Article and Photos By L.Paul Mann

A few hundred lucky Heavy Metal fans were treated to a free concert and astonishing press conference on Thursday afternoon, May 12th, in Hollywood. The special occasion began with a showing of a documentary covering a Black Sabbath tour in the 90’s. Then the lights went up and Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne, along with Black Sabbath bassist extraordinaire Geezer Butler shuffled onstage. They were followed by Corey Taylor and most of Slipknot, all in their iconic masks. Finally they were joined by a small army of some of the members of the biggest bands in heavy metal today. The performers all sat patiently in chairs on the stage, while the historic  announcement was made and then answered question from the press and the audience.

The big announcement was the first and only two day heavy metal festival featuring a combined OOZFEST and KNOTFEST. It will also be the last time ever that Black Sabbath plays in California. All the details and line-ups (below) were revealed at the press conference today, fittingly at the historic Hollywood rock venue, the Palladium. Fans in attendance were even treated to a chance to buy special discounted tickets, before they officially go on sale. This amalgamation of two of the most well-known and established names in rock, the OZZFEST, celebrating its 20th anniversary, and  the KNOTFEST, which debuted in 2012, is set for Saturday, September 24 (OZZFEST) and Sunday, September 25 (KNOTFEST) at San Manuel Amphitheater and Festival Grounds in San Bernardino, CA. Tickets for the Live Nation-produced OZZFEST MEETS KNOTFEST–a multi-stage, two-day weekend camping event with more than 40 acts, will go on sale Friday, May 20 at 10:00 AM (PT) at OZZFEST.COM and KNOTFEST.COM.

Saturday’s OZZFEST will be headlined by Black Sabbath, and Sunday’s KNOTFEST bill is topped by the festival’s namesake, Slipknot.

Quotes from the press conference included:

“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.”

“We want it to be the loudest, biggest, dirtiest festival in California. We couldn’t be happier,” said a beaming Sharon Osbourne.”

Following the press conference, Zak Wylde led a trio of rockers in a thunderous performance under the moniker Zakk Sabbath. The iconic guitarist guided  the band through a series of ear ringing Black Sabbath covers. The band was also joined by guest singers, Taylor of Slipknot  and Disturbed singer David Draiman, leading to a Black Sabbath metal music orgy, while the Osbournes and Geezer watched from the balcony.

The San Manuel Amphitheater and Festival Grounds is where OZZFEST–the event that launched the US hard rock festival market and went on to tour the world–began in 1996 and where KNOTFEST last year took over the San Bernardino, CA 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 line-up 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 OZZFEST MEETS KNOTFEST 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.