Ozzy Osbourne has discussed saying ‘goodbye’ to Black Sabbath fans at his upcoming final show.
The rock star, 76, will reunite with Black Sabbath at their Back To The Beginning concert, due to be held at Birmingham‘s Villa Park on July 5.
Ozzy has undergone seven surgeries in the past five years, including a fourth spinal operation in September 2023, and has been privately battling Parkinson’s disease since 2003.
Though he plans to continue recording music, his upcoming gig will mark the last time he performs live and Ozzy has emotionally discussed what the show means to him.
‘It’s my final encore; it’s my chance to say thank you to my fans for always supporting me and being there for me,’ he shared.
‘It means everything, I am forever in their debt for showing up for me and the fans. I can’t quite put it into words, but I feel very emotional and blessed.’
Ozzy Osbourne (pictured in September 2022) has discussed saying ‘goodbye’ to Black Sabbath fans at his upcoming final show
The rock star, 76, will reunite with Black Sabbath at their Back To The Beginning concert at Birmingham’s Villa Park on July 5 (the band are pictured in a previously unseen photo in 1972)
‘It’s a goodbye as far as my live performances go, and what a way to go out,’ he added.
Ozzy said he wants his fans to ‘feel appreciated for how much they mean to me’ and discussed why the band decided to host their final ever show in Birmingham.
Ozzy grew up in Aston, Birmingham, and Black Sabbath – though they were known as Earth at the time – had their first ever gig at The Crown pub in Birmingham in 1968.
Aptly titled Back To The Beginning, the concert will see Ozzy and his bandmates Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward go back to their roots for their big reunion.
Of the poignant moment, Ozzy gushed: ‘I couldn’t have done my final show anywhere else. I had to go back to the beginning.’
He went on: ‘My memories of Villa Park when I was growing up were: Every Saturday when there was a match, I would go out with my friends and stand outside the Villa asking people for a shilling to watch their car.’
The concert will be streamed two hours after the in-arena start time, kicking off at 3pm BST, giving Black Sabbath fans around the globe a chance to watch.
However, Ozzy said they never actually planned to stream the show but decided to include it as an extra addition due to the overwhelming demand for tickets.
Though he plans to continue recording music, his upcoming gig will mark the last time he performs live and Ozzy (pictured in 2024) has discussed what the show means to him
Ozzy grew up in Aston, Birmingham, and Black Sabbath – though they were known as Earth at the time – had their first ever gig at The Crown pub in Birmingham in 1968
‘We never meant to have a livestream; it wasn’t in our plan,’ he shared.
‘I was just surprised how many people we were contacted by to do one, and so it seemed a great chance for people who didn’t have the opportunity to get a ticket to be able to see the show.’
Amid his ailing health, Ozzy recently admitted he is unsure whether to perform standing up or sitting down following a series of spinal operations.
The singer is currently in strict training, which even sees his blood pressure being taken 15 times a day.
He explained: ‘I have got this trainer guy who helps people get back to normal. It’s hard going, but he’s convinced that he can pull it off for me. I’m giving it everything I’ve got.
‘It’s endurance. The first thing that goes when you’re laid up is your stamina.
‘I am having my blood pressure taken 15 times a day.. I’ve got this f***ing device on my finger. It’s a monitor to say how my heart rate is.’
Ozzy vowed to do the ‘best he can’ during his final show after his string of health concerns in recent years.
Ozzy (pictured in 2014) has undergone seven surgeries in the past five years, including a fourth spinal operation in September 2023, and has been battling Parkinson’s disease
Though he is stepping back from the stage, Ozzy will keep recording music after his goodbye gig.
He told Metal Hammer magazine: ‘I still enjoy doing my own work, I also enjoy singing on other people’s work.
‘For the foreseeable future, I will keep on recording if the projects interest me, it’s very important.’
Ozzy’s last solo album, 2022’s Patient Number 9, featured a long list of guest artists, including hid Black Sabbath bandmate Tony Iommi, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Zakk Wylde, and Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready, among others.
Black Sabbath pioneered heavy metal music in the early 1970s with hits such as War Pigs, Paranoid and Iron Man.
Since their last gig together in 2005, Black Sabbath has played in partial reunions but never in their original line-up.
Special guests on the bill for Black Sabbath’s reunion include Metallica, Smashing Pumpkins’ Billy Corgan, Duff McKagan and Slash of Guns ‘N Roses, Limp Bizkit’s Fred Durst, Korn star Jonathan Davis, and Anthrax.
