In a new interview with Riff X‘s “Metal XS”, Zakk Wylde talked about his upcoming appearance at Ozzy Osbourne‘s Birmingham farewell concert.
BLACK SABBATH and Ozzy Osbourne‘s final show, scheduled for July 5th at Villa Park in Birmingham, England, is shaping up to be a historic event. Dubbed “Back To The Beginning,” this concert will mark the culmination of the band’s groundbreaking career and a celebration of their enduring legacy.
“Well, yeah, it’s gonna be awesome,” Zakk now said. “The gameplan is — let’s hope this is what happens. I mean, you always gotta stay on the bright side of life. [Laughs] ‘Cause Ozz was singing at the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame thing. He was doing ‘Mama, I’m Coming Home’, ’cause Jelly Roll wasn’t there when we did the soundcheck the day before [Ozzy‘s induction into the Rock Hall last October]. And Ozz was just sitting at the chair and he was singing ‘Mama, I’m Coming Home’, and it sounded great. So hopefully we’ll just do this, and then Ozz will go, ‘Let’s just fire up the machine again and we’ll do another tour.’ You know what I mean? With Ozz and his throne that just flies over the stadium or whatever — shoots out buckets of water and does everything like that. So, yeah, if Ozz has a great time, whatever, and it’s just, like, ‘I wanna go out on the road again,’ it’s just, like, ‘Good. Let’s do it again.’ I mean, what else is he gonna do? It’s like Keith Richards said. He [was asked], ‘When are you going to retire?’ He goes, ‘Retire from what?’ If you like reading a book and having a cup of coffee, it’s, like, why am I retiring from this? I enjoy it. I play music. I mean, what am I retiring from? It’s something I enjoy, something I love doing. So hopefully that’s what happens.”
“Considering all the bands that are on that thing and everybody’s gonna be playing SABBATH songs, it’s gonna be pretty mindblowing,” he continued. “It’s gonna be pretty awesome. And then to see Ozz get up there and do a song with ’em and then watch SABBATH play. I think for all the bands that are gonna be there, ’cause if it wasn’t for SABBATH, none of us would exist. You know what I mean? So I think it’s gonna be special for everybody.”
The event will also feature performances by METALLICA, SLAYER, PANTERA, GUNS N’ ROSES, TOOL, GOJIRA, ALICE IN CHAINS, HALESTORM, LAMB OF GOD, ANTHRAX, and MASTODON.
Ozzy‘s wife, Sharon Osbourne, discussed BLACK SABBATH‘s upcoming reunion concert with BBC News, saying: “He’s doing great. He’s doing really great. He’s so excited about this, about being with the guys again and all his friends. It’s exciting for everyone.”
Ozzy Osbourne, who has postponed his “No More Tours 2” shows several times due to illness, the pandemic, and logistical issues, and who paused touring in 2023 after spinal surgery, will perform his last concert ever at Villa Park, according to Sharon.
“Ozzy didn’t have a chance to say goodbye to his friends, to his fans, and he feels there’s no been no full stop,” she said. “This is his full stop.”
“It’s my time to go Back to the Beginning, time for me to give back to the place where I was born,” Ozzy said in a statement. “How blessed am I to do it with the help of people whom I love.
Source: metaladdicts.com
