Randy Blythe thinks Ozzy Osbourne deserves a final show with Black Sabbath.
After talking about how excited he is to be one of the bands who will perform at Black Sabbath’s reunion gig in a chat with Loudwire Nights, the Lamb of God frontman mentioned Sabbath’s importance to him, saying, “This is the band that created heavy metal.”
He continued, “Every time we’re in Birmingham, England, every single time without fail onstage, I thank them individually. Thank you, Tony Iommi. Thank you, Bill Ward. Thank you, Geezer Butler. Thank you, Ozzy Osbourne, for creating heavy metal and giving me a f*cking job.”
For fans who complain about ‘Back to the Beginning’—Ozzy doing it, ticket prices, or anything else—Blythe shared, “F*ck you. It’s for charity … Ozzy wants to do this sh*t, dude. He wants to do it. He wants to say goodbye. Let him. Let him.”
Ozzy announced his final show on February 5, reuniting Black Sabbath’s original members for the first time in 20 years. ‘Back to the Beginning’ will be on July 5, with Metallica, Slayer, Lamb of God, Mastodon, Pantera, Anthrax, and more.
Proceeds will go to Cure Parkinson’s, Birmingham Children’s Hospital, and Acorn Children’s Hospice, supported by Aston Villa. This will be the first time in 20 years that Ozzy, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward play together.
“I’m not planning on doing a set with Black Sabbath but I am doing little bits and pieces with them. I am doing what I can, where I feel comfortable,” Osbourne recently noted in an episode of Ozzy Speaks.
Producer Andrew Watt also addressed Osbourne’s health issues and singing ability, explaining, “He’s okay. It’s just his body is not doing what he wants it to do all the time.”
“But I talked to him a couple days ago, and he’s, like, starting to get in the gym again a little bit by little, get himself ready for this last concert. He is the real-life Iron Man. And nothing has happened to his voice — his voice is as good as it has ever been,” Watt added.
Ozzy last played a full show on December 31, 2018, during his ‘No More Tours’ tour. Two months later, he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s. Since then, health issues and cancellations have stopped big shows.
