Iron Maiden [ tickets ]'s manager has spoken out about the band's ill-fated finale on the Ozzfest [ tickets ] tour, and tour organizer Sharon Osbourne has responded by admitting that she had a hand in sabotaging the group's performance.

The war of words comes in the wake of Maiden's Aug. 20 performance in San Bernardino, CA, which was the group's final night on the Ozzfest tour. During the show, the group reportedly was pelted with eggs, bottle caps and lighters; had its sound cut several times; and was introduced to the audience via a taped message of someone chanting "Ozzy, Ozzy." The same chant was also piped through the sound system at the end of the band's set.

"In 30 years in this business and after attending hundreds of gigs l have never seen anything anywhere near as disgusting and unprofessional as what went on that night," Maiden's manager, Rod Smallwood, said in a statement posted at the group's website. "... The scale, viciousness and concentration of the throwing made it obvious that this was a premeditated and coordinated attack. Assaulting musicians while performing by throwing bottle tops, lighters and eggs at them from just a few yards away is vile, dangerous, criminal and cowardly. ... And to spit at a band on stage is unforgivable.

"It is well documented on the web who was responsible for planning and participating in this attack and for musicians to join in this assault on other musicians is a shocking disgrace akin to treachery. You should all be thoroughly ashamed of yourselves.

"We know who [authorized] the making of the 'Ozzy - Ozzy' chant tape the day before and how it was played secretly through the PA at the very beginning and end of our set. We also know who continually turned off the power interrupting our set at crucial moments. ... "

Sharon Osbourne--wife and manager of the traveling festival's namesake, rocker Ozzy Osbourne [ tickets ]--responded Thursday (8/25) with an open letter directed at Smallwood.

"Rod, I found your statement to be completely void of the facts that led up to Saturday's show," Osbourne wrote. "Your press release was written like an old time '80s manager, trying to use every opportunity to try and sell the record and the upcoming shows instead of just dealing with the truth.

"You claim to have been in the business for 30 years and have been to hundreds of gigs, but can you tell me how many times you have heard of an opening band talking s--- about the headliner during their set and getting away with it?"

Osbourne's 891-word rant went on to point out that Ozzy "is also the man who is paying your band $185,000 a night," that the tour enabled Maiden to "play to the biggest audiences they have ever played to in the U.S.A.," and that Ozzfest crewmembers, "at the band's request ... scoured the audience for people wearing Iron Maiden t-shirts and brought them down front during their set to make them feel more comfortable."

"Unfortunately those gestures were completely lost on [Maiden frontman] Bruce Dickinson, who for over 20 shows continually berated Ozzy and Ozzfest during his set," Osbourne continued, writing that she, Ozzy and the rest of the Ozzfest crew "for 20 shows ... were forced to hear Dickinson's nightly outbursts from the stage," which she claimed included comments such as "When we come back to America, we'll be back with a proper sound system," "We won’t be playing the same old songs every night (like Sabbath)," "We don't need a teleprompter (like Ozzy)" and "We don’t need a reality show to be legit (again, like Ozzy)."

Though she did not claim responsibility for the projectile assault on the band, she did take credit for killing the audio during the performance.

"On closing, yes, I did cut Iron Maiden’s sound. This is the way I look at it: Ozzfest is our tour. ... Was Dickinson so naive [as] to think that I was going to let him get away with talking s--- about my family night after night? I don't think he realizes who he’s dealing with. I will not endure behavior like this from anyone.

"I know you would love to keep talking about this because this is the most press that Iron Maiden has had in the U.S. in 20 years, but let's move on, shall we?"

Osbourne signed the letter "The 'Real' Iron Maiden, Sharon Osbourne."

Ozzfest wraps up next week in Florida. Velvet Revolver has taken over for Maiden, a move that was planned long before the trouble erupted.