Rock legends deliver 'bone crushing' gig and pay tribute to Ozzy Osborne
Words and photos by Dave Lawrence
HEAVY Metal royalty in the form of Judas Priest were the latest band to take the stage at Scarborough Open Air Theatre last night.
Birmingham's metal gods were here to celebrate the 35th anniversary of their classic Painkiller album. They also performed material from their fine 2024 release Invincible Shield and threw in an abundance of classic tracks from their extensive career.
The band delivered a bone crushing performance that those who witnessed it will cherish for a long time.
Before the band arrived on stage the PA played War Pigs, the band's regular tribute to the hugely influential Black Sabbath.
Halford and bassist Ian Hill are the only two original band members still touring but guitarists Richie Faulkner and Andy Sneap do great jobs and drummer Scott Travis can hardly be considered a newcomer having joined in 1990.
Halford, wearing a heavily studded black leather frock coat paced the stage as they band launched into a killer version of All Guns Blazing. Resembling a metal priest with his shaven head, nose ring, extravagant beard and shades he moved close to each guitarist make spell casting gestures as they shredded away on their instruments.
Hell Patrol followed and had the audience going wild much to Halford's delight as he yelled to his acolytes, 'Hello metal maniacs, your priest is back!'
The band didn't take their foot off the throttle although Halford removed his shades and swapped jackets regularly before leading the band through an awesome version of one of their signature songs, Another Thing Coming.
A couple of fan favourites, Breaking the Law from 1980's British Steel album and Freewheel Burning came early in the set and the band showed they had plenty in reserve by performing Solar Angels a song from the early eighties.
The stage set, light show and screens were spectacular, and the sound was punishingly loud with the twin guitars cutting through Hill's bass and Travis's double kick bass drumming.
Introducing Giants in the Sky, Halford paid tribute to the late Ozzy Osborne saying 'It's been a tough 24 hours. But Ozzy would want us to be out together, enjoying ourselves and having a good time. We Love you Ozzy'.
During the song - a tribute to musicians now gone - the screen displayed images of the likes of Ronnie James Dio, Lemmy, Freddie Mercury, Taylor Hawkins and Christine McVie finishing on two gigantic images of Ozzy.
During Hell Bent for Leather we got the smoke, the thunderous revving, and yes, we got Halford arriving on stage astride a Harley Davidson wearing a leather cap with a riding crop clenched between his teeth.
Wrapping up a superb performance the metal gods returned to the British Steel album and Living After Midnight.
Phil Campbell and the Bastard Sons opened the show. Campbell was Motorhead's guitarist from 1984 until Lemmy's death in 2015 when Campbell set up the new band which features his three sons, Todd, Dane and Tyla. Their set warmed us up nicely, particularly their takes on the Motorhead songs Going to Brazil and Ace of Spades.
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Yahoo
9 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Ozzy Osbourne funeral procession: Sharon, family and fans say emotional goodbye in Birmingham
Crowds gather at the Black Sabbath Bridge to catch a glimpse of Ozzy Osbourne's funeral procession in Birmingham, Britain, on Wednesday. (Jack Taylor/Reuters) Tens of thousands of fans turned out to pay their respects to Ozzy Osbourne on Wednesday at his funeral procession in Birmingham, England, the city where the heavy metal icon grew up and his legendary band Black Sabbath was formed. Osbourne died last week at 76. The procession made its way down Broad Street in central Birmingham to a canal bridge named in honor of Black Sabbath. Fans, many wearing black and purple in honor of the singer known as Prince of Darkness, lined the road to catch a glimpse of Osbourne's hearse, which was adorned with purple flowers. Sharon Osbourne, Ozzy's widow, and his children Jack, Kelly and Aimee, stopped at the bridge. Sharon appeared to be overcome with grief as she laid a bouquet of flowers alongside hundreds left at a memorial surrounding the Black Sabbath bench, which features life-size cutouts of the band's four founding members: Osbourne, Terry "Geezer" Butler, Tony Iommi and Bill Ward. Jack Osbourne, Sharon Osbourne and Kelly Osbourne lay flowers and view messages and floral tributes left in honor of Ozzy Osbourne at the Black Sabbath Bridge bench in Birmingham, England, on Wednesday. (Jacob King/PA Images via Getty Images) Jack Osbourne, Sharon Osbourne and Kelly Osbourne view messages and floral tributes left in honor of Ozzy Osbourne at the Black Sabbath Bridge bench in Birmingham, England, on Wednesday. (Jacob King/PA Images via Getty Images) Sharon Osbourne lays flowers at a memorial for Ozzy Osbourne on the Black Sabbath Bridge bench in Birmingham, England, on Wednesday. (Jacob King/PA Images via Getty Images) Advertisement After spending several minutes at the bridge, the family turned to the onlooking crowd, and Sharon flashed a peace sign. Fans from around the world have been making a pilgrimage to the site in the days since Osbourne's death, which came just weeks after he performed in front of 42,000 people at Villa Park in Birmingham in a sold-out show that was billed as 'Back To The Beginning: Ozzy's Final Bow.' People gather at the Black Sabbath Bridgeon Wednesday, the day of Ozzy Osbourne's funeral procession, in Birmingham, England. (Jack Taylor/Reuters) Tributes are displayed at the Black Sabbath Bridge during Ozzy Osbourne's funeral procession in Birmingham, England, on Wednesday. (Jack Taylor/Reuters) A fan wearing a hat from "Ozzy Final Bow," Osbourne's last live performance, waits for his funeral procession in Birmingham, England, on Wednesday. () 'Ozzy was more than a music legend,' Birmingham Mayor Zafar Iqbal said in a statement. 'He was a son of Birmingham." Lord Mayor of Birmingham Zafar Iqbal views the tributes at Black Sabbath Bench and Bridge on Wednesday. () Advertisement The procession also passed by Osbourne's childhood home. The event, which was paid for by the Osbourne family, was livestreamed online. Ozzy's wide-reaching legacy Fans line up on Broad Street in Birmingham in memory of Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne on Wednesday. (Jacob King/PA Images via Getty Images) Osbourne, who was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2020, died on July 22. 'It is with more sadness than mere words can convey that we have to report that our beloved Ozzy Osbourne has passed away,' the Osbourne family said in a statement announcing his death. 'He was with his family and surrounded by love.' Black Sabbath, which formed in Birmingham in 1968, was credited with pioneering the sound that became known as heavy metal. And Birmingham has embraced its label as the birthplace of the genre. The funeral cortege for the late Ozzy Osbourne travels through his home city of Birmingham on Wednesday in Birmingham, England. () Osbourne, who struggled with substance abuse throughout his life, left the band in 1979. He launched a successful solo career beginning with his 1980 debut, Blizzard of Ozz, which featured the hit single 'Crazy Train.' Advertisement He became known for his wild onstage persona, including infamously biting the head off a bat during a 1982 concert. (He later got a rabies shot.) Fans wait for Ozzy Osbourne's funeral procession in Birmingham, England, on Wednesday. () Osbourne was inducted twice into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame — in 2006, with Black Sabbath, and again in 2024 as a solo artist. The rocker found a new legion of fans on television in the early 2000s alongside Sharon, Jack and Kelly in the reality series The Osbournes on MTV. See more photos from Osbourne's funeral procession below. Crowds watch as the hearse carrying Ozzy Osborne's casket stops at the Black Sabbath Bridge in Birmingham, England, on Wednesday. (Jack Taylor/Reuters) Flowers and other mementos are left on the Black Sabbath Bridge in honor in Birmingham, England, on Wednesday. () Fans packed the Black Sabbath Bridge in Birmingham, England, for Ozzy Osbourne's funeral procession on Wednesday. (Jack Taylor/Reuters) Advertisement Bruce the dog, who had his name changed today to "Doggy Osbourne," waits to pay his respects. () A man lays flowers at a memorial for Ozzy Osbourne in Birmingham, England, on Wednesday. () Fans hold up flowers and mobile phones as Ozzy Osbourne's hearse travels through Birmingham, England, on Wednesday. () A man wears a jacket with an image of the heavy metal band Black Sabbath on the day of the funeral procession of Ozzy Osbourne, in Birmingham, England, on Wednesday. (Jack Taylor/Reuters) Advertisement Crowds gather at the Black Sabbath Bridge, named in honor of the heavy metal band, as the funeral cortege of Ozzy Osbourne passes through in Birmingham, England, on Wednesday. (Jack Taylor/Reuters) Tributes are seen before Ozzy Osbourne's funeral procession in Birmingham, England, on Wednesday. () See more of our photo features on Yahoo News.
Hamilton Spectator
11 minutes ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Birmingham gives an emotional farewell to Ozzy Osbourne as tearful family lead tributes
BIRMINGHAM, England (AP) — Ozzy Osbourne returned to the 'home of metal' for the last time on Wednesday as an emotional Birmingham honored one of its most cherished sons. Thousands of Black Sabbath fans paid their respects to the band's frontman as his hearse made its way through the city center followed by his tearful wife and children. The hearse carrying Osbourne, who died last Tuesday at the age of 76 , went down Broad Street, one of the city's major thoroughfare, to the Black Sabbath bench, which was unveiled on the Broad Street canal bridge in 2019. 'Ozzy, Ozzy, Ozzy, oi, oi, oi,' fans screamed. Six vehicles carrying the Osbourne family followed the hearse, accompanied by police motorcycle riders and a police car. The family emerged briefly to inspect the array of tributes, with his wife of 43 years, Sharon, visibly moved and wiping away tears. And long after the hearse had moved on for the private funeral, the city, which has embraced its reputation as the citadel of heavy metal, was pounding to the beat of Black Sabbath. It was in Birmingham, where he grew up, that the world-conquering heavy metal band was formed in 1968. Osbourne embraced the city in central England as much as it embraced him, as was evident on the streets. Long-time fan Antony Hunt said it has been an 'emotional' day and that he wanted to be in the city to pay his respects. 'What's amazing is there's so many, such a wide variety of age groups, from little, little children, teenagers to people in their 60s, 70s, so it's great to see that,' he said. Katie Brazier, head of events at Birmingham City Council, said Osbourne meant 'everything' to the city. 'He never forgot where he came from,' she said. 'You could still hear that Brummie accent wherever he was, you know, I think some people have hidden away from the fact that they are from Birmingham and they've got that accent but he kept it all the way through.' Osbourne and his Black Sabbath bandmates — Terence Butler, Tony Iommi and Bill Ward — were recently awarded the Freedom of the City in recognition of their services to Birmingham. Black Sabbath's story began in Birmingham in 1968 when the four original members were looking to escape a life of factory work. Without doubt, the sound and fury of heavy metal had its roots in the city's manufacturing heritage. Osbourne never forgot his working-class roots. The band has been widely credited with defining and popularizing the sound of heavy metal — aggressive, but full of melodies. Osbourne was Black Sabbath's frontman during its peak period in the 1970s. His antics, on and off stage, were legendary, and often fueled by drink and drugs. He was widely known as the 'Prince of Darkness.' The band's eponymous debut album in 1970 made the U.K. top 10 and paved the way for a string of hit albums, including 1971's 'Master of Reality' and 'Vol. 4' a year later. It went on to become one of the most influential and successful metal bands of all time, selling more than 75 million albums worldwide. At the final show on July 5, 42,000 fans watched the band perform for the first time in 20 years at Villa Park, home of the city's biggest soccer club, Aston Villa, with Osbourne seated on a black throne. Osbourne had been in poor health in recent years, especially after being diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2019. Osbourne, who also had a successful solo career, found a new legion of fans in the early 2000s reality show 'The Osbournes' in which he starred alongside Sharon and two youngest children, Kelly and Jack. ___ Pylas contributed from London.
12 minutes ago
Ozzy Osbourne's family, fans say goodbye to rock legend at UK funeral procession
Osbourne died at age 76 on July 22, 2025. By 4:50 Sharon Osbourne, Jack Osbourne, Kelly Osbourne and Aimee Osbourne view tributes to the late Ozzy Osbourne from fans at Black Sabbath Bench and Bridge as his funeral cortege travels through his home city of Birmingham. on July 30, 2025. in Birmingham, and fans of rock legend Ozzy Osbourne gathered in his hometown of Birmingham, England, on Wednesday to say a final farewell. The hearse carrying Osbourne, who died July 22 at the age of 76, traveled through the main streets of Birmingham with a view of the Black Sabbath frontman's coffin covered in purple flowers. The funeral procession made a stop at the city's Black Sabbath bridge and bench, where a memorial for Osbourne grew in the week after his death. Osbourne's family members -- led by his wife Sharon Osbourne -- got out at the bridge to view the memorial. Ozzy Osbourne said he wanted to be remembered 'for the music' Sharon Osbourne and her children Jack Osbourne, Kelly Osbourne and Aimee Osbourne were seen waving and giving peace signs to the thousands of fans gathered to pay tribute. In addition to his three children with Sharon Osbourne, Ozzy Osbourne was also the father of three children from his first marriage: Louis Osborne, Jessica Osbourne and Elliot Kingsley. He was also a grandfather of 10 at the time of his death. Ozzy Osbourne's death came just over two weeks after he performed his final show in Birmingham alongside his former Black Sabbath bandmates at the Back to the Beginning benefit concert. He had also recently announced a new memoir titled "Last Rites," which is due out Oct. 7 via Grand Central Publishing.
