
“Dimebag” Darrell Abbott Honored With Ozzfest SuperjamBesides for the headliners, no one was better represented at Ozzfest’s one-show stint at Pizza Hut Park than the late “Dimebag” Darrell Abbott, who was killed onstage at a Damageplan show on December 8, 2004 in Ohio. For most of the day, that was in the form of T-shirts, tattoos and the virtual army of men in baggy cargo shorts and pink-dyed goatees. But following the set by Hellyeah, featuring his brother Vinnie Paul on drums, Dimebag’s music was there, too. “Mouth for War” — with Hatebreed’s Jamey Jasta on vocals and Slayer’s Kerry King on guitar — kicked off the tribute set, and brought with it the first big moment of the festival that didn’t involve a girl pulling aside her bikini top. “A New Level” followed, with Max Cavalera and King Diamond sharing vocals and King and Anthrax’s Scott Ian tag-teaming on guitar. An acoustic cover of Pink Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here” headed by Jerry Cantrell, served as a palate cleanser, before Metallica’s Kirk Hammett and Hellyeah/Mudvayne singer Chad Gray came out for “Fucking Hostile.” Because the two giant screens on either side of the stage were filled with video clips and still photos of Dime rather than footage from the stage, it was difficult to make out who was performing. It was a nice touch, but it helped blunt the power of the all-star jam. It was nearly impossible to make out that Metallica’s Lars Ulrich played drums on the cover of “Wish You Were Here,” or that the woman singing along with Cantrell on that cover was Pearl Aday, Meat Loaf’s daughter and Ian’s fiancée. Squinting only takes you so far. More Ozzfest: • Ozzy, Metallica, Serj Tankian Lead Ozzfest • The Sword Highlight Ozzfest Second Stage [Photo: AFP/Getty]
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Published: 2008-08-11 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News, Festivals, More News
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MTV Celebrates 20 Years of “Headbangers Ball”Photo: Samad/AFP/Getty The year was 1988. The first George Bush was elected as President, Kirk Gibson of the Los Angeles Dodgers was limping his way across the bases in the World Series and MTV was airing a show dedicated to heavy metal called Headbangers Ball. Even though their flagstaff hard rock program has been relegated to VJ-less MTV2 status in recent years, MTV will still pay homage to the show that gave metal heads stiff necks two decades ago with a 20th anniversary celebration. Highlighting the festivities is an interview and live performance by Headbangers favorite band, Metallica. Other specials include an Avenged Sevenfold concert from the Long Beach Arena, the premiere of Slipknot’s “Dead Memories” video and a heavy metal panel featuring the show’s past VJs like Twisted Sister’s Dee Snider, Hatebreed’s Jamey Jasta and the show’s most memorable host, Riki Rachtmann (who presided over a number of phenomenal video premieres, including the Rock Daily favorite “November Rain”). Still, all that headbanging probably knocked a screw loose inside MTV’s head, as 2008 is actually the 21st anniversary of the show: The first Headbangers Ball aired in April 1987. Then there’s the fact that the show was off the air from 1995 to 2003, but who cares? The party begins on MTV2 on October 20th. Related Stories: • MTV Puts TRL on Hiatus • Talk Show Flashback: Beastie Boys Hang Out on Old, Weird MTV • Backstage at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards
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Published: 2008-10-09 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News
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