Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Ozzfest was rank




When I walked through the gates at Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre for Ozzfest on Tuesday, the stench hit me harder than the music.
Thousands of bodies sweating out in temperatures zooming past 90 degrees made things yucky. Although, the heat didn’t stop fans from guzzling beer, crowd-surfing and rocking out to lesser-known metal bands.

Admission to Ozzfest was free this year, but Verizon charged $20 to park. Ridiculous.

The concert drew a crowd that ranged in age from young kids to Baby Boomers. Lines snaked from autograph tents, and fans crowded in front of the stage. Inside the main pavilion area, vendors sold T-shirts, bags, sunglasses and more.

Most fans (predictably) wore black, although I saw several men wearing kilts. What’s up with that? There were lots of spiked, multi-colored mohawks. The outfit that caused the most rubbernecking was worn by a rail-thin woman wearing thigh-high fish nets, a G-string and a bra.

Along with the stench, the other thing that stayed with me longer than the ringing in my ears was the frat-boy style obsession with women’s breasts. At one point, a crowd of men gathered around a woman in a grassy area who acted as if she was going to flash her breasts.

One guy held a cardboard sign that read “Show your (you know what)” Later the MC berated women in audience for not showing off any breasts. Of course, that prompted someone to do just that.

Pathetic.

20 comments:

Anonymous said...

Lighten up and have fun.

Anonymous said...

I am sure this will be deleted by isn't it amazing how anything WHITE that Jameson "reports" on is "rank, pathetic" or some other derogatory term? I am sure if this was a hip hop concert it would have been the best thing in the world.

Sorry, IMO the observer is employing a racist and if the tables were turned and a white reporter used terms such as rank or pathetic describing a black concert, they would be fired!


How long before this gets deleted?

Anonymous said...

Ohhhh, you have to APPROVE it. Guess the racist cannot handle the truth and the comment will never see the light of day

Anonymous said...

You're just jealous those chicks weren't really flashing you.

Who's DJ-ing this week and bringing the hotness????

Anonymous said...

Yeah she really is obnoxious and borderline on racism. Her Hip Hop shows (which I also attend) are fascinated with just as negative a lifestlye exploiting women and violence? Funny, the perfect word to describe her narrow intellect is just that....pathetic.


From the heart Tonya, from the heart.

Anonymous said...

anonymous- I completely agree.

Anonymous said...

How were the attendees of OZZFEST any different than the misogynists on stage at a rap concert? The only difference was the color of the attendees' skin.

Anonymous said...

What about the artistic expression? Only commenting on the crowd? Pathetic.

Anonymous said...

What about the artistic expression of the performers? Only commenting on the crowd? Pathetic.

Special K said...

Imagine how some of the fans at Ozzfest would write up a rap concert then reread what you wrote. Your prose is better but smacks of the same culture shock.

You could at least admit that those folks that you wrote about were having a good time. You missed it. You post is ignorant and intolerant.

Anonymous said...

Its about having fun and letting loose. And it appears you didn't stick around for the main guy Ozzy himself. If you don't enjoy the music then don't come. Send a writer who likes it to begin with. Try listening to the lyrics of Ozzy songs before judgeing the sound. And any concert is going to have sweaty drinking people, unless its church

Anonymous said...

White folk are mad.....LOL

forget right or wrong, let a black person say somethong about white people

Anonymous said...

rank?

Ranker than your fuzzy armpits? Go back to DC, we don't want you here.

Anonymous said...

Hey Tonya,

"Leave those kids alone!"

Anonymous said...

What's that thing on the top of your head?

Anonymous said...

Kudos for posting all of these comments, true as they are.

Anonymous said...

Tonya,

Will you be attending any events related to Charlotte Shout! this year??

Tonya Jameson said...

Yep.
Starting with the media preview tomorrow.
I'm teaming with Charlotte Observer Eye editor Crystal Dempsey and Carolina Nightlife's Charles Wilson to brew a beer for the Blues, Brews & BBQ competition.
And I'm pretty sure I'll catch at least one night of the Culinary Arts Festival.

Anonymous said...

Wow. You guys are harsh. I'm white and I would have used the same words to describe that scene. I don't care about your skin color -- if you're wearing thigh highs and a g-string in public or flashing your breasts when a man demands it, YOU ARE RANK.

Anonymous said...

I agree with the poster at 9:09. I am white and no one needs to wear a g-string to a concert. Not only is that "rank", but it is trashy and nasty. Tonya did not mention race in her article, so why is everyone else mentioning it??