PANTERA Ozzfest 2000 Diary Part 6 - Wrapup
by Madd Maxx Hammer

The final leg of Ozzfest 2000 took us through the western U.S.A. The first show of the west coast was in a place called George, Washington. This place is awesome! It is out in the middle of nowhere. I am talking total wilderness and beauty. The amphitheater is set in the mountains of the great pacific northwest miles and miles from civilization. There is a huge lake set in the majestic hills that adds to the splendor. Everyone on the tour who has never been there was overcome with awe. The scenery had us hypnotized. The official name of this venue is the GORGE. The west coast swing offered a minor change in the band line-up...Queens of the Stone Age left the tour and Black Label Society joined. Black Label Society is fronted by former Ozzy Osbourne guitarist ZakK Wylde. Live, Black Label is heavy and loud. A must see for any metal enthusiast. On the not so positive side, Phil of Pantera got the flu before the show.

I mean he was really sick. So sick he could not workout at all during the western shows.

Following the show at the Gorge we traveled approximately 1,000 miles non-stop to San Jose, California. The bus ride was 19 hours. We woke up on the bus which is always fun. I am being factitious. Phil just laid in his bunk sick the whole trip, while the rest of us, including Pantera bass player Rex Brown, played cards. I lost 31 dollars! Rex is a card shark!!! However, I made the money back many times over during a rest stop in beautiful Weed, California. That's right, Weed, California. There is really a place called Weed. If you don't believe me check out a map. Anyway in Weed I got off the bus and the Pantera band bus that Pantera guitarist Dimebag Darrell rides on pulled off too. Dime and his assistant Tongs were filming stunts for the soon to be released Pantera home video number 4. Once Dime saw me he called me over and offered me 250 dollars to perform some stunts for the camera. I won't go into what I was paid to do. You'll have to wait for the release of the video. Suffice to say I made a total fool of myself, BUT I was compensated handsomely.

PANTERA Ozzfest 2000 Diary Part 6 -Wrapup Page 2