Amid concerns about his health, Ozzy Osbourne has insisted he will perform in July at what is being billed as his final concert, fronting the original lineup of Black Sabbath.
Speaking along with his bandmates to the Guardian’s Alexis Petridis in an interview to be published on Friday, he said: “I’ll be there, and I’ll do the best I can. So all I can do is turn up.”
The concert, titled Back to the Beginning and held at the band’s beloved Villa Park in Birmingham, features an all-star supporting lineup of metal greats including Metallica, Slayer and Anthrax. But this week, the frontman of another supporting act, Tool, voiced doubt about Osbourne’s ability to perform.
“I’m cautious about saying, ‘Yeah! All in, he’s gonna do it’,” Maynard James Keenan said. “I don’t know what kind of modern miracles we’ll come up with to get him on stage to do the songs, but this is gonna be a challenge for them. So, I’m honoured to be a part of it, but I’m kinda preparing for the worst, but hoping for the best.”
Osbourne has experienced an extraordinary run of back luck with his health in recent years, including a 2019 fall that exacerbated an earlier spinal injury, requiring numerous surgeries. He has also suffered pneumonia and a longstanding infection, and has been diagnosed with a form of Parkinson’s.
Speaking to the Guardian, he acknowledged the psychological toll: “You wake up the next morning and find that something else has gone wrong. You begin to think this is never going to end.” He said the reunion concert was conceived by his wife, Sharon, as “something to give me a reason to get up in the morning”.
Back to the Beginning will reunite Osbourne with his original Black Sabbath bandmates for the first time in 20 years: guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler and drummer Bill Ward. After forming in 1968 in Birmingham, the almighty weight of their sound, topped with Osbourne’s penetrating holler, ushered in an entire genre of heavy metal and resulted in classic albums such as Paranoid and Master of Reality. Osbourne left in 1979, then returned in 1997. The classic lineup played together until 2005, continuing without Ward for further tours and a final studio album, 2013’s 13.
Osbourne detailed his preparation for the reunion concert to the Guardian. “I do weights, bike riding, I’ve got a guy living at my house who’s working with me. It’s tough – I’ve been laid up for such a long time. I’ve been lying on my back doing nothing and the first thing to go is your strength. It’s like starting all over again. I’ve got a vocal coach coming round four days a week to keep my voice going. I have problems walking. I also get blood pressure issues, from blood clots on my legs. I’m used to doing two hours on stage, jumping and running around. I don’t think I’ll be doing much jumping or running around this time. I may be sitting down.”
He said he won’t be performing a full set. “We’re only playing a couple of songs each. I don’t want people thinking ‘we’re getting ripped off’, because it’s just going to be … what’s the word? … a sample, you’re going to get a few songs each by Ozzy and Sabbath.”
Elsewhere in the Guardian interview, the other band members speak about their own reasons for returning, and Sharon details her and Ozzy’s plans for retirement.
The concert, on 5 July, will raise funds for three charities: Cure Parkinson’s, Birmingham Children’s Hospital and the Birmingham-based Acorns Children’s Hospice.
