Maiden handled themselves with the utmost professionalism while being fucked over by Sharon Osbourne and the Ozzfest crew... let me tell you what I saw....
Maiden took the stage right at the end of Ides of March and launched into Murders in the Rue Morgue. Some fuck in the audience decided to pelt Bruce with eggs and throw tons of water bottles at the band. Need I say that this didn't happen with any of the other bands on the bill for the main stage??? And, how to do you sneak eggs to a fest (I'm sure you're starting to catch on)... At the end of Murders in the Rue Morgue, the band launches into The Trooper, and this is when the problems started. Some fuck comes from backstage and starts running around with the American Flag. Bruce was on his little catwalk, wearing a redcoat and holding the Union Jack. This was a complete show of disrespect for the band. Bruce let the asshole and whoever sent him have it right as the song finished.
The next song was Revelations, a beautiful song from the Piece of Mind record. It is at this point that the problems got even worse. The PA power was completely cut off. We come to find out later that this was done ON PURPOSE!!! This happened several times during the show. An obvious Fuck You to Maiden. Bruce took a few shots at Sharon because of the reality show and the increasing corporatizing (I know, it is not a word, but I'm sure you get my point) of Ozzfest. The cutting off of the power to the PA didn't work. Why? because the crowd were into Maiden and those of us longtime fans got to sing and finish one of the songs fucked by the outage.
As Maiden were finishing their set, they had played the last song, the asshole who brought every band onstage, proceeded to chant from back stage OZZY, OZZY, OZZY. Need I say that Bruce was saying goodbye to the crowd? Then Bruce finished by saying something to the fact of "I'm not putting up with the bullshit, and neither should you." At this point, the band left the stage and Sharon came out. She thanked Maiden, but proceeded to call Bruce a prick and to say that he had disrespected Ozzfest from the beginning... *I'm certain it was totally deserved.* The crowd was having none of it, thousands started to boo. I had decided to stay for Sabbath earlier in the day, but her tirade and childish antics got me so mad that I left. Many others had the same idea... I'm certain that several thousand left. Any self-respecting Maiden fan would not stand for such behaviour. Shame on you Sharon!!!
