Latest news with #BacktotheBeginningconcert
The Advertiser
21 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Advertiser
Black Sabbath bandmate shocked by 'frail' Ozzy Osbourne
Geezer Butler "wasn't prepared" for how "frail" Ozzy Osbourne was during rehearsals for the Black Sabbath reunion gig. The band got back together for one huge final show - the Back to the Beginning concert - at Villa Park in their home town of Birmingham, England, on July 5 and bassist Butler admitted he was shocked to see singer Osbourne in such poor health. In an essay written for The Sunday Times newspaper, Butler said: "The rehearsals for that final show started a month before at a studio in the Oxfordshire countryside. "Tony Iommi, Bill Ward and I ran through seven songs together. Of course, not having played together for 20 years, it took a couple of days to get rid of the rust. "Then it was time for Ozzy to join us. I knew he wasn't in good health, but I wasn't prepared to see how frail he was. "He was helped into the rehearsal room by two helpers and a nurse and was using a cane - being Ozzy, the cane was black and studded with gold and precious stones." Butler went on to reveal his friend - who died on July 22 just two weeks after the concert - was unusually quiet during rehearsals because he found the work so exhausting. "(Ozzy) didn't really say much beyond the usual greetings and when he sang, he sat in a chair," Butler said. "We ran through the songs but we could see it was exhausting him after six or seven songs. "We had a bit of a chat, but he was really quiet compared with the Ozzy of old." Butler said he wished he had been able to spend more time with Osbourne because he had no idea the appearance at the gig would be the last time they would ever see each other. "Nobody knew he'd be gone from us little more than two weeks after the final show, but I am so grateful we got to play one last time together in front of his beloved fans." Geezer Butler "wasn't prepared" for how "frail" Ozzy Osbourne was during rehearsals for the Black Sabbath reunion gig. The band got back together for one huge final show - the Back to the Beginning concert - at Villa Park in their home town of Birmingham, England, on July 5 and bassist Butler admitted he was shocked to see singer Osbourne in such poor health. In an essay written for The Sunday Times newspaper, Butler said: "The rehearsals for that final show started a month before at a studio in the Oxfordshire countryside. "Tony Iommi, Bill Ward and I ran through seven songs together. Of course, not having played together for 20 years, it took a couple of days to get rid of the rust. "Then it was time for Ozzy to join us. I knew he wasn't in good health, but I wasn't prepared to see how frail he was. "He was helped into the rehearsal room by two helpers and a nurse and was using a cane - being Ozzy, the cane was black and studded with gold and precious stones." Butler went on to reveal his friend - who died on July 22 just two weeks after the concert - was unusually quiet during rehearsals because he found the work so exhausting. "(Ozzy) didn't really say much beyond the usual greetings and when he sang, he sat in a chair," Butler said. "We ran through the songs but we could see it was exhausting him after six or seven songs. "We had a bit of a chat, but he was really quiet compared with the Ozzy of old." Butler said he wished he had been able to spend more time with Osbourne because he had no idea the appearance at the gig would be the last time they would ever see each other. "Nobody knew he'd be gone from us little more than two weeks after the final show, but I am so grateful we got to play one last time together in front of his beloved fans." Geezer Butler "wasn't prepared" for how "frail" Ozzy Osbourne was during rehearsals for the Black Sabbath reunion gig. The band got back together for one huge final show - the Back to the Beginning concert - at Villa Park in their home town of Birmingham, England, on July 5 and bassist Butler admitted he was shocked to see singer Osbourne in such poor health. In an essay written for The Sunday Times newspaper, Butler said: "The rehearsals for that final show started a month before at a studio in the Oxfordshire countryside. "Tony Iommi, Bill Ward and I ran through seven songs together. Of course, not having played together for 20 years, it took a couple of days to get rid of the rust. "Then it was time for Ozzy to join us. I knew he wasn't in good health, but I wasn't prepared to see how frail he was. "He was helped into the rehearsal room by two helpers and a nurse and was using a cane - being Ozzy, the cane was black and studded with gold and precious stones." Butler went on to reveal his friend - who died on July 22 just two weeks after the concert - was unusually quiet during rehearsals because he found the work so exhausting. "(Ozzy) didn't really say much beyond the usual greetings and when he sang, he sat in a chair," Butler said. "We ran through the songs but we could see it was exhausting him after six or seven songs. "We had a bit of a chat, but he was really quiet compared with the Ozzy of old." Butler said he wished he had been able to spend more time with Osbourne because he had no idea the appearance at the gig would be the last time they would ever see each other. "Nobody knew he'd be gone from us little more than two weeks after the final show, but I am so grateful we got to play one last time together in front of his beloved fans."
Scotsman
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Best Ozzy Osbourne Quotes: Here are 15 funny and interesting things the Black Sabbath star said about music, fans, family and more
Just two weeks after performing in a huge farewell concert with his band Black Sabbath, musical legend Ozzy Osbourne has died at the age of 76. Tributes have been pouring in for Prince of Darkness, who played a leading role in the development of heavy metal in the 1970s. He was fired from his band in 1979 but went on to enjoy a successful solo career, releasing 13 studio albums, before rejoining Sabbath in 1997 (following several other reunions). He's sold over 100 million albums and later reached a whole new fanbase when his family featured on reality television show The Osbournes - which also made stars of wife Sharon, son Jack and daughter Kelly. On July 5 he performed his final show at the Back to the Beginning concert in his native Birmingham, which saw many of the world's bigget rock stars turn out to celebrate the man and his music. He died 17 days later. Here are 15 of the star's most memorable quotes. 1 . Ozzy health "Of all the things I've lost I miss my mind the most." | Getty Images for The Rock and Ro Photo Sales 2 . Ozzy "It's all part of my journey - I've done a lot of stupid things, but you learn by your mistakes." | Getty Images Photo Sales 3 . Ozzy on...'that' bat "You gotta be really careful what you bite off. Don't bite off more than you can chew. It's a dangerous world." | Getty Images Photo Sales 4 . Ozzy "Being sober on a bus is, like, totally different than being drunk on a bus." | Getty Images for iHeartMedia Photo Sales
