{"id":20720,"date":"2024-01-25T13:56:51","date_gmt":"2024-01-25T18:56:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/?p=20720"},"modified":"2024-12-19T09:57:41","modified_gmt":"2024-12-19T14:57:41","slug":"ozzy-osbourne-to-play-two-more-shows-to-say-goodbye-as-sharon-osbourne-works-him-to-the-grave","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.southeastofheaven.com\/?p=20720","title":{"rendered":"Ozzy Osbourne To Play Two More Shows to Say Goodbye as Sharon Osbourne Works Him To the Grave"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sharon Osbourne<\/strong> announced that her long-time husband and financial puppet, Ozzy Osbourne<\/strong>, will be performing two \u201cFarewell\u201d shows at what they seem to suggest will be in Ozzy\u2019s hometown of Aston Villa at the stadium Villa Park.\u00a0 No dates have been released, but he will not tour again following the shows.\u00a0 Or so they say.<\/p>\n

Ozzy said \u201cgoodbye\u201d back in 1992 on the final leg of a tour supporting No More Tears, aptly titled the \u201cNo More Tours\u201d Tour.\u00a0 The tour lasted about five months and featured opening acts such as Ugly Kid Joe, Faster Pussycat, Motorhead, and Alice In Chains.\u00a0 I caught this tour in Atlanta on August 18, 1992 in Atlanta with Ugly Kid Joe and Faster Pussycat supporting.\u00a0 The show was fantastic, and at 20 years old and an Ozzy fan for eight years, I remember thinking that this was Ozzy going out on top.<\/p>\n

This \u201cfinal show\u201d in Atlanta was how I wanted to remember Ozzy Osbourne.\u00a0 I wanted to remember him as a madman, a king of the stage, a mysterious stage character that was the Mr. Hyde to his Dr. Jekyll.\u00a0 Even the album No More Tears, while not my favorite, was a great album and a great way to sign off from a very long, illustrious career that brought a lot of happiness and love to millions of people worldwide.\u00a0 Unfortunately, that memory would be scarred, tarnishing his legacy forever.<\/p>\n

A mere four years after he \u201cretired,\u201d Ozzy resurfaced and hit the road with the \u201cRetirement Sucks\u201d tour.\u00a0 While I wasn\u2019t thrilled that he went back on his word, I sure as hell wouldn\u2019t turn down a chance to see Ozzy.\u00a0 He rolled into Atlanta on May 18, 1996, with support acts Sepultura and Type O Negative, and it was a show that I wish I had never attended.\u00a0 His guitarist of choice was former Lizzy Borden\/David Lee Roth guitarist Joe Holmes (who was actually amazing), and the rhythm section featured at the time Suicidal Tendencies bassist Robert Trujillo and Faith No More drummer Mike \u201cPuffy\u201d Borden.\u00a0 While not my favorite rhythm section, they did a great job, and it was a fun and memorable show.\u00a0 The play-it-safe setlist didn\u2019t make his \u201ccomeback\u201d that exciting, but it was a great show, and honestly, I\u2019m glad this was the last time I saw Ozzy.<\/p>\n

Over the years, Ozzy\u2019s voice and health began deteriorating, his mobility started getting worse, and his overall health was on a rapid decline.\u00a0 Sharon Osbourne would keep Ozzy out on the road for nearly 30 years and release six uninspired, lackluster albums, the last being Patient #9.\u00a0 I understand Ozzy\u2019s desire to put out new music, but in all honesty, we know that Ozzy doesn\u2019t write a lick or a word besides humming melodies.\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0Patient #9 is the album we got given as his goodbye, which is a sad, harsh reality.<\/p>\n

Had Ozzy said goodbye in 1992 as he promised, he would\u2019ve been a legend, but now, as of 2023, he\u2019s just an old, broken-down human being (which, at 75 and the life he lived he should be) with a voice that has long left him.\u00a0 Recent years saw Ozzy performing to backing tapes, and he has said that he is taking vocal coaching, but honestly, I doubt that anything he sings is remotely live.<\/p>\n

So, two more shows left, and then Ozzy is packing it in?\u00a0 I\u2019m sure Sharon will find a way to put his corpse into a cryogenic chamber, put him on the road, and charge $500 bucks a ticket if it could keep the flow of money coming in.\u00a0 It\u2019s sad, but I like to believe I saw Ozzy when he was still on top of his game.\u00a0 \u00a0I managed to avoid seeing him in the Ozzfest years but caught the \u201999 Sabbath Ozzfest show in Atlanta, which was spectacular.\u00a0 Again, not only did I see Ozzy himself in a great place, but I got to see the last truly great Ozzy-era Black Sabbath tour.<\/p>\n

I love Ozzy Osbourne as a human being, flaws and all.\u00a0 I always have, and I always will.\u00a0 I will also hate him for being the spineless puppet to his money-grabbing wife for the entirety of his career.\u00a0 To see him being dragged through the mud and caking his legacy in crap is something I will never forgive either of them for, yet at the same time, a world without Ozzy alive in it will be a sadder world.<\/p>\n

The writing of this piece was essential for me, as a long-time fan, because now I feel I can move on and love the Ozzy that I loved.\u00a0 The mysterious Ozzy.\u00a0 The madman.\u00a0 The Prince of Darkness.\u00a0 When Ozzy has left this plane, there will be enough great music, archived live performances, and memories to last a lifetime.<\/p>\n