Latest news with #finalconcert
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Geezer Butler recalls seeing 'frail' Ozzy Osbourne at final Black Sabbath rehearsal
Bassist Geezer Butler has recalled how Ozzy Osbourne appeared "frail" at the rehearsal for Black Sabbath's final concert. Last week, a representative for the Osbourne family announced that the rock music icon had died at the age of 76. Just two weeks earlier, Ozzy had joined his bandmates, including Geezer - real name Terence Butler - drummer Bill Ward, and guitarist Tony Iommi, for a farewell spectacle held at Villa Park in Birmingham, England. "Then it was time for Ozzy to join us," he wrote in an essay for The Sunday Times. "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." Geezer went on to describe how Ozzy seemed to have little energy in the run-up to the show. "He didn't really say much beyond the usual greetings, and when he sang, he sat in a chair," the musician continued. "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." In addition, Geezer noted that the "strangest part" of the final concert performance was the "end". "Normally, we would all hug each other and take a bow to the audience," he explained. "But Ozzy was on his throne and we hadn't thought that out. What do we do? Tony shook his hand, I presented him with a cake, but it was such a strange feeling to end our story like that. I wish I'd had more time backstage with Ozzy, but wishes are redundant now." Elsewhere in the essay, Geezer insisted Ozzy had a "heart of gold" despite adopting the nickname "Prince of Darkness". "To me, Ozzy wasn't the Prince of Darkness - if anything, he was the Prince of Laughter. He'd do anything for a laugh, a born entertainer," he added.
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
What my dad told me after his final show - and what his last days were really like: Ozzy Osbourne's son Jack reveals his late father's bold plans for the future
Less than three weeks ago, Ozzy Osbourne took to the spotlight for his much-anticipated final show - rising from the stage on his bat-winged throne at Birmingham 's Villa Park to belt out classics such as Iron Man and Paranoid as he reunited with his band Black Sabbath for the first time in eight years. The plaudits following the gig were incredible and as his son Jack told him afterwards, 'Dad, you've got to see these reviews - they're all amazing.
Yahoo
21-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Billy Corgan Reflects on Black Sabbath's Final Show: ‘We Have Them in Our Hearts'
Billy Corgan paid tribute to Black Sabbath following the rock band's final concert in Birmingham, England, over the weekend, calling the experience 'a beautiful and bittersweet day.' The all-day show at Villa Park saw Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward reunite for the first time since 2005. Corgan joined the festivities as part of a 'supergroup' alongside Steven Tyler, Sammy Hagar, Tool's Adam Jones, and Tom Morello to perform covers of Judas Priest's 'Breaking the Law' and Black Sabbath's 'Snowblind.' More from Rolling Stone Kelly Osbourne and Slipknot's Sid Wilson Get Engaged at Ozzy Osbourne's Final Show Lamb of God Release Studio Version of Black Sabbath's 'Children of the Grave' After Ozzy Farewell Concert Ozzy Osbourne Gives Earth-Shaking Farewell at Black Sabbath's Back to the Beginning 'I first heard Black Sabbath on my uncle's stereo some 50 years ago,' Corgan shared on Instagram. 'So it was surreal to stand on a football pitch with 45,000 strong to witness the end of this grand, institutional group who has touched me personally, professionally, and at times even intimately in stolen moments of work and camaraderie. Thank you Tony, Bill, Geezer, and Ozzy for all you've done for so many.' He continued, 'I owe a debt of gratitude to Sharon [Osbourne] for asking me to take part. It was truly an honor on more levels that I could count. And to witness the passionate performances of so many in rehearsal: those I admire from afar, those I know, too, and see the translation into the near 10-hour affair of music and fellowship was something to behold. Music is of course the soundtrack to our lives, but yesterday in my estimation was something truly special. As a 3-dimensional soundtrack was being crafted in real time. All to celebrate this coming home for the band once known as Earth.' Corgan added that 'every great journey has trials and tribulations, tragedies and surprise.' 'Therein lies the magic, therein lie the tears,' he wrote. 'I both whooped yesterday in sheer exultation to be in the right spot at the right moment, and I wept silently as my heroes fell on their wizardly, mythic sword to bid us farewell. We have the music, and we have them in our hearts. You don't have to be a musician to understand. But it does help, at least if you're trying to decode that which is elusive in the cosmos. Now the band is both here and not here; with us, and yet gone. As it should be.' Osbourne's all-star farewell concert on Saturday, dubbed Back to the Beginning, featured numerous bands besides Black Sabbath, including Metallica and Guns N' Roses, who both paid tribute to the ailing musician. Metallica kicked off their set by covering Black Sabbath's 'Hole in the Sky' from 1975's Sabotage and they also covered 'Johnny Blade' from 1978's Never Say Die!. Guns N' Roses performed four Black Sabbath renditions, including opening with Technical Ecstasy's 'It's Alright' before launching into 'Never Say Die.' 'It's my time to go back to the beginning … time for me to give back to the place where I was born,' Osbourne said of the concert in a statement back in February. 'How blessed am I to do it with the help of people whom I love. Birmingham is the true home of metal. Birmingham for ever.' A new documentary, No Escape From Now, will chronicle the monumental health setbacks Osbourne has experienced since 2019 and how he came to the decision to set up the farewell concert in his hometown. The film will premiere on Paramount+ later this year. Best of Rolling Stone Sly and the Family Stone: 20 Essential Songs The 50 Greatest Eminem Songs All 274 of Taylor Swift's Songs, Ranked Solve the daily Crossword
BBC News
21-07-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Warrington choir ends on emotional high note after 192 years
A choir which has been running for 192 years has staged an "emotional" final Musical Society was set up in 1833, but said it was folding due to financial difficulties and declining Dave Perfect, from Warrington, Cheshire, said it had never recovered from losing members during the Covid-19 pandemic and had just 18 members said the farewell concert at Christ Church Padgate was one of their best yet, with about 75 attending to hear the choir's favourite choral works from over the years. "We are singing as well as we have done and it was good to end on a high," he said. The 64-year-old said the majority of the remaining members had been with the choir, which is one of the oldest continuing music societies in the country, for about 25 said the society had 90 members in the 1960s and 1970s."It was emotional," Mr Perfect said. "One member has been with us for 30 years. It was sad when it has some much history."We decided last year to end, though, as we were running out of money and have been unable to attract new members." Read more stories from Cheshire on the BBC, watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer and follow BBC North West on X. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
Yahoo
16-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Ozzy Osbourne Bids Farewell, Performs From a Throne-Like Chair in Bittersweet Final Performance
Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne bid a sad goodbye to his legions of fans by reuniting with his original bandmates for one final, courageous concert. The 76-year-old Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Famer — reduced to performing while seated in a throne-like chair adorned with skulls and a bat — somehow managed to thrill more than 40,000 fans with a two-set extravaganza in his hometown of Birmingham, England, on July 5. 'The audience showed him all the love that you'd expect and he back to them,' Ozzy's son Louis wrote on Facebook on July 6. 'An emotional end to a phenomenal 57-year career.' Louis, Ozzy's 50-year-old son with first wife Thelma Riley, added: 'I was sobbing at times. It was everything we wanted it to be and more.' 'I had been anxious for months about this as I've been worried about my dad's ability to perform with his Parkinson's disease.' 'I just wanted it to be a dignified send-off for him. But as soon as he started singing, we knew he was gonna nail it.' The onetime bat-biting wildman appeared with his original Black Sabbath bandmates — bassist Geezer Butler, drummer Bill Ward and guitarist Tony Iommi — and delighted the crowd with hits such as 'Iron Man,' 'Crazy Train' and 'Mama, I'm Coming Home.' 'Your support over the years has made it all possible for us to live the lifestyle we live,' Ozzy told fans. 'Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I love you. We love you.' The show was hosted by Aquaman star Jason Momoa and featured performances from Rage Against the Machine's Tom Morello, Aerosmith's Steven Tyler and Smashing Pumpkins' Billy Corgan, according to Billboard. As Globe reported, the two-time Grammy winner has been wracked by a crushing avalanche of illnesses and injuries that made standing to perform impossible for the struggling rock star. He was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2003, has endured multiple spinal surgeries following a devastating ATV accident that left him with cracked vertebrae in his neck, and is forced to use a cane or wheelchair. 'His Parkinson's has progressed and he's in a great deal of pain,' says an insider. 'But instead of resting, he pushed himself to make this happen. No one could tell him otherwise no matter what was said. He didn't care. He wanted this for his fans … and for himself.'
