Rudy Sarzo believes Ozzy Osbourne needs a huge farewell from music. In a new interview with ForBassPlayersOnly, Sarzo shared his thoughts on Black Sabbath’s upcoming final show and Osbourne’s retirement.
“There’s a tendency nowadays for artists to kind of fade out. You don’t even know that they have quit, they retired, basically. They just fade out,” he said.
“And going out with a bang — you can’t fade out if you’re somebody like Ozzy who lived his life larger than life. Everything was bigger than life. It’s Ozzy. You can’t expect him to just quietly go into history. No, he’s gotta go out with a huge fricking bang, probably the biggest bang ever. He deserves it. He’s gotta do it.”
Black Sabbath announced their final live show in Birmingham on July 5. The show, called ‘Back to the Beginning,’ will take place at a soccer stadium near where Ozzy Osbourne and Geezer Butler grew up. Tom Morello will be the musical director of the event.
The show’s lineup includes Metallica, Slayer, Pantera, Lamb of God, Mastodon, Alice in Chains, Halestorm, Gojira, and more. Special guests include Billy Corgan, Slash, Duff McKagan, Fred Durst, Jonathan Davis, Wolfgang Van Halen, Sammy Hagar, Zakk Wylde, Jake E. Lee, and others. The proceeds will go to Cure Parkinson’s, Birmingham Children’s Hospital, and Acorn Children’s Hospice, with support from Aston Villa.
Ozzy Osbourne won’t do a full set with Black Sabbath at the show but will take part in parts of the performance because of his current health.
“I’m not planning on doing a set with Black Sabbath but I am doing little bits and pieces with them,” he said in an episode of ‘Ozzy Speaks.’ “I am doing what I can, where I feel comfortable. I am trying to get back on my feet. When you get up in the morning, you just jump out of bed. I have to balance myself, but I’m not dead. I’m still actively doing things.”
Osbourne has been dealing with Parkinson’s disease for nearly 20 years. In 2022, he publicly revealed his condition and has since focused on his health.
