We reluctantly bought water at $3.50 a bottle, spending all of our money without getting a bite to eat all day.

Ozzfest 2006 provided daylong entertainment from the modern heavy metal scene that kept the crowd excited through the heat...although many fainted from heat exhaustion. Bands like Between the Buried and Me, Walls of Jericho, and Bleeding Through energized the crowd on the second stage. However, we found these bands' thumping riffs and amateur screaming to be unappealing. But the electrifying performance of Unearth stole the attention of the eager crowd.

It was our first big heavy metal concert experience. We were captivated by the whole scene. Watching the "heavy metal diehards" lose complete control of their minds was an experience that we won't soon forget. We would have enjoyed spending more time soaking in the scene, but the scorching heat forced us to keep hydrated. We reluctantly bought water at $3.50 a bottle, spending all of our money without getting a bite to eat all day.

We were disappointed with the second stage's lack of popular bands. The only band whose music we were familiar with was Black Label Society. When it was BLS's turn to play, the crowd at the second stage roared with their desire for the band's notorious hard riffs and hellish presence, and Black Label Society gave them just that. They immediately took control and let everyone know they were there.

Overall, the second stage kept our attention. The announcer kept us pumped with his continuous promotion of sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll. His phrase for the day was "big sweaty titties!"

The main stage started out with the British heavy metal band Dragonforce. We were somewhat shocked to hear the complex songs and awesome guitar solos. We enjoyed this unfamiliar British metal sound; however, they received little reaction from the crowd. The fans that did make it to their seats stayed in them and didn't stand up the entire performance. It seemed as if they used it as a break between stages.

Next on the main stage was the Italian dark metal band Lacuna Coil. They certainly stood out with a great performance that got the crowd ready for the long-awaited performance from Hatebreed. The crowd knew what was coming when Hatebreed hit the stage, rising to their collective feet immediately as demanded by the band's lead singer, Jamey Jasta. After the song "Perseverance," Jasta explained the band's misheard message involving facing obstacles in life and conquering them and standing up for what you believe in. They ended with the fan favorite "I Will Be Heard." We enjoyed the band's music and were impressed by their energy.

Then came Avenged Sevenfold, a hard-rock band popular on MTV. They opened with "Beast and the Harlot" and got an immediate reaction from the crowd; they loved it! Their stage decoration was stunning, with a skull with bat wings that flapped its wings. They gave a special tribute to Dimebag Darrell by playing Pantera's song "Walk." They ended the set with "Bat Country."

Next up was the popular metal band Disturbed. It was the most energetic the audience was all day. Lead singer David Dramain made sure everyone heard what he had to say, with frequent comments on his ideas and opinions. Their performance was spectacular. They played all the songs we wanted to hear, and swept us off our feet with songs like "Stricken," "Stupefy," and "Down With the Sickness."

Finally, it was time for the band we'd been waiting for all day: System of a Down, our personal favorite among the talented lineup on the main stage. They gave us all we expected, and more. We enjoyed every bit of their 90-minute performance. SOAD took the stage and made us all but forget the previous extraordinary performances of the day, playing hit singles like "Chop Suey," "Hypnotize," and ending it off with "Sugar." System of a Down gave a performance we'll never forget.

Ozzfest 2006 was an amazing event that pleased us, despite the heat. We would recommend this event to anyone who is a fan of hard rock.

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