OzzFest passes on Pavilion this year

It sounds like Ozzy Osbourne, family man and self-proclaimed prince of darkness, won't be dropping by the Inland Empire this year.

Osbourne's traveling heavy- metal festival - OzzFest - has been a staple of sweltering inland summers at Glen Helen Pavilion in Devore. But OzzFest organizers announced Tuesday that Osbourne won't be traveling across the United States this year.

Instead, the rocker will limit his show to a single day in Dallas - as in Texas. The show is being billed as a three-stage metal onslaught featuring performances by Osbourne, Metallica and a legion of other hard-rock performers.

As hard as it may seem to imagine a rock veteran like Osbourne needing to take a break from the road, that's the official reason OzzFest is sticking to the Lone Star State this year.

"Ozzy just finished an 11-month world tour so I think he deserves a summer off," his wife, Sharon, said in the announcement.

The disappearance of OzzFest doesn't mean that heavy metal will disappear from Glen Helen Pavilion.

Slipknot and Disturbed are scheduled to play there during the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival on July 13, and Motley Crue is tapped to headline Crue Fest on Aug. 2.

And if that's not enough to destroy eardrums, The Metal Masters show set for Aug. 30 has Judas Priest, Heaven and Hell (basically Black Sabbath without Osbourne), Motorhead and Testament on the bill.

San Bernardino County has a deal with concert promoters Live Nation to host events at Glen Helen Pavilion. County spokesman David Wert said the company pays about $1.2 million a year to sign acts to the stage and that Osbourne's absence won't affect that arrangement.