USA - Shortly after Sharon Osbourne made the announcement that this year's Ozzfest is free, organisers turned to sponsors to provide added support for the festival's new incarnation as a FREEfest. In stepped Jägermeister, offering its own state-of- the art mobile stage as a secondary stage for the summer's biggest heavy metal festival. And it enlisted Chauvet as a lighting sponsor.

Dubbed "revolutionary" by Osbourne, the Jägermeister stage is a 34ft long, fully self-contained stage complete with a full audio sound system provided by JVC Mobile. The entire PA system, provided by Peavey Electronics and Schecter Guitars, will be hung for optimum sound. Lighting consists mostly of LED-fitted fixtures (COLORpalette and LEDrain 56 washes, LED white Technostrobes) and 10mW Scorpion lasers. All lights are controlled via Chauvet ShowXpress software.

"We are incredibly jazzed that Jägermeister is bringing its innovative and state-of-the-art mobile stage on this history-making tour," says Jane Holman, vice president of touring for Live Nation, Ozzfest's organiser. This year will see the return of Ozzy to the main stage as headliner. The first show is slated for 7 July in Los Angeles.

(Jim Evans)


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