipknot, cannot be underestimated,” says Cory Brennan, President, 5B Artist Management. “For 20 years Ozzfest has given fans their first glimpse at bands like Slipknot, Disturbed and countless others, but also bringing new fans and bands together every year. Ozzfest inspired Slipknot to continue this vital tradition with Knotfest, and it’s an honor to celebrate our genre alongside them in 2016.”
The San Manuel Amphitheater and Festival Grounds is where Ozzfest began in 1996 and where Knotfest last year took over the San Bernardino venue and expanded into a camping festival. There’s also a longtime history between the two namesakes of the events, with Slipknot appearing at Ozzfest in 1999, 2001, 2004, 2005 and 2013 at the inaugural Ozzfest Japan.
The “Ozzfest Meets Knotfest” 2016 lineup is as follows, with both Ozzfest and Knotfest dedicating a stage in honor of their departed comrade Lemmy Kilmister of Motörhead.
OZZFEST Line-up Saturday, September 24
MAIN STAGE Black Sabbath Disturbed Megadeth Opeth Black Label Society Rival Sons
LEMMY STAGE Children of Bodom Hatebreed DevilDriver Goatwhore Huntress Dead Cross
NUCLEAR BLAST STAGE Municipal Waste Kataklysm Nails The Shrine Still Rebel
KNOTFEST Line-up Sunday, September 25
MAIN STAGE Slipknot Slayer Amon Amarth Anthrax Trivium
LEMMY STAGE Sabaton Suicide Silence Overkill Emmure Butcher Babies Man with A Mission
NUCLEAR BLAST STAGE Whitechapel Combichrist Death Angel SIM ONI
Beyond the music, each day festival-goers will encounter a wide variety of attractions throughout the expansive site. Initial onsite daily activities include a Monster Truck Arena, Carnival Thrill Rides, Massive Fire Displays, Flaming Carnival Games, The Thunderdome Battle Arena, an 85 Person Traveling Troupe of Freaks, a Carnival Midway with Games of Chance, Vendor Village, Food Trucks and Craft Beer, with 50 Foot Tall x 75 Foot Wide Image-Mapped Video Walls flanking the Main Stage, with more exciting developments to be announced in the coming months.
A variety of “Ozzfest Meets Knotfest” ticketing and camping packages are available. Single day tickets range from $25.00 for GA lawn to $39.50-$149.50 for reserved seats, with GA pit passes starting at $99.00 for Sunday and $149.00 Saturday. Weekend passes range from $40.00 for GA lawn to $69.00-$239.00 for reserved seats, and $239.00 for GA pit passes. VIP packages start at $249.00 for VIP Lounge; options include the Ultimate Slipknot VIP Experience at $1,000.00, the Black Sabbath M&G Package at $1250 and the Ultimate Ozzy Osbourne Experience at $2500. Camping selections include Tent Camping for $150.00 and RV Camping for $250.00. Additional details on camping and ticketing options can be found at ozzfest.com and knotfest.com.
Rich is the co-author of the best-selling Nöthin' But a Good Time: The Uncensored History of the '80s Hard Rock Explosion. He is also a recording and performing musician, and a former editor of Guitar World magazine and executive editor of Guitar Aficionado magazine. He has authored several additional books, among them Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck, the companion to the documentary of the same name.
