Whoever it is has some big shoes to fill
On Monday, metal icon Ozzy Osbourne has canceled his upcoming performance at Power Trip. The remaining acts – Metallica, Iron Maiden, AC/DC, Tool, and Guns N’ Roses are still slated to perform at the Goldenvoice festival, the company behind Coachella, Stagecoach, and Cruel World. The uniqueness of Power Trip is that there is no bill. There’s no undercard. It’s five of the greatest acts to ever walk the earth, all in once place. So, who could possibly replace Ozzy and hold their own against heavy music’s top heavyweights? Avenged Sevenfold and Pantera could have been considered, but both acts are already slated to perform elsewhere on October 7. The list replace Ozzy at the Empire Polo Grounds is a very short one, and here it is.
Aerosmith
Rock legends Aerosmith recently announced their final tour, calling it a career after five decades. The North American trek kicks off on September 2 in Philadelphia and runs through January 26, 2024. After their performance in Washington, DC on September 27, Aerosmith conveniently have a nice little gap in their schedule before their headlining run resumes on October 11 in Florida. With their protégés Guns N’ Roses already playing with Iron Maiden on Friday, October 6, Aerosmith would jive nicely alongside AC/DC on Saturday.
Judas Priest
Aside from being one of the greatest heavy bands of all time, Priest’s touring schedule is wide open until next March (for now). Fresh off their 50th anniversary celebrations, the band is reportedly working on music for the follow-up to their acclaimed 2018 album Firepower. With a tour, the primary issue is routing. When a band isn’t on the road – especially abroad – it comes down to simple logistics, and whether or not it’s cost feasible to bring their full production overseas for one show. Logistics aside, Priest’s contributions to the genre are well-documented, however they often seem to be overshadowed by contemporaries like Black Sabbath and Iron Maiden, who are on the Power Trip bill. Having them take the stage alongside these other acts would be an ultimate testament to their rock solid legacy.
System of a Down
System of a Down currently have no live shows on their schedule. The band has played very sparingly over the last few years, with those select shows being sold out stadium and arena gigs. With a very solid catalog behind them, fans are starving to see this band amid the gut feeling that they may call it quits soon, if they haven’t already. Moreover, the band’s eponymous debut album which features the hits “Sugar” and “Spiders” just turned 25 on June 30.
Rammstein
Industrial metal titans Rammstein are in the midst of their European stadium tour. The trek wraps up on August 5, with no future dates on the docket. Frontman Till Lindemann will be coming back stateside to perform a solo spot at Blue Ridge Rock Festival in Virginia in September. The rest of the band and crew have plenty of time to decompress and gear up for a one-off at Power Trip. As with Judas Priest, it will come down to logistics. The band’s stadium production on this album cycle is one of the most massive sets in rock history. Getting all that shit over here for one show will be challenging, but they’ve done it before.
Slipknot
Once a nu metal novelty act, Slipknot have carved out a dominate career over the last two decades. Back in June, they returned to headline Download Festival in the UK once again alongside the mighty Metallica, who are on the Power Trip bill. With their 25th anniversary around the corner, Slipknot are still selling out arenas around the globe. Between 2008 and 2019, the band released three studio albums that all topped the Billboard 200. Slipknot’s resume has earned them the right to play Power Trip. Alongside Tool, they balance out the old guard of Metallica and Iron Maiden to represent their generation of metalheads. Slipknot’s schedule is clear after their appearance at Blue Ridge Rock Festival in early September, however frontman Corey Taylor is slated to perform at Aftershock Festival on October 7. Perhaps, if Slipknot are in the mix, some adjustments could be made to accommodate both festivals.
Slayer
Thrash metal legends Slayer retired after a lengthy final campaign which concluded in 2019. Shortly after the conclusion of their final tour, frontman guitarist Kerry King’s wife Ayesha stated on her Instagram that there was “no chance in hell” that the band will ever perform again or release new music. Even though Slayer they called it quits, bands like KISS and Motley Crue have given weight to the notion that “never” often doesn’t really mean “never.” In 2020, while congratulating Machine Head on their 30th anniversary, King said, “Apparently, it’s 30 years, which is quite an achievement. Not a lot of bands get there. We did, and then we quit too early. Fuck us. Fuck me. I hate fucking not playing.” Power Trip would give Slayer to scratch the itch of not performing, and present them with unique opportunity to go toe-to-toe with the best in the business.
Led Zeppelin
There’s not much to say here. The whole world wants to see it. Late drummer John Bonham’s son Jason, who has filled his father’s shoes before, is ready and willing. Rumor has it that Power Trip organizers Goldevoice attempted to lure Led Zeppelin into performing at Coachella in 2018 to celebrate the band’s 50th anniversary. The same rumors applied to Glastonbury the following year. The band last performed at a tribute concert to late Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun in 2007 at the O2 Arena in London. As with Slayer, never say never, but when it comes to Led Zeppelin, we’re definitely not holding our breath.
Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler, plus Special Guests
Ok, we’re literally making this one up – but hear us out. Recently, Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi revealed that Power Trip organizers initially approached Black Sabbath about performing at the festival with the original lineup. The band declined the offer, citing Ozzy’s ongoing heath issues as the main reason for not taking the gig. There’s also the issue of the fractured relationship between Ozzy, Iommi, and bassist Geezer Butler with dummer Bill Ward. Ward did not appear on the band’s final album or take part in their final tour due to contractual issues.
“It’s hard, because Ozzy’s been going through a lot of stuff lately,” Iommi told SiriusXM’s Trunk Nation host Eddie Trunk. “He’s in hospital and out of hospital, and he’s really been fighting it; he really wants to get out there. But in my mind, it’s very difficult to sort of say yes. I’ve gotta think of the people in the band as well. I’ve gotta think of Ozzy, if he’s gonna be all right to do a show and whatever. So I wasn’t that comfortable with it, but I didn’t know Ozzy would be doing it on his own. But it’s great. I hope he can do it and that it’ll be really good. He really wants to do it. And he’s really trying to pull to get himself back. He’s had to go through such a lot of hard stuff lately. It’s such a shame, really. But he’s still fighting there.”
Despite turning down Power Trip, Iommi hasn’t ruled out the possibility of a one-off Black Sabbath reunion.
“I’ve certainly done the Commonwealth Games with Ozzy, and that sort of happened, but to do a full show, you’ve gotta make sure everybody’s in good shape because people are gonna remember you by that show. And I don’t want our reputation to go downhill all of a sudden. If something goes wrong or somebody can’t make it and we have to cancel… ‘Cause I don’t know everybody’s health; I don’t know how Bill [Ward’s] feeling these days. You just don’t know. So I’d like to be sure. If you’re gonna do anything, it’s gotta be good or not bother.”
Contrary to Iommi’s recent comments, Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler seemingly ruled out any sort of Black Sabbath reunion in the future.
In his new memoir Into the Void: From Birth to Black Sabbath – and Beyond, Butler opens up about his disconnect with Ozzy, and the band’s issues with Ward. Last week in an interview with Rolling Stone, Geezer put the cherry on top, saying of a reunion, “I don’t think Ozzy’s up for it, anyway.”
All that being said, and with a new Black Sabbath box set to promote, Iommi and Geezer could put together an all-star headlining slot worthy of the Power Trip bill. If Black Sabbath drummer Bill Ward would decline to take part, any number of Sabbath contributors could step in. Vinny Appice, who sat behind the kit for Sabbath and Heaven & Hell for several stints, would be an obvious first choice. The Cult’s drummer John Tempesta contributed to Iommi’s 2000 solo album Iommi.
Pearl Jam drummer Matt Cameron contributed to several tracks on the Iommi album. Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl sang and played drums on “Goodbye Lament.” Sadly, both will be busy on October 7 with their respective bands.
As far as vocals go, former Sabbath singers Tony Martin and Ian Gillan and Tony Martin are still around. Martin just released his latest solo effort Thorns last year.
In addition to the talent that will already be present over the weekend, any number of folks could fly in to take part it what could be a one of the most monumental jam sessions in rock history.