In a new interview with Billboard, Shawn ‘Clown’ Crahan stated that Slipknot owes the Osbournes for helping them when they were just starting out.
The percussionist said the following about performing in Ozzfest with Slipknot:
“Slipknot, we owe the Osbournes a lot. They launched us. Because we were nothing. So we had to go out there and prove it. But the thing with us is when we’re together and we’re onstage, it’s us against everybody. Six songs, 25 minutes, we went hard that summer.”
Slipknot finished their debut album in early 1999, joined Ozzfest, and gained a bigger audience. Their self-titled record was released on June 29, 1999. Later, they also performed in Ozzfest in 2001, 2004, 2005, and 2013.
Corey Taylor’s Words On Playing In Ozzfest
In a 2016 interview with Rolling Stone, Corey Taylor also reflected on the importance of performing in Ozzfest for the first time. The singer stated:
“Ozzfest gave us an incredible opportunity where we were really able to jumpstart a career from there. In a lot of ways, we had a lot of advantage over a lot of other bands because of that. We were able to get all over the country, we had people who really supported us from Day One that helped us get to where we are now. The great thing about being a part of that Ozzfest was that you were immediately part of the family. The Osbournes themselves really believed in this band.”
Later, in 2023, Taylor also talked to Loudwire about meeting Ozzy for the first time during the tour:
“I was sitting at a table with Sharon and Jack [Osbourne] and a couple of other guys from Slipknot. And out of nowhere comes Ozzy. Sharon introduces us, and he’s like, ‘Oh, you’re in Slipknot, there’s nine guys, right? I want to be number ten.’ It was like being baptised and knighted all at the same time.”
Slipknot performed ‘(sic),’ ‘Eyeless,’ ‘Wait and Bleed,’ ‘Liberate,’ ‘Surfacing,’ ‘Purity,’ and ‘Eeyore’ in their first appearance on Ozzfest.