Tikkabik

Jim and I had fun on Friday at Ozzfest 05 in Mansfield, Mass. It was quite a mix of young people and old people alike, milling about, watching the band perform on the two stages, and having a good time together. There was a large contingent of dispossessed-looking young people clad in black and outfitted with piercings and tattoos, and there were also a lot of folks about our age who had been clearly listening to metal and hard rock their entire lives and were there to see the "older bands" like Iron Maiden and Black Sabbath perform.

The venue itself -- the Tweeter Center, nee Great Woods -- had two stages set up, the main stage area and a second stage that had taken over a big chunk of the parking lot. The second stage was rimmed by sponsor tents like FYE, Jaegermeister and Trojan, with a big Sony Playstation 2/PSP truck set up in the middle. It was, unfortunately, directly out in the sun, and Tweeter Center security wouldn't let us sit in our seats in the main pavilion until an hour or so before the main stage opened -- which meant wandering around in the sun and heat for hours. I got a really bad sunburn and while he didn't burn, Jim felt the heat and the sun big time and looked like he was going to pass out for a bit.

Of course, the Tweeter Center made a ton on people who wanted to eat and drink. At $7.50 a pop beer was obscenely expensive, and food was similarly stupidly priced. The high point was when we saw Ozzy himself wandering around with an entourage, and Jim got his autograph. I'm sure it's a moment Jim'll never forget.

For me, it was a chance to see bands I love that I've never seen in concert before, including some of the top-billed acts: Black Label Society, Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath. Really amazing stuff. Bruce Dickinson damn near stole the show -- a hell of an energetic performer and one of the best heavy metal singers out there, period.

Outside of the sunburn and Jim's sunstroke, only one other bad thing happened: As we were getting on the highway, a young lady driving a sedan behind us tapped the bumper on our rental car and took out a reflector and dented the bumper a bit. Jim took the insurance on it (surprising, since he never does, but given the venue we were going to, he felt better safe than sorry), so we were covered -- and what's more, when I checked with the rental agency the next day, they told me they didn't plan to pursue it -- damage was too minor to worry about. Phew.