Black Sabbath's 'secret plan' to help Ozzy Osbourne in final gig amid health setback
Ozzy Osbourne has admitted he 'may be sitting down' for final gig and sources say they will pull out stops to put on a show around him
Concert organisers will 'use smoke and mirrors' to make sure Ozzy Osbourne gets the triumphant send off he deserves in his final gig. Frontman Ozzy, 76, has given an interview where he vowed to "do the best I can" as he prepares to play his final ever live show with Black Sabbath.
But he also admitted he would not be very active on the Birmingham stage. He said: '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.' A source close to the Osbournes said months of planning was going into the short set by the band which will close the event titled "Back To The Beginning' at Villa Park on July 5.
Ozzy is likely to be on a chair on stage but there will be lots of smoke like the old Sabbath gigs, flashing lights and big guitar solos from bandmate Tommy Iommi to ensure Ozzy's entrance and performance will delight fans.
"The planning for this gig has been well over a year now so there are plenty of tricks and you need to include video montages of the band over the decades too, before they even start playing. We can use smoke and mirrors and the rest of the band to help Ozzy if we need to and make it feel like he is on stage and performing for longer than he is."
In 2020, Osbourne revealed he had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease and he paused touring in 2023 after extensive spinal surgery.
"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 told G2 on Friday.
He said the reunion concert was conceived by his wife, Sharon, as "something to give me a reason to get up in the morning".
"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," he said.
"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 added: "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."
Former Van Halen frontman Sammy Hagar told rock radio show Loudwire Nights that he was informed Osbourne is "going to try and sing five songs", including No More Tears.
Osbourne had a fall at home in 2019 which aggravated injuries from a near-fatal quad bike crash in 2003.
Speaking about his Parkinson's diagnosis in January 2020, he told US show Good Morning America: "I just can't wait to get well enough to go on the road, that is what is killing me."
The all-day event at Villa Park in Birmingham, the city where the heavy rock pioneers formed in 1968, will also feature sets by a host of major metal bands including Metallica, Slayer and Alice In Chains. Money raised from the show will go to Parkinson's and children's charities.
In 2017 the band played what was billed to be their "last" gig with Osbourne, guitarist Iommi and bassist Butler - but without Ward on drums. This time it will be the end of the band.
"I'd love to say 'never say never', but after the last six years or so it is time," said Ozzy.
"I lived on the road for 50-odd years, and I've kind of got used to not picking up my bags and getting on the bus again. I don't smoke dope or do any of the rock star lifestyle any more. I'm kind of like a homebody. I never go out. I never hang out in bars - I don't drink. So what the f*** is out there for me?
"It's time for me to spend some time with my grandkids, I don't want to die in a hotel room somewhere. I want to spend the rest of my life with my family."
Black Sabbath's story began in Birmingham where Osbourne, Iommi, Butler and Ward were looking to escape a life of factory work.
Their eponymous debut album in 1970 made the UK top 10 and paved the way for a string of hit records.
They went on to become one of the most influential and successful metal bands of all time, selling more than 75 million albums worldwide.
The group were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2006, and Osbourne was added for a second time last year.
He previously celebrated his home city in 2022 when he helped close the Commonwealth Games.
He rose to further fame alongside his wife Sharon - who he married in 1982 and with whom he has three children, Aimee, Jack and Kelly - through their reality TV series The Osbournes.
He rose to further fame alongside his wife Sharon - who he married in 1982 and with whom he has three children, Aimee, Jack and Kelly - through their reality TV series The Osbournes.
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