Dude...seeing Peter Steel from Type O Negative walking around with Marily Manson on his shoulders during Crazy Train was just insane...that's like 13 feet of Metal right there. Haha. When Dime ripped the Crazy Train solo my entire world lit up. Seeing Burton C Bell from Fear Factory singing I Don't Know was amazing too. I was actually talking to Rayna from Coal Chamber when the news got to the bands that Ozzy wasn't gonna be there. Their manager was wide-eyed and freaking out and literally grabbed her by the wrist and took her away while we were talking. By the way...that "Bomb Threat" was my buddy Jesse's backpack!! He accidentally left it near the ticket booth and the Cops thought it was a damn bomb! All his Upper Arlington High School Textbooks and homework got blown up by the Bomb Squad. Hahahaha!! I jokingly showed some of those hillbilly guys how to do the "boy scout" teepee with the pieces of fence. Haha. As soon as one group did that alllll the other ones caught on and started their fires as well...my bad ya'll. ...still have my chunk of fence to this day. ;)
Cool to see something about this . I was there too, I remember seeing a green firebird being flipped over, people tried to light it on fire haha. The fence was destroyed pretty quickly, I still have a huge piece of it . I would love to hear that recording, a day I will never forget .
Bro, me and 2 friends went to RUSH the night B4 at Polaris, stayed the night and scalped tickets and got 10 rows back in front of Dimebag. I liked the best of the bands coming out and doing some songs, but it wasn't Ozzy/Sabbath. The many fires from the fence, the helicopters, the car on it's top flipped over, and the massive party in the muddy field!! Fucking A!!! 🤟
i seen metallica days of the new and alice in chains around that time, no footage anywhere of it i was 10 years old and i been lookimg for footage for a long time
So glad you shared this. I was there that day too and your recollection is spot on! Went to a lot of concerts in my 20s and that show was, by far, the most memorable! I still have two pieces of that fence in my man cave that reads, "Ozzfest, June 17, 1997!" Just prior to Pantera coming on stage, Phil, from backstage said, "We're taking over this town." The place just went nuts! Seeing Ozzy play a solo set and then a set with the original Sabbath (minus Bill Ward) two weeks later in a makeup show was the cherry on top! Two great nights I'll never forget!
I was there! I remember scaling the 15 foot fence people busting windows in the box office.People trying to turn over a car that the radio station had on display! I will never forget that! I knew something was wrong when all the mainstage bands started playing Ozzy songs.
I was there that day too. Craziest show I've ever been to. Manson destroyed his drummer's kit because people were throwing batteries, or something, at him. Huge pit when Pantera started playing Walk. I'll never in my life forget that. I was right in the center when it started. There was a 2nd stage that day. I think I watched Drain STH's set there. Phil basically set off the riot after he asked the crowd if they could jam for them because Ozzy wasn't feeling well. Everyone was like fuck that, we want Ozzy. So Phil said "Ok then fuck you guys". That pissed everyone off. I'll never forget bumper to bumper police cars lined up down the road as far as you can see. Helicopters flying around. People tearing down the fence. Fun night.
I was at Ozzfest, too. It was 3 days after my 17th birthday. Like you, my friends and I got out of there real quick when shit started getting real. Didn't get a piece of the fence, though. We just went straight home to Zanesville. Parents were freaking out when we got home as we didn't have enough change to pay the long distance from C-bus to Z-ville. And it's about an hour drive. It's definitely a good story to break out when I meet a fellow rocker.
I was 16 and this was my first concert had 2nd row seats but spent most of the time in the lawn when they said ozzy wasn't going to show the crowd when nuts the lawn section started the sod war and then everyone started ramming the fence and it was gone within about 15 minutes! I guess my mom seen the news coverage and when I got home she chewed me up pretty good and told me that was the last concert I was ever gonna go to lol! Two weeks later me and my buddy got to go back and see ozzy which was awesome! I'll never forget that concert
you from thornville by any chance or buckeye lake? i miss ohio been 20 yrs since i moved, but if your mom told you your father was some tall guy she met at ozzfest had one night stand with , well its not me , lol
U brought back alot of memories for me with that story. I was there as well but u forgot one part and one of my favorite parts. When the crowd kinda split in two groups (before everything got crazy) and started throwing sod (chunks of dirt and grass) back and forth at each other. Great times man. \m/ rock on and thanks for the story.
Thanks for the video. I was there at age 20. I recall that Manson’s set was really short and folks were upset. Also, the younger Manson fans seemed to clash with the older Ozzy fans. Then when Manson fans wanted to leave, the bomb threat prevented them, causing more tension. So I recall the tension was already there before Ozzy didn’t show. Also, I recall police in riot gear walking through the parking lot after the show. Very memorable and fun.
I, my daughter & a friend was there. We enjoyed what bands performed. Then we met Dino of Fear Factory who called us over & wanted to talk to us. When all the bad stuff started happening, he took us to the band's bus where we were out of danger. I will never forget that event.
Me and 2 friends went to this, saw RUSH the night before and spent the night and scalped great tickets for Ozzfest, like 10 rows back in front of Dime. Caught one of his picks. The best of all the bands came out and jammed sabbath songs. The fence came down in just minutes, fires of the fence boards, (I got a piece of the fence). Helicopters, the muddy parking field became a big party! Awesome awesome awesome!!! 🤟🤟
Hey Corey, just wanted to say I enjoyed your story & I was at the Ozzfest riot that day! Just happened to see your story after these years. Ozzy coming back & doing that private concert was amazing! I've told the story of that riot to different friends through the years 😆 "Ozzy, you're a riot!" -the blimp they flew over Polraris Amp @ the re-do concert!
I was there too, thanks for the memory recap. It took me back in time! Crazy! I remember looking to the sky and so much stuff flying around, people taken out by huge sod clumps. Saw a brand new displayed Camaro on a pedestal rocked back and forth until it rolled off on to it's roof! Fires all over! What a day!
I went to Ozzfest @ Polaris for the 1999,2000, and 2001 tour dates! I absolutely loved it. There was almost a riot that broke out during Rob Zombie's set at Ozzfest 99, it was insane!
damn i got locked up missed 99, only ones i missed i really had no choice , but dont think i havent ask a judge to go !! i would of came back , im not the best human but i go to court do my time and dont rat out others , if im caught im caught you dont tell on your friends people ! write or wrong ya just dont do it !!!!! its sad what some do to stay out of jail, i dont enjoy it , im no hardcore can of whoop ass either, may be considered a whore in prison , but the real whore is those who walk free because they worked with police .sorry not sure what triggered my rant . later
but this also coming from a guy that was told by the judge " you cant makem love ya son "meaning my ex wife divorce etc, my only reply was " no but i can makem disappear" I'm not a lawyer but I would recommend yes sir no sir or mam when a judge speaks" at the time i didnt even know what contempt of court was but had 30 days to look it up !! he had no sense of humor at all !!NONE ! and it really was a joke id never hurt the girl still love her to be honest I just always have had lame ass since of humor and it was way bad timing on the punchline !!when i got out went back to court the judge said you got anything to say MR. Copperfield !!?? NO SIR ! LOL CANT MAKE THIS SHIT UP PEOPLE
I worked there during that time. I was the Promotion Director. It's interesting to see the comments from "the other side of it". We had the bomb scare at the front gate. We had to deal with that. We had protesters because of MM- which cracks me up. They are harmless. Then we got word during all that mess that Ozzy wasn't on his way from LA. The rest of Black Sabbath was there. To buy time- we put the "AllStar Jam" on stage...they played Ozzy/BS songs....uh oh. Something is up. We knew people knew something was up. I recall the statement that we prepared for Phil wasn't quite used- we wanted everyone to understand they were coming back to play the show in a couple weeks, keep your ticket stubs, etc. No one listened. People lost their minds. I saw a girl picking all the flowers out of our flower beds. That was bizarre. I get the frustration but to see our beautiful venue destroyed was emotional. It was personal to us. Our team worked hard to get that all put back together for a bunch of soldout shows we had on the books 10 days later. Our Operations team was absolutely amazing.
Thank you for taking a few minutes to comment and add your inside perspective! Myself, and anyone I know that enjoyed shows at Polaris, all share how much we miss the amphitheater. I have very special memories sitting in the lawn with friends (some who are gone) jamming to Steve Miller. Another unforgettable concert was singing along with Tom Petty (RIP) and of course the much anticipated Ozzfest.Thank you for all the work you and your team did to maintain the venue, attract major acts, and make it a place where people shared their love live music!
I was at this show too, but I was one of the lucky few that made it out of the parking lot. The next day on my way to work I didn't hear anything about the riot on our local rock station, WEBN, 100 miles away in Cincinnati. So I called them and told them what I saw. At the next news break it was their lead story and they even thanked me on the air for the tip! I do remember one thing differently though. The make up concert was in August, not a week later.
I'm from Columbus born and raised. I was in the Army at Ft Sill, Oklahoma at the time, got out in August '97. I remember seeing this on the news and thinking "cool, man, my hometown made national news for a riot at a metal show". Lol Nice shadow box of memorabilia 👍👍
i was there.....it was exactly how he described......fires and smoke everywhere....helicopters flying around......cars flipped.......cops everywhere.......it was wild
Man! So glad I found this. I was there as a 19 yr old kid. I too have a small piece of fence and is in my kitchen as I type this. If you remember, Phil from Pantera was being cool but everyone was booing and throwing sod at the stage. He then called Columbus Ohio a bunch of pussies. All shit broke loose. I can clearly remember one fat kid in a red shirt jumping on the fence and then after a minute everyone rushed it and broke it down. Me included. The grand pix you speak of, was green and I watched one of my buddies hit it with a long board of that fence. After that, all the Marylin Manson kids started burning shit. Helicopters and riot police coming after us. We got in the parking lot as well and got out of there. THANK YOU so much for putting this on here. I’ll never forget that concert. Rock on brotha 🤘🏽
Awesome story Corey! The photos and story details really help add to visualizing your tale. Thanks for making a contest entry and good luck to you in the contest!!!
Right on! Glad I made it in time. Hopefully the details didn't make the video drag on. VERY original and unique contest for the community. I can appreciate the time you are putting into this. With our without my story, I'm looking forward to seeing the finished masterpiece!!
Only correction I would make to the story is the fact that Marilyn Manson did not play an entire set. In fact, they only played a few songs...kept complaining about the sound system or equipment. Was pissed and walked off stage..fans were not happy. That's when people started getting rowdy. Luckily Pantera kicked butt and made everyone forget about MM being an arse..at least for a while! I have some pictures of the fires and the advertising kiosks that were damaged out front by the car...and a piece of the fence :)
Nice! I didn't remember that detail, I was away from the stage when Manson was on. Thanks for adding to the story! I'd LOVE to have digital copies of those photos if you are willing to share! Let me know and I'll give you my email.
If I may add a correction, Pantera went on before Marilyn Manson and in my opinion that was the mistake of the tour. The crowd was so amped after Pantera, the only artist who could have followed was Ozzy. Manson made it through parts of 3 or 4 songs but was getting booed heavily by the crowd from song 1. It just wasn't his type of crowd. The final straw for Manson was trying to play Beautiful People and the crowd throwing things on stage. They maybe got 1/3 of the way through the song and gave up. Manson kicked a speaker off the stage that almost hit a security guard in the head. He smashed the drums with his mic stand. The guitarist and bass player both smashed their guitars and they stormed off. The crowd was booing so loud. The break waiting for Ozzy was really long and became a powder keg. Once the lights went down and the all-star jam began, it was one of the coolest concerts I have personally witnessed. Every band who had played took turns jamming Ozzy/Black Sabbath songs. If my memory serves, they got through at least 10 songs before Phil announced that Ozzy couldn't make it, but that they would continue to play. Then the riot started with small fires that grew into larger ones, the entire back fencing of the amphitheater was ripped out, the show car was destroyed and every window was broken. Columbus riot police rolled in, helicopters flying overhead. We had 7th row stage left in the pavilion, so the security near us said to just sit and wait it out if we wanted. So we waited about 40 minutes for the bulk of the crowd to dissipate. Security never once asked us to leave, they seemed to understand no reason to push everyone in the pavilion out. As we walked to our car, we saw the aftermath of the destruction. It was ridiculous and hilarious all at the same time. Nothing was spared. Everything that could be destroyed was destroyed. We walked slowly past the riot police who paid no attention to us. Got in our car and left laughing the entire way about what we had witnessed.
Nice! Thank you for adding your experience, this night is really taking shape with all the added comments from people who attended. It was a long time ago so the facts are fuzzy but you put it down really well. Pantera was epic, the jam was a once-in-a-lifetime experience and the riot was just like you said ridiculous and hilarious!
Totally epic gig, your facts are spot on! I was in row 11 “K” seat 8 section C !!!! I can add a few things as well. Marilyn Manson started Spitting on the crowd provoking the crowd to unleash the fury on him, well deserved !!!! I’ve been to hundreds of extremely heavy gigs and still to this day Manson was the most evil person period, I can still feel the evil as I type. Also I do remember when I got to the parking lot passing all the Cops in riot gear with the Helicopters flying overhead, Polaris for some strange reason turned off all the lights in the parking lot. One other thing, it’s still the only ticket stub I have that was ripped twice, Ozzy came back and played about month or so later and you just used the same ticket, Ozzy was a totally stand up guy, gig was unbelievably awesome !!!!
I was living in Whitehall and working at Davidson's Collision Center the summer that this happened. We all got a pretty good laugh when we heard Wags and Elliot tell us that Ozzy was going to play another concert, and honor all the surviving unburnt ticket stubs 😄
I was there the next year, and a lot of the same went on. They were burning things, and is started raining sod. Everybody was getting hammered in the faces and head with grass and dirt. There were techs that were up high above stage, the crowd started chanting, "Jump! Jump! Jump!"
I haven't felt this depressed in a long time... '97 Ozzfest broke my concert cherry. So, what an experience to be in a riot on my first show. This place was magical. There was an energy about it. It's haunted ground now. Fucking corporate bastards. I stare at it from google earth time to time to see it's changes over the years and it depresses me further. I'm drawn to this spot on earth. For some magical reason I can't explain. I see where I stood during all the shows. I remember pulling into the mudpit of a parking lot... Waiting in line to be frisked... passing the box office for the long curve towards the second stage... and then BOOM, you knew you was there. When we pulled in I believe Powerman5000 had already begun to play so we could hear them jammin. We hung at the second stage for a few and made our way to the main part of the "lawn" in front of the main stage and seats below. Seen a lot of fights, a lot of tits, some of them even painted! I couldn't believe they were charging dudes to airbrush their dates tits! And it was like 15 bucks I think! But most of all, we had a lot of fun and made a lot of memories. 2 or maybe more of the dudes I went with are now dead. One of the guys I went with that died later, was 16 drinking a beer in the parking lot and cops in plain clothes busted him for underage drinking. I'll never forget the image of him sitting in handcuffs while we negotiated with these cops to please let our friend go. I wasn't drinkin, yet. But he was sitting there in handcuffs headbanging slowly to the music. They took him to the drunk tank, made him call his mom, and she had to drive to Columbus to pick his ass up and he missed the entire concert. We bagged on him for years for that shit. We went in like '02 I believe for another festival show and sat in the seats. Had a great time but we decided that we'd have a much better time being on the lawn, with the other good people, lol. It was hard to smoke in the seats without some 90's version of Karen sayin some shit or security getting pissy. They always stood next to the pillars so it was difficult to pass doobs. You remember the security on the roof with binoculars picking out pot smokers and drug dealers and shit? I'll never forget my buddy kicking my back with his foot to signal security was coming when we was smoking on the lawn. It was big burly sunglasses wearing security guard and he looked right at me as I lit this bowl. He just smiled and looked the other way. They were overall pretty cool. The venue was brilliant man. Some didn't like the sound or the design but the amphitheater was only a couple years old when Ozzfest 97 rolled through, so it was pristine. It's so difficult to see it now. No other venue being torn down bothers me, but this, and the reasons behind why it was reclaimed as a commercial shitheap bothers me. But it was pure magic. I was 14 1/2. Never seen anything like it before or since. The "sod wars" of '98 were pretty cool, but paled in comparison to the riots of 97. Sorry for the long story. It's 2 am, Havin a coffee and a smoke, reminiscing. Thinking back on better days and times. I walked outside and it's dead quiet. Those days it seemed everything was loud. How nice would it be to go back right now and relive that experience with me? I'm tellin ya man, we'd have fun. We did! Our entire fucking town migrated to Polaris Amphitheater that day. We were a small village and almost everyone piled in their cars and went up there. We had our own little spot on the grass where there were probably 20 of us from our hometown. Couple of us were 21 and bought the rest of us drinks. If I recall, they even had glass friggin bottles? Can someone confirm that? I may have been hallucinating a bit, but I remember bottles going zing all over the place. I seen 6x6 chunks of sod that took 3 dudes to swing back and forth and wing down into the seats. Shit was nuts! Molotov cocktails, campfires on the lawn. I hate being a showboat, but a buddy of mine takes credit for being the initial "rioter #1" as soon as they said "Ozzy will not be playing tonight" over the loudspeaker, I think it may have been Philip Anselmo that announced it, he ran about 30 feet behind us to the wall and started kicking the fuck out of it. Then the rest of the lawn followed suit and that whole fucking fence was waving like it was made of rubber. Sections started snapping off and people started flooding the outskirts of the lawn. I remember the nice car that some radio contest had, it was like a firebird, transam, or camaro or some shit, and "they" torched the shit out of it. I was standing right there and the smoke from the seats interior I breathed it in, and it choked the shit out of me. Was nasty! Then dudes on horses in riot helmets started charging towards us and we were like, UH OH! So I ran up the little hill and snatched up a nice big slat of fencing for keepsakes. Came back down the hill and a horse cop said "PUT IT DOWN" and I dropped it, waited til he went by, picked it back up, and stuffed a big ass chunk of it down my pants LOL. We got to the box office area and the employees had evacuated them shits. They had broken out the windows, smashed a cash register, and were throwing papers and shit out the windows. Eventually they caught that shit on fire too! And then... the riots cops showed up in like buses or some shit. These dudes were pissed and ready for asskicking. I'll never forget getting to the line of cops just past the box office in the paved parking area and being submissive and BOOM one of the cops got hit right in the shield with a beer bottle. It hit him so hard it closed his shield for him. His buddies went on an asskicking run and I knew right then, shit was bad. Looked up and I could see 2 helicopters, a fuckin 10tv news chopper and a police chopper. I even waved at the 10tv chopper and said "Hi mom!" who was at home hopefully not watching breaking news. Oh my god. There were people setting baby trees on fire LOL! I remember a set of dudes ripped a planted tree out of its foundation and making piles of trash cans and trees lighting that shit on fire. Anything that would burn. I remember a buddy saying "we should go back in!!" And I was like "no fuckin way." I guess a bunch of people looted the vendors. There was a guitar stand where they had these guitars on display. I don't know if they were for sale or what. But I remember dudes stealing the shit out of em. There was a hole in the roof of the McDonalds. And I seen a dude climb out of that hole with a bunch of shit in his grip. They was going wild. I bet the neighbors were shittin bricks that night. They already filed noise complaints like a thousand times trying to get it closed down since day 1. I made it out alive. I ended up finding another hometown friend and asked if I could ride home with him. I didn't realize at the time he was smash hammered drunk and I jumped in his car and we made our exit very slowly. If you remember, traffic was backed up so fuckin bad. Everyone had their stereos on like full blast partying in line to exit in their cars. I think we had 99.7 the Blitz on and they were reporting on the riots too. Eventually, we headed up Polaris Parkway and hit 71 North. WOOPS We were supposed to go south. Got about 20 miles out of the way and our battery in the car died. Eventually it shitted out also so we had no headlights. I think it fried his alternator too or something. He was drunk and swore he could make it 50 miles home. I will never forget putting my hand on his shoulder and saying "dude, please don't kill me." And he knew. He had mercy and we kept going into the darkness in the middle of fucking nowhere. With a drunk crazy person after escaping a riot at 14 1/2, I was done! We ended up pulling into a town called "Jelloway" and slept in a Duke & Duchess parking lot. The next morning, drunk buddy called his grandparents and they drove like 65 miles to bring him a spare battery in their RV. I'll never forget they felt so bad for my little ass. He said "son, if you wanna ride home with us in the RV you can." I was too cool and chicken shit to say anything so I said "thanks" i'll ride home with drunk dude. Longest god damned ride home ever. Longest night of my young life at the time. All we could talk about for weeks. I couldn't wait to do it again! My parents thought I was fuckin nuts and needed help. They began to hear trickle-down stories of our actions that day and I'm sure it changed some things lol. There is so much more I'm sure I'm leaving out. I should write a book on this shit... Or wait, maybe I just did. I miss this place...
The big guy with the piece of fence was a guy name of big Ed Bowers, from Zanesville Ohio. He started on the fence first jumping up and grabbing and tearing it down! Fucking unreal that you met the man! He unfortunately passed away a few months ago in 2023. 100% true!
Dude, thank you for sharing this huge detail! Ed actually commented! I tried to connect with him, to make an epic video of the two pieces being put back together, but I didn't hear back after reaching out to him multiple times. Now I know why. RIP Big Ed Bowers.
@@CoreysChannel thanks for the reply, Ed was a good friend of mine and my brother, we all grew up together. Metal brings people closer! Long live Big Ed! WOOO!
As I walked out I saw the Pontiac tipped over, if I remember right it was on its roof. My friends & I walked to the parking lot from the rear of the lawn instead of down past the stage. On account of there being a huge hole where the fence used to block that way. And I do still have a piece of that fence. Wild. 😆
I was one of the rioters. I took part in the flipping and lighting of that car on fire. I took a cinder block and busted out a plate glass window of the box office. Went inside of it and set it on fire. The police were throwing tear gas at us. I had my face covered and went and grabbed the canisters and threw them back at the cops. Then the helicopter came in with the spotlight. It was almost serene. Lol That whole day was completely awesome. Vision of Disorder, Coal Chamber and Downset on the 2nd stage. They played 2 sets each. Pantera was well it's Pantera I really don't need to put an adjective on them. I remember when Phil walked out on the stage with a half empty bottle of Jack. He said he had an announcement to make. I want you guys to treat this place with utmost respect. Hahaha. Ozzy isn't gonna play tonight. That was basically the nod to whomever to tear shit up. 17 years old damn straight I'm gonna riot. Why wouldn't I? Lol I still have my piece of the fence with a newspaper article about the riot taped to it. I will never forget that day. Thank you for this post.
Great story Corey (Wow, I didn't plan on rhyming there, but I did, lol). This just shows how quickly things can get out of hand at concerts. I would have had the same idea as you guys: Bail! And I also would have chilled and had a beer as I watched the action, haha! This was 100% entertaining brother, thanks for sharing, and good luck in the contest! -Jex
Brother went to college down there came up and got us to go to ozzfest.that was crazy they where tearing up the field and throwing it on the stage.that place got destroyed
There was a pretty big fuss about having Manson perform. If you remember there was a bit of a delay getting Manson's set going and then they completely jacked their sound up. In the lawn you could only here the rhythm guitar and drums. The only thing you could here out of MM's mic was some some feedback. That is why MM just threw the mic and left. That was half the crowd ticked off. Then they waited till the last moment to cancel Ozzy. Boom!
Dude it was fucking great. We got to see Pantera, Type O Negative and Marilyn Manson singing Ozzy and Black Sabbath tunes. Fires in the seats a promotional new Camaro part of a give away tipped over.. fences ripped down. They thought if they turned off the lights in the parking lot people would leave. It didn't work everyone one just turned on the headlights and blasted Ozzy or or whatever they wanted. When the lights came back on people had pulled up trees from the lot and put them in there truck beds. I have a friend that still has a piece of the fence.
I guess it was boys night out or do we say a night out for the guys. did Metallica play if so which tour was this was it there reload or garage inc or some other album? so in 1996 I think you said at your office they allowed you to have Pantera ? sounds like a bigger riot than the Iron Maiden concert at the Byrne arena in 1987 the Somewhere in time tour that waysted opened up. do you have that Tribute album on cd or just vinyl? that's a great album. Good luck in the contest.
Hey man, no Metallica wasn't on this tour. You're right, that's about the time they were supporting Re-Load. The crowd smashed the box office windows, I think that's what you are referring to? To be honest, this 'riot' was pretty small in scale and nothing compared to the many many unfortunate events at concerts. It was my experience and I tried to make the story as entertaining as possible. Thanks for watching!
I was at this concert in 97. I was 14 years old and had lied about staying at a friend's house just to go. We went to see Marilyn Manson and werent disappointed about ozzy no show. I remember the wooden fence that surrounded the entire amphitheater and I bet there wasn't a piece of fence left. It was crazy to see only being 14 at the time. What I remember most about that concert was the sod fight. Everyone was kicking up clumps of sod with their heels and chucking it at the other side of the field. I remember looking up and you could barely see the sky from all the sod being hurled back and forth. I remember the car you talked about and it was flipped over on fire when we were walking out. We didn't get a piece of fence but we happened to be parked next to a shrub. My buddy I went there with wrapped a chain around it and pulled it out with his truck. We planted it at his parents house the next day😂 needless to say I got caught by my parents and grounded. It was worth it. Thanks for sharing this video. I have searched and searched for videos and could never find any.
Killer story! Thank you for commenting, it has been a little overwhelming that this video has attracted so many to drop in and share their experience. I had a huge smile reading this and shared it with my friends. Later! \,,/
I was there too bro...I flipped the raffle car with them... Our ticket was our entry... I thought it was a cavalier... It was red tho.. It was so crazy... Did you go to the concert that they was forced to play a month later? Btw.. Ozzy was there... If you remember right... Phil was singing and said ozzy was sick n couldn't play... Then as he sang Crazytrain someone threw a bottle n hit Phil... He said fuck it... I ain't lying for him... He's got nothing for you (bc Pantera stole the show) he is in the back drunk n high on heroin... Threw the mich down and walked off then all hell broke lose!!!
I was there as the "chaperone" for a friend's teenage daughter and her friend. The show was awesome but we hustled outta there as soon as things got nasty. I was glad I held on to my stubs. The show Ozzy and Sabbath played as an apology was KILLER.
he completely blew past the fact that Marilyn Manson played before Pantera and this was back when Manson was getting banned from venues because he was too Satanic for the moms of the time. Manson went out and had shit thrown at him and the band for 3 songs. Manson eventually trashed Pogo's keytar and then took a mic stand and pulled the drummers rack down from its rafter, trashed the stage and walked off. Needless to say, Things were a little uneasy at that point. So after Pantera played and made up for Manson, then he gets into the stage scene when Ozzy was supposed to come out but instead it was Phil from Pantera doing Ozzy covers. Seeing Peter Steele walk around with Manson on his shoulders while Manson sang Crazy Train was surreal to say the least.
I was there! I will have to go thru my ticket stubs but by my recollection that show was a Tues. 2days later on Thurs the ozzfest was at the new world theater outside Chicago. While at that show i got a 10 tow ticket for jimmy buffet for friday to help kill a day because saturday the ozzfest was outside milwaukee at alpine valley(tailgate heaven compared to polaris) I got pictures with Drain STH . So sunday when i woke up at the rest stop i talked myself to get the camera develope and then boogie across wisconsin to Minneapolis (they couldn't put the ozzfest in Somerset Wi because the small town didn't want marilyn manson performing) so it was downtown Minneapolis at the hhs? Arena and i got my pictures sign by the girls of Drain STH. I use to go 7 ozzfest a year
I was there it was fucking crazy I kept my ticket stub and Ozzy came back with Sabbath and fucking blew roof off the dump I've never seen such a bad ass display of jamming I couldn't talk for three days
Hello there Corey, I cannot believe that I forgot to comment on this video. I thought you were on a sabbatical for a while. Glad you are not. I loved the story from start to finish. I also want to let you know that I mailed you out a PM this evening. Talk soon~ Rob/Boston
Good hear from you Rob, I was just glad I survived this night to tell about it ;) I will certainly be keeping an eye on the porch, can't wait to see what you sent!!! Exciting news: Morphine Live at the Warfield was voted to be the next run out groove release! It should be out next week? 17 tracks never before released until last July and now on vinyl. I didn't think I'd see another release from the trio. Oh by the way, keep that Morphine Bootleg CD in a safe place, I see the value on that bad boy is creeping way up. Cheers!
My dad was in college and went here. He said there was a riot and my dad was so close he threw a cup of beer at Marilyn Manson it hit him. Then Manson kicked down stuff he saw people ripping down fences and then left
I was also there, but one part you missed was the initial charge at the back fence, I was sitting along the fence with my friends and some random bikers we met. At one point a large part of the mosh pit turned 180 and charged the fence directly at us, we ran like hell to get out of the way and it was like a wave of people hitting it. One of my buddies still has the fence also. When we left I'm guessing later than you did, that car you mentioned was on its side. Also by the security guards set up the weapon barrels (they searched people entering) to confiscate fence pieces. (didn't get my buddies though!)
Thanks for adding! That must have been the sounds we heard, I was in the 180 mosh pit during Pantera but didn't get caught up in that fence attack, that's crazy!
Fairly certain Manson "played" after Pantera, and the bill would confirm that. Overall, this was one of the most memorable concerts I've ever been to and I left after Manson. Pantera was easily the most amazing, violent, and bloody pit I've ever seen. I'll never forget the assholes filling empty pop bottles with piss and then chucking them down into the restricted seating area. So many bloody faces/heads from that. I watched the sky go dark with sod being torn up and thrown in the air. I even watched dudes pelt cops with sod and the cops just took it. Pure chaos.
a little late here, but am i glad i saw it. Klassik !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! straight up. Every music fan deserves at least 1 crazy concert story and you Sir have a doozy. haha, cheers brother
WOW Corey!!! What a crazy story. Cool shadow box collection of the event. Glad you made it out safe & without a police record. haha Bet your wife was also glad.
I actually went to the very first Ozzfest in Phoenix is 96. I actually hadn't thought about that show in years. I may need to do a video talking about it.
Great story Corey , bummer that you didn't see sabbath. I think I may have seen that tour , saw a bunch of Ozzfests and I've seen the Pantera open for Sabbath on a separate occasion . Cool that it was in Tony's book and very cool shadow box.
Thanks Bill, it appears I was a bit misleading. Ozzy came back like a week later and I went to Ozzfest 3 more times including the official reunion in '99. I haven't been to a lot of concerts but the fest was always killer with so many bands in one day. Glad you were fortunate enough to see Pantera! I was all excited when I came to that part in the book, running up to my wife showing her that page lol. Happy spinning!
I went with a couple friends, one had a tendency to get crazy while drinking. After the announcement, we stood around wondering what to do. When we saw the fence being kicked to pieces and swaying like a tree branch in the breeze, my crazy friend said "we need to get the f_€π out of here... Now!" We missed the car being flipped, but they were getting rambunctious around it when we walked past. Only a minute or two later we could have witnessed that craziness. Luckily, we made a fairly quick escape out of the parking lot. While heading south on 71or east on 270, we passed multiple fire trucks, cop cars, etc. That's when we knew it was getting real ugly.
love to hate it !! you said it !!! i lived in Thornville !! loved buckeye lake music center !!!~!! polaris took a lot of that business!!!! until Ozzfest i just moved from ky !! kenny rogers only concert i been to, he didnt have a mosh pit !!! lol
Hey I appreciate the comment! I saw MH around 95 and bought their tape from the merch table. That tape changed my life because NOTHING was that heavy (that I was aware of) I mean that's a monster of an album. I learn like 5 years later from my friend that lived in SF about Flynn's connection with Vio-Lence lol.
I got teared gas that night so I'm laying in the backseat of my car I head a headache from tear gas my buddy was like dude they are flipping cars out here I said I don't care as long as they don't touch this car
Garen! How ya doin'? This is the only story I have that's remotely entertaining. I've been to a few epic concerts but none as eventful as this lol. Take care
Dude...seeing Peter Steel from Type O Negative walking around with Marily Manson on his shoulders during Crazy Train was just insane...that's like 13 feet of Metal right there. Haha. When Dime ripped the Crazy Train solo my entire world lit up. Seeing Burton C Bell from Fear Factory singing I Don't Know was amazing too.
I was actually talking to Rayna from Coal Chamber when the news got to the bands that Ozzy wasn't gonna be there. Their manager was wide-eyed and freaking out and literally grabbed her by the wrist and took her away while we were talking.
By the way...that "Bomb Threat" was my buddy Jesse's backpack!! He accidentally left it near the ticket booth and the Cops thought it was a damn bomb! All his Upper Arlington High School Textbooks and homework got blown up by the Bomb Squad. Hahahaha!!
I jokingly showed some of those hillbilly guys how to do the "boy scout" teepee with the pieces of fence. Haha. As soon as one group did that alllll the other ones caught on and started their fires as well...my bad ya'll. ...still have my chunk of fence to this day. ;)
Killer story! "My homework got blown up, teacher!" awesome times man
Cool to see something about this . I was there too, I remember seeing a green firebird being flipped over, people tried to light it on fire haha. The fence was destroyed pretty quickly, I still have a huge piece of it . I would love to hear that recording, a day I will never forget .
I was there too
Bro, me and 2 friends went to RUSH the night B4 at Polaris, stayed the night and scalped tickets and got 10 rows back in front of Dimebag. I liked the best of the bands coming out and doing some songs, but it wasn't Ozzy/Sabbath. The many fires from the fence, the helicopters, the car on it's top flipped over, and the massive party in the muddy field!! Fucking A!!! 🤟
Definitely the most memorable concert I’d ever been to. So thankful for that experience
Same here. Pantera was amazing! I also saw Reveille on the 2nd stage!
I still have a peice of the fence from that day
Nice!
I went to Ozzfest 1999, 2000, and 2001 at Polaris. 3 of the best days of my life.
It was called Polaris when that happened I thought. I know it changed to Germain around that time real close. I was there. It was awesome!
i seen metallica days of the new and alice in chains around that time, no footage anywhere of it i was 10 years old and i been lookimg for footage for a long time
It was
Yep. I went to Ozzfest 1999, 2000, and 2001 at Polaris.
So glad you shared this. I was there that day too and your recollection is spot on! Went to a lot of concerts in my 20s and that show was, by far, the most memorable! I still have two pieces of that fence in my man cave that reads, "Ozzfest, June 17, 1997!" Just prior to Pantera coming on stage, Phil, from backstage said, "We're taking over this town." The place just went nuts! Seeing Ozzy play a solo set and then a set with the original Sabbath (minus Bill Ward) two weeks later in a makeup show was the cherry on top! Two great nights I'll never forget!
I too have a piece of that fence. Ill never forget that magical day. Nice shadow box.
Nice! Thanks
I have a piece of the fence from that show lol
You nailed it. I was there with a few friends in the lower pavilion and managed to get a nice piece of the fence also. Great memory.
I still had a piece of the fence up until my last move....that was some crazy shit for a 15 yr old. Something I will always remember.
Me too!!!
I was in attendance that day as well, it was amazing!
I was there! I remember scaling the 15 foot fence people busting windows in the box office.People trying to turn over a car that the radio station had on display! I will never forget that! I knew something was wrong when all the mainstage bands started playing Ozzy songs.
The energy changed really fast didn't it? I'd do anything to see that all on video again from my perspective.
I was there that day too. Craziest show I've ever been to. Manson destroyed his drummer's kit because people were throwing batteries, or something, at him. Huge pit when Pantera started playing Walk. I'll never in my life forget that. I was right in the center when it started. There was a 2nd stage that day. I think I watched Drain STH's set there. Phil basically set off the riot after he asked the crowd if they could jam for them because Ozzy wasn't feeling well. Everyone was like fuck that, we want Ozzy. So Phil said "Ok then fuck you guys". That pissed everyone off. I'll never forget bumper to bumper police cars lined up down the road as far as you can see. Helicopters flying around. People tearing down the fence. Fun night.
I was right in the middle too. Pretty wild
Manson started spitting on people, man, that’s what got people mad at first I think. Manson brought a bad vibe I thought.
I was at Ozzfest, too. It was 3 days after my 17th birthday. Like you, my friends and I got out of there real quick when shit started getting real. Didn't get a piece of the fence, though. We just went straight home to Zanesville. Parents were freaking out when we got home as we didn't have enough change to pay the long distance from C-bus to Z-ville. And it's about an hour drive.
It's definitely a good story to break out when I meet a fellow rocker.
I was 16 and this was my first concert had 2nd row seats but spent most of the time in the lawn when they said ozzy wasn't going to show the crowd when nuts the lawn section started the sod war and then everyone started ramming the fence and it was gone within about 15 minutes! I guess my mom seen the news coverage and when I got home she chewed me up pretty good and told me that was the last concert I was ever gonna go to lol! Two weeks later me and my buddy got to go back and see ozzy which was awesome! I'll never forget that concert
Wow first concert ever is Ozzfest nice! Love the story! Thanks for adding it.
I started going in 2003. My mom always told me about this and its really cool to hear someone else's story.
you from thornville by any chance or buckeye lake? i miss ohio been 20 yrs since i moved, but if your mom told you your father was some tall guy she met at ozzfest had one night stand with , well its not me , lol
U brought back alot of memories for me with that story. I was there as well but u forgot one part and one of my favorite parts. When the crowd kinda split in two groups (before everything got crazy) and started throwing sod (chunks of dirt and grass) back and forth at each other. Great times man. \m/ rock on and thanks for the story.
I love that shirt! I was at Polaris for Ozzfest 2000! I still remember when that fan in the front row gave Phil his prosthetic leg! 🤣
Thanks for the video. I was there at age 20. I recall that Manson’s set was really short and folks were upset. Also, the younger Manson fans seemed to clash with the older Ozzy fans. Then when Manson fans wanted to leave, the bomb threat prevented them, causing more tension. So I recall the tension was already there before Ozzy didn’t show. Also, I recall police in riot gear walking through the parking lot after the show. Very memorable and fun.
Right-on! Thank you for sharing your experience, I love how these comments continue to come in!
I, my daughter & a friend was there. We enjoyed what bands performed. Then we met Dino of Fear Factory who called us over & wanted to talk to us. When all the bad stuff started happening, he took us to the band's bus where we were out of danger. I will never forget that event.
Wow, you got to meet Dino! Thank you for sharing.
Me and 2 friends went to this, saw RUSH the night before and spent the night and scalped great tickets for Ozzfest, like 10 rows back in front of Dime. Caught one of his picks. The best of all the bands came out and jammed sabbath songs. The fence came down in just minutes, fires of the fence boards, (I got a piece of the fence). Helicopters, the muddy parking field became a big party! Awesome awesome awesome!!! 🤟🤟
I went to Ozzfest 1999, 2000, and 2001 at Polaris.
Hey Corey, just wanted to say I enjoyed your story & I was at the Ozzfest riot that day! Just happened to see your story after these years. Ozzy coming back & doing that private concert was amazing! I've told the story of that riot to different friends through the years 😆 "Ozzy, you're a riot!" -the blimp they flew over Polraris Amp @ the re-do concert!
I was there too, thanks for the memory recap. It took me back in time! Crazy! I remember looking to the sky and so much stuff flying around, people taken out by huge sod clumps. Saw a brand new displayed Camaro on a pedestal rocked back and forth until it rolled off on to it's roof! Fires all over! What a day!
it was a green Firebird...I have pics! : also a Pontiac sunfire too!
I was down in the lower pavillion with friends and remember those fucking sod clumps coming at us. Lol. Great memory.
Best show I remember being at! Not the first, when Ozzy came back, what a JAM!
Is there a place on CZcams or anywhere else u can get entire audio like u have? Was there also
I went to Ozzfest @ Polaris for the 1999,2000, and 2001 tour dates! I absolutely loved it. There was almost a riot that broke out during Rob Zombie's set at Ozzfest 99, it was insane!
damn i got locked up missed 99, only ones i missed i really had no choice , but dont think i havent ask a judge to go !! i would of came back , im not the best human but i go to court do my time and dont rat out others , if im caught im caught you dont tell on your friends people ! write or wrong ya just dont do it !!!!! its sad what some do to stay out of jail, i dont enjoy it , im no hardcore can of whoop ass either, may be considered a whore in prison , but the real whore is those who walk free because they worked with police .sorry not sure what triggered my rant . later
but this also coming from a guy that was told by the judge " you cant makem love ya son "meaning my ex wife divorce etc, my only reply was " no but i can makem disappear" I'm not a lawyer but I would recommend yes sir no sir or mam when a judge speaks" at the time i didnt even know what contempt of court was but had 30 days to look it up !! he had no sense of humor at all !!NONE ! and it really was a joke id never hurt the girl still love her to be honest I just always have had lame ass since of humor and it was way bad timing on the punchline !!when i got out went back to court the judge said you got anything to say MR. Copperfield !!?? NO SIR ! LOL CANT MAKE THIS SHIT UP PEOPLE
@@brianpinion5844 I saw Pantera live at Ozzfest 2000.
I worked there during that time. I was the Promotion Director. It's interesting to see the comments from "the other side of it". We had the bomb scare at the front gate. We had to deal with that. We had protesters because of MM- which cracks me up. They are harmless. Then we got word during all that mess that Ozzy wasn't on his way from LA. The rest of Black Sabbath was there. To buy time- we put the "AllStar Jam" on stage...they played Ozzy/BS songs....uh oh. Something is up. We knew people knew something was up. I recall the statement that we prepared for Phil wasn't quite used- we wanted everyone to understand they were coming back to play the show in a couple weeks, keep your ticket stubs, etc. No one listened. People lost their minds. I saw a girl picking all the flowers out of our flower beds. That was bizarre. I get the frustration but to see our beautiful venue destroyed was emotional. It was personal to us. Our team worked hard to get that all put back together for a bunch of soldout shows we had on the books 10 days later. Our Operations team was absolutely amazing.
Thank you for taking a few minutes to comment and add your inside perspective! Myself, and anyone I know that enjoyed shows at Polaris, all share how much we miss the amphitheater. I have very special memories sitting in the lawn with friends (some who are gone) jamming to Steve Miller. Another unforgettable concert was singing along with Tom Petty (RIP) and of course the much anticipated Ozzfest.Thank you for all the work you and your team did to maintain the venue, attract major acts, and make it a place where people shared their love live music!
I was at this show too, but I was one of the lucky few that made it out of the parking lot. The next day on my way to work I didn't hear anything about the riot on our local rock station, WEBN, 100 miles away in Cincinnati. So I called them and told them what I saw. At the next news break it was their lead story and they even thanked me on the air for the tip! I do remember one thing differently though. The make up concert was in August, not a week later.
I was there too! I remember we made MTV news and national news. The all star band playing Ozzy tunes was really cool. Miss the 90’s
I'm from Columbus born and raised. I was in the Army at Ft Sill, Oklahoma at the time, got out in August '97. I remember seeing this on the news and thinking "cool, man, my hometown made national news for a riot at a metal show". Lol
Nice shadow box of memorabilia 👍👍
Thank you so much for commenting and adding another piece to the story!
i was there.....it was exactly how he described......fires and smoke everywhere....helicopters flying around......cars flipped.......cops everywhere.......it was wild
Man! So glad I found this. I was there as a 19 yr old kid. I too have a small piece of fence and is in my kitchen as I type this. If you remember, Phil from Pantera was being cool but everyone was booing and throwing sod at the stage. He then called Columbus Ohio a bunch of pussies. All shit broke loose. I can clearly remember one fat kid in a red shirt jumping on the fence and then after a minute everyone rushed it and broke it down. Me included.
The grand pix you speak of, was green and I watched one of my buddies hit it with a long board of that fence. After that, all the Marylin Manson kids started burning shit. Helicopters and riot police coming after us. We got in the parking lot as well and got out of there. THANK YOU so much for putting this on here. I’ll never forget that concert. Rock on brotha 🤘🏽
Awesome story Corey! The photos and story details really help add to visualizing your tale. Thanks for making a contest entry and good luck to you in the contest!!!
Right on! Glad I made it in time. Hopefully the details didn't make the video drag on. VERY original and unique contest for the community. I can appreciate the time you are putting into this. With our without my story, I'm looking forward to seeing the finished masterpiece!!
Only correction I would make to the story is the fact that Marilyn Manson did not play an entire set. In fact, they only played a few songs...kept complaining about the sound system or equipment. Was pissed and walked off stage..fans were not happy. That's when people started getting rowdy. Luckily Pantera kicked butt and made everyone forget about MM being an arse..at least for a while! I have some pictures of the fires and the advertising kiosks that were damaged out front by the car...and a piece of the fence :)
Nice! I didn't remember that detail, I was away from the stage when Manson was on. Thanks for adding to the story! I'd LOVE to have digital copies of those photos if you are willing to share! Let me know and I'll give you my email.
I was at this concert,I still have a piece of the fence. I was only 14 it was crazy
If I may add a correction, Pantera went on before Marilyn Manson and in my opinion that was the mistake of the tour. The crowd was so amped after Pantera, the only artist who could have followed was Ozzy. Manson made it through parts of 3 or 4 songs but was getting booed heavily by the crowd from song 1. It just wasn't his type of crowd. The final straw for Manson was trying to play Beautiful People and the crowd throwing things on stage. They maybe got 1/3 of the way through the song and gave up. Manson kicked a speaker off the stage that almost hit a security guard in the head. He smashed the drums with his mic stand. The guitarist and bass player both smashed their guitars and they stormed off. The crowd was booing so loud.
The break waiting for Ozzy was really long and became a powder keg. Once the lights went down and the all-star jam began, it was one of the coolest concerts I have personally witnessed. Every band who had played took turns jamming Ozzy/Black Sabbath songs. If my memory serves, they got through at least 10 songs before Phil announced that Ozzy couldn't make it, but that they would continue to play. Then the riot started with small fires that grew into larger ones, the entire back fencing of the amphitheater was ripped out, the show car was destroyed and every window was broken.
Columbus riot police rolled in, helicopters flying overhead. We had 7th row stage left in the pavilion, so the security near us said to just sit and wait it out if we wanted. So we waited about 40 minutes for the bulk of the crowd to dissipate. Security never once asked us to leave, they seemed to understand no reason to push everyone in the pavilion out.
As we walked to our car, we saw the aftermath of the destruction. It was ridiculous and hilarious all at the same time. Nothing was spared. Everything that could be destroyed was destroyed. We walked slowly past the riot police who paid no attention to us. Got in our car and left laughing the entire way about what we had witnessed.
Nice! Thank you for adding your experience, this night is really taking shape with all the added comments from people who attended. It was a long time ago so the facts are fuzzy but you put it down really well.
Pantera was epic, the jam was a once-in-a-lifetime experience and the riot was just like you said ridiculous and hilarious!
Totally epic gig, your facts are spot on! I was in row 11 “K” seat 8 section C !!!! I can add a few things as well. Marilyn Manson started Spitting on the crowd provoking the crowd to unleash the fury on him, well deserved !!!! I’ve been to hundreds of extremely heavy gigs and still to this day Manson was the most evil person period, I can still feel the evil as I type. Also I do remember when I got to the parking lot passing all the Cops in riot gear with the Helicopters flying overhead, Polaris for some strange reason turned off all the lights in the parking lot. One other thing, it’s still the only ticket stub I have that was ripped twice, Ozzy came back and played about month or so later and you just used the same ticket, Ozzy was a totally stand up guy, gig was unbelievably awesome !!!!
I was living in Whitehall and working at Davidson's Collision Center the summer that this happened. We all got a pretty good laugh when we heard Wags and Elliot tell us that Ozzy was going to play another concert, and honor all the surviving unburnt ticket stubs 😄
Nice! LOL
This gets my vote, what a story.... anything's possible at festival's🎙🎻
Thanks for the vote! Enjoyed sharing the story.
I was there the next year, and a lot of the same went on. They were burning things, and is started raining sod. Everybody was getting hammered in the faces and head with grass and dirt. There were techs that were up high above stage, the crowd started chanting, "Jump! Jump! Jump!"
Typical Ozzfest! LOL
I haven't felt this depressed in a long time... '97 Ozzfest broke my concert cherry. So, what an experience to be in a riot on my first show. This place was magical. There was an energy about it. It's haunted ground now. Fucking corporate bastards. I stare at it from google earth time to time to see it's changes over the years and it depresses me further. I'm drawn to this spot on earth. For some magical reason I can't explain. I see where I stood during all the shows. I remember pulling into the mudpit of a parking lot... Waiting in line to be frisked... passing the box office for the long curve towards the second stage... and then BOOM, you knew you was there. When we pulled in I believe Powerman5000 had already begun to play so we could hear them jammin.
We hung at the second stage for a few and made our way to the main part of the "lawn" in front of the main stage and seats below. Seen a lot of fights, a lot of tits, some of them even painted! I couldn't believe they were charging dudes to airbrush their dates tits! And it was like 15 bucks I think! But most of all, we had a lot of fun and made a lot of memories. 2 or maybe more of the dudes I went with are now dead. One of the guys I went with that died later, was 16 drinking a beer in the parking lot and cops in plain clothes busted him for underage drinking. I'll never forget the image of him sitting in handcuffs while we negotiated with these cops to please let our friend go. I wasn't drinkin, yet. But he was sitting there in handcuffs headbanging slowly to the music. They took him to the drunk tank, made him call his mom, and she had to drive to Columbus to pick his ass up and he missed the entire concert. We bagged on him for years for that shit.
We went in like '02 I believe for another festival show and sat in the seats. Had a great time but we decided that we'd have a much better time being on the lawn, with the other good people, lol. It was hard to smoke in the seats without some 90's version of Karen sayin some shit or security getting pissy. They always stood next to the pillars so it was difficult to pass doobs. You remember the security on the roof with binoculars picking out pot smokers and drug dealers and shit? I'll never forget my buddy kicking my back with his foot to signal security was coming when we was smoking on the lawn. It was big burly sunglasses wearing security guard and he looked right at me as I lit this bowl. He just smiled and looked the other way. They were overall pretty cool.
The venue was brilliant man. Some didn't like the sound or the design but the amphitheater was only a couple years old when Ozzfest 97 rolled through, so it was pristine. It's so difficult to see it now. No other venue being torn down bothers me, but this, and the reasons behind why it was reclaimed as a commercial shitheap bothers me. But it was pure magic. I was 14 1/2. Never seen anything like it before or since. The "sod wars" of '98 were pretty cool, but paled in comparison to the riots of 97. Sorry for the long story. It's 2 am, Havin a coffee and a smoke, reminiscing. Thinking back on better days and times. I walked outside and it's dead quiet. Those days it seemed everything was loud. How nice would it be to go back right now and relive that experience with me? I'm tellin ya man, we'd have fun. We did!
Our entire fucking town migrated to Polaris Amphitheater that day. We were a small village and almost everyone piled in their cars and went up there. We had our own little spot on the grass where there were probably 20 of us from our hometown. Couple of us were 21 and bought the rest of us drinks. If I recall, they even had glass friggin bottles? Can someone confirm that? I may have been hallucinating a bit, but I remember bottles going zing all over the place. I seen 6x6 chunks of sod that took 3 dudes to swing back and forth and wing down into the seats. Shit was nuts! Molotov cocktails, campfires on the lawn. I hate being a showboat, but a buddy of mine takes credit for being the initial "rioter #1" as soon as they said "Ozzy will not be playing tonight" over the loudspeaker, I think it may have been Philip Anselmo that announced it, he ran about 30 feet behind us to the wall and started kicking the fuck out of it. Then the rest of the lawn followed suit and that whole fucking fence was waving like it was made of rubber. Sections started snapping off and people started flooding the outskirts of the lawn.
I remember the nice car that some radio contest had, it was like a firebird, transam, or camaro or some shit, and "they" torched the shit out of it. I was standing right there and the smoke from the seats interior I breathed it in, and it choked the shit out of me. Was nasty! Then dudes on horses in riot helmets started charging towards us and we were like, UH OH! So I ran up the little hill and snatched up a nice big slat of fencing for keepsakes. Came back down the hill and a horse cop said "PUT IT DOWN" and I dropped it, waited til he went by, picked it back up, and stuffed a big ass chunk of it down my pants LOL. We got to the box office area and the employees had evacuated them shits. They had broken out the windows, smashed a cash register, and were throwing papers and shit out the windows. Eventually they caught that shit on fire too!
And then... the riots cops showed up in like buses or some shit. These dudes were pissed and ready for asskicking. I'll never forget getting to the line of cops just past the box office in the paved parking area and being submissive and BOOM one of the cops got hit right in the shield with a beer bottle. It hit him so hard it closed his shield for him. His buddies went on an asskicking run and I knew right then, shit was bad. Looked up and I could see 2 helicopters, a fuckin 10tv news chopper and a police chopper. I even waved at the 10tv chopper and said "Hi mom!" who was at home hopefully not watching breaking news. Oh my god. There were people setting baby trees on fire LOL! I remember a set of dudes ripped a planted tree out of its foundation and making piles of trash cans and trees lighting that shit on fire. Anything that would burn. I remember a buddy saying "we should go back in!!" And I was like "no fuckin way."
I guess a bunch of people looted the vendors. There was a guitar stand where they had these guitars on display. I don't know if they were for sale or what. But I remember dudes stealing the shit out of em. There was a hole in the roof of the McDonalds. And I seen a dude climb out of that hole with a bunch of shit in his grip. They was going wild. I bet the neighbors were shittin bricks that night. They already filed noise complaints like a thousand times trying to get it closed down since day 1. I made it out alive. I ended up finding another hometown friend and asked if I could ride home with him. I didn't realize at the time he was smash hammered drunk and I jumped in his car and we made our exit very slowly. If you remember, traffic was backed up so fuckin bad. Everyone had their stereos on like full blast partying in line to exit in their cars. I think we had 99.7 the Blitz on and they were reporting on the riots too. Eventually, we headed up Polaris Parkway and hit 71 North. WOOPS We were supposed to go south. Got about 20 miles out of the way and our battery in the car died. Eventually it shitted out also so we had no headlights. I think it fried his alternator too or something. He was drunk and swore he could make it 50 miles home. I will never forget putting my hand on his shoulder and saying "dude, please don't kill me." And he knew. He had mercy and we kept going into the darkness in the middle of fucking nowhere. With a drunk crazy person after escaping a riot at 14 1/2, I was done! We ended up pulling into a town called "Jelloway" and slept in a Duke & Duchess parking lot. The next morning, drunk buddy called his grandparents and they drove like 65 miles to bring him a spare battery in their RV. I'll never forget they felt so bad for my little ass. He said "son, if you wanna ride home with us in the RV you can." I was too cool and chicken shit to say anything so I said "thanks" i'll ride home with drunk dude. Longest god damned ride home ever. Longest night of my young life at the time. All we could talk about for weeks. I couldn't wait to do it again! My parents thought I was fuckin nuts and needed help. They began to hear trickle-down stories of our actions that day and I'm sure it changed some things lol. There is so much more I'm sure I'm leaving out. I should write a book on this shit... Or wait, maybe I just did.
I miss this place...
it is now occupied by an Ikea and a Top Golf
This is my memory.
Thanks
I still have my piece of the fence. It was my first concert ever (I was 17), and I've been hooked ever since.
The big guy with the piece of fence was a guy name of big Ed Bowers, from Zanesville Ohio. He started on the fence first jumping up and grabbing and tearing it down! Fucking unreal that you met the man! He unfortunately passed away a few months ago in 2023. 100% true!
Dude, thank you for sharing this huge detail! Ed actually commented! I tried to connect with him, to make an epic video of the two pieces being put back together, but I didn't hear back after reaching out to him multiple times. Now I know why. RIP Big Ed Bowers.
@@CoreysChannel thanks for the reply, Ed was a good friend of mine and my brother, we all grew up together. Metal brings people closer! Long live Big Ed! WOOO!
As I walked out I saw the Pontiac tipped over, if I remember right it was on its roof.
My friends & I walked to the parking lot from the rear of the lawn instead of down past the stage. On account of there being a huge hole where the fence used to block that way.
And I do still have a piece of that fence. Wild. 😆
It’s so funny since I live right next to the area where this concert took place. Still sad that the amphitheater is gone
I was one of the rioters. I took part in the flipping and lighting of that car on fire. I took a cinder block and busted out a plate glass window of the box office. Went inside of it and set it on fire. The police were throwing tear gas at us. I had my face covered and went and grabbed the canisters and threw them back at the cops. Then the helicopter came in with the spotlight. It was almost serene. Lol That whole day was completely awesome. Vision of Disorder, Coal Chamber and Downset on the 2nd stage. They played 2 sets each. Pantera was well it's Pantera I really don't need to put an adjective on them. I remember when Phil walked out on the stage with a half empty bottle of Jack. He said he had an announcement to make. I want you guys to treat this place with utmost respect. Hahaha. Ozzy isn't gonna play tonight. That was basically the nod to whomever to tear shit up. 17 years old damn straight I'm gonna riot. Why wouldn't I? Lol I still have my piece of the fence with a newspaper article about the riot taped to it. I will never forget that day. Thank you for this post.
I still listen to pantera today, July 4th 2020
Keep the legend alive!
Was there dude.
It was my birthday.
Best day ever
Great story Corey (Wow, I didn't plan on rhyming there, but I did, lol). This just shows how quickly things can get out of hand at concerts. I would have had the same idea as you guys: Bail! And I also would have chilled and had a beer as I watched the action, haha! This was 100% entertaining brother, thanks for sharing, and good luck in the contest! -Jex
lol thank you my friend!
Brother went to college down there came up and got us to go to ozzfest.that was crazy they where tearing up the field and throwing it on the stage.that place got destroyed
Thank you for adding your memories!
This sounds like the Giants stadium show in New Jersey. It was exactly as you described.
That was an amazing day. There were some great bands in the side stage! Drain STH and Coal Chamber among them.
Good times!
There was a pretty big fuss about having Manson perform. If you remember there was a bit of a delay getting Manson's set going and then they completely jacked their sound up. In the lawn you could only here the rhythm guitar and drums. The only thing you could here out of MM's mic was some some feedback. That is why MM just threw the mic and left. That was half the crowd ticked off.
Then they waited till the last moment to cancel Ozzy.
Boom!
That's right!
Dude it was fucking great. We got to see Pantera, Type O Negative and Marilyn Manson singing Ozzy and Black Sabbath tunes. Fires in the seats a promotional new Camaro part of a give away tipped over.. fences ripped down. They thought if they turned off the lights in the parking lot people would leave. It didn't work everyone one just turned on the headlights and blasted Ozzy or or whatever they wanted. When the lights came back on people had pulled up trees from the lot and put them in there truck beds. I have a friend that still has a piece of the fence.
I guess it was boys night out or do we say a night out for the guys. did Metallica play if so which tour was this was it there reload or garage inc or some other album? so in 1996 I think you said at your office they allowed you to have Pantera ?
sounds like a bigger riot than the Iron Maiden concert at the Byrne arena in 1987 the Somewhere in time tour that waysted opened up. do you have that Tribute album on cd or just vinyl? that's a great album. Good luck in the contest.
Hey man, no Metallica wasn't on this tour. You're right, that's about the time they were supporting Re-Load. The crowd smashed the box office windows, I think that's what you are referring to? To be honest, this 'riot' was pretty small in scale and nothing compared to the many many unfortunate events at concerts. It was my experience and I tried to make the story as entertaining as possible. Thanks for watching!
I was there and have a piece of that fence... I was 12!!! I had a great father🙌
Yes! Great story to share with friends right there. A different era that will not be repeated.
I was at this concert in 97. I was 14 years old and had lied about staying at a friend's house just to go. We went to see Marilyn Manson and werent disappointed about ozzy no show. I remember the wooden fence that surrounded the entire amphitheater and I bet there wasn't a piece of fence left. It was crazy to see only being 14 at the time. What I remember most about that concert was the sod fight. Everyone was kicking up clumps of sod with their heels and chucking it at the other side of the field. I remember looking up and you could barely see the sky from all the sod being hurled back and forth. I remember the car you talked about and it was flipped over on fire when we were walking out. We didn't get a piece of fence but we happened to be parked next to a shrub. My buddy I went there with wrapped a chain around it and pulled it out with his truck. We planted it at his parents house the next day😂 needless to say I got caught by my parents and grounded. It was worth it. Thanks for sharing this video. I have searched and searched for videos and could never find any.
Killer story! Thank you for commenting, it has been a little overwhelming that this video has attracted so many to drop in and share their experience. I had a huge smile reading this and shared it with my friends. Later! \,,/
It's somewhat interesting that Columbus also happened to be where Dimebag met his fate a little later.
We [Columbus] are scarred by that truth.
I was there too bro...I flipped the raffle car with them... Our ticket was our entry... I thought it was a cavalier... It was red tho.. It was so crazy... Did you go to the concert that they was forced to play a month later? Btw.. Ozzy was there... If you remember right... Phil was singing and said ozzy was sick n couldn't play... Then as he sang Crazytrain someone threw a bottle n hit Phil... He said fuck it... I ain't lying for him... He's got nothing for you (bc Pantera stole the show) he is in the back drunk n high on heroin... Threw the mich down and walked off then all hell broke lose!!!
I was there as the "chaperone" for a friend's teenage daughter and her friend. The show was awesome but we hustled outta there as soon as things got nasty. I was glad I held on to my stubs. The show Ozzy and Sabbath played as an apology was KILLER.
he completely blew past the fact that Marilyn Manson played before Pantera and this was back when Manson was getting banned from venues because he was too Satanic for the moms of the time. Manson went out and had shit thrown at him and the band for 3 songs. Manson eventually trashed Pogo's keytar and then took a mic stand and pulled the drummers rack down from its rafter, trashed the stage and walked off. Needless to say, Things were a little uneasy at that point. So after Pantera played and made up for Manson, then he gets into the stage scene when Ozzy was supposed to come out but instead it was Phil from Pantera doing Ozzy covers. Seeing Peter Steele walk around with Manson on his shoulders while Manson sang Crazy Train was surreal to say the least.
I was there!
I will have to go thru my ticket stubs but by my recollection that show was a Tues. 2days later on Thurs the ozzfest was at the new world theater outside Chicago. While at that show i got a 10 tow ticket for jimmy buffet for friday to help kill a day because saturday the ozzfest was outside milwaukee at alpine valley(tailgate heaven compared to polaris)
I got pictures with Drain STH . So sunday when i woke up at the rest stop i talked myself to get the camera develope and then boogie across wisconsin to Minneapolis (they couldn't put the ozzfest in Somerset Wi because the small town didn't want marilyn manson performing) so it was downtown Minneapolis at the hhs? Arena and i got my pictures sign by the girls of Drain STH. I use to go 7 ozzfest a year
Nice! Thank you for the story!
I was there it was fucking crazy I kept my ticket stub and Ozzy came back with Sabbath and fucking blew roof off the dump I've never seen such a bad ass display of jamming I couldn't talk for three days
Yeah I was there, it was wild, never seen anything like it before or since!
Hello there Corey,
I cannot believe that I forgot to comment on this video. I thought you were on a sabbatical for a while. Glad you are not. I loved the story from start to finish. I also want to let you know that I mailed you out a PM this evening.
Talk soon~
Rob/Boston
Good hear from you Rob, I was just glad I survived this night to tell about it ;) I will certainly be keeping an eye on the porch, can't wait to see what you sent!!! Exciting news: Morphine Live at the Warfield was voted to be the next run out groove release! It should be out next week? 17 tracks never before released until last July and now on vinyl. I didn't think I'd see another release from the trio. Oh by the way, keep that Morphine Bootleg CD in a safe place, I see the value on that bad boy is creeping way up. Cheers!
I was there seen the same car and they actually tipped it over eventually.
I was there. Manson got booed off the stage.he broke all his guitars.
I remember helicopters flying over.the mud balls was crazy.Crazy time!
Thank you for sharing!
My dad was in college and went here. He said there was a riot and my dad was so close he threw a cup of beer at Marilyn Manson it hit him. Then Manson kicked down stuff
he saw people ripping down fences and then left
I was also there, but one part you missed was the initial charge at the back fence, I was sitting along the fence with my friends and some random bikers we met. At one point a large part of the mosh pit turned 180 and charged the fence directly at us, we ran like hell to get out of the way and it was like a wave of people hitting it. One of my buddies still has the fence also. When we left I'm guessing later than you did, that car you mentioned was on its side. Also by the security guards set up the weapon barrels (they searched people entering) to confiscate fence pieces. (didn't get my buddies though!)
Thanks for adding! That must have been the sounds we heard, I was in the 180 mosh pit during Pantera but didn't get caught up in that fence attack, that's crazy!
I was there. As we were making our way to my car, there were Hare Krishnas trying sell books in the parking lot. Surreal all the way around.
Fairly certain Manson "played" after Pantera, and the bill would confirm that. Overall, this was one of the most memorable concerts I've ever been to and I left after Manson. Pantera was easily the most amazing, violent, and bloody pit I've ever seen. I'll never forget the assholes filling empty pop bottles with piss and then chucking them down into the restricted seating area. So many bloody faces/heads from that. I watched the sky go dark with sod being torn up and thrown in the air. I even watched dudes pelt cops with sod and the cops just took it. Pure chaos.
I was there! Great memories!! ❤
a little late here, but am i glad i saw it. Klassik !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! straight up. Every music fan deserves at least 1 crazy concert story and you Sir have a doozy. haha, cheers brother
Crazy right?! Glad I could share the ozzfest experience with everyone lol
WOW Corey!!! What a crazy story. Cool shadow box collection of the event. Glad you made it out safe & without a police record. haha Bet your wife was also glad.
No affordable cell phones back then...she was happy I was home after seeing all the news footage.
This gets my vote!
It was Polaris first. I played there after they attached the Germain title.
I actually went to the very first Ozzfest in Phoenix is 96. I actually hadn't thought about that show in years. I may need to do a video talking about it.
That's awesome "The One That Started It All". Do you have a copy of Ozzfest '96? I wonder if I can find you in the crowd...
Great story Corey , bummer that you didn't see sabbath.
I think I may have seen that tour , saw a bunch of Ozzfests and I've seen the Pantera open for Sabbath on a separate occasion .
Cool that it was in Tony's book and very cool shadow box.
Thanks Bill, it appears I was a bit misleading. Ozzy came back like a week later and I went to Ozzfest 3 more times including the official reunion in '99. I haven't been to a lot of concerts but the fest was always killer with so many bands in one day. Glad you were fortunate enough to see Pantera! I was all excited when I came to that part in the book, running up to my wife showing her that page lol. Happy spinning!
Hey man nice trip down memory lane and great Metal History facts. I also went to the 2nd ozzfest in west palm beach FL.
Nice! Thanks for commenting. I saw your VC introduction video, welcome!
One of my good friends has a piece of the fence from that night
i was there brother ! ran off the lawn by 5.0 , just turned 21 !!!!!!!! ozzy ozzy ozzy ozzy where the fuck is ozzy? we dont need no water !!
I went with a couple friends, one had a tendency to get crazy while drinking. After the announcement, we stood around wondering what to do. When we saw the fence being kicked to pieces and swaying like a tree branch in the breeze, my crazy friend said "we need to get the f_€π out of here... Now!" We missed the car being flipped, but they were getting rambunctious around it when we walked past. Only a minute or two later we could have witnessed that craziness.
Luckily, we made a fairly quick escape out of the parking lot. While heading south on 71or east on 270, we passed multiple fire trucks, cop cars, etc. That's when we knew it was getting real ugly.
Cold Chamber one of the best on the OZZFest.
THIS GETS MY VOTE!
This was a crazy night! Thanks Mike
I was there I’ll never forget it!!!
Wow Corey great story about Ozzfest and crowd surfing....😎😎 have a great weekend take care✌🏻thru 🎶--- Lise
Crazy night for me
love to hate it !! you said it !!! i lived in Thornville !! loved buckeye lake music center !!!~!! polaris took a lot of that business!!!! until Ozzfest i just moved from ky !! kenny rogers only concert i been to, he didnt have a mosh pit !!! lol
This gets my vote.
Where can I get that recording?!! I've been trying to get that Crazy Train Solo by Dime for YEARS!
email me overkillvidz at geemail dot com
This was THE greatest show of all time!🤘🤘
Yes!
Buddy said 1/3 of the crowd was trippin on Acid.
this jody lost my ticket on the way out...never got to see ozzey when he came back to play was so disappointed have yet to see him.
PA tera always had the best pits
YES! Killer hurricane circle pits. I'm glad to have been there.
Awesome story!
Love that MH record behind you, Classic Bay Area Thrash Metal!!!
Hey I appreciate the comment! I saw MH around 95 and bought their tape from the merch table. That tape changed my life because NOTHING was that heavy (that I was aware of) I mean that's a monster of an album. I learn like 5 years later from my friend that lived in SF about Flynn's connection with Vio-Lence lol.
Do you remember the chick that Kicked the shit out of those rent a cops at Ozzfest 1998 at Polaris?
I had the ozzfest 97 tshirt til recently. I cant find it anymore 😢
My dad used to tell me crazy stories about being there lol
I got teared gas that night so I'm laying in the backseat of my car I head a headache from tear gas my buddy was like dude they are flipping cars out here I said I don't care as long as they don't touch this car
Great video Corey..
Garen! How ya doin'? This is the only story I have that's remotely entertaining. I've been to a few epic concerts but none as eventful as this lol. Take care