Zack Simmons of Goatwhore, by Liz Civarella-Brenner
My first and favorite concert memory goes something like this… I somehow convinced my parents to take me to the first Ozzfest show ever in 1996 when I was 10 years old. They only did two shows that year. One in California and one in Phoenix, Arizona, where I am from. I was really just there to see Ozzy, who was on tour for his Ozzmosis album, and at ten years of age I was already a huge Ozzy and Sabbath freak. We got there while Slayer was just ending and the atmosphere was fucking out of control. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing and hearing and smelling. It was a total sensory overload. It was the first time I smelled marijuana being smoked. Along with the violent sounds of Slayer, the fires burning on the amphitheater lawn, and the rowdiness of the crowd, I instantly felt quite intrigued and excited about a world I had before only read about. Ozzy came on and I’m sure my parents knew what they had allowed to happen. My life was changed in an instant and since then I knew where I wanted it to go.
Goatwhore is on tour forever… including a headline run this summer and an appearance at GWAR-BQ this summer.
ZACK SIMMONS