Black Sabbath‘s giant reunion/farewell concert will also mark Ozzy Osbourne‘s last-ever performance. As the big day approaches, the Prince of Darkness remains focused on making sure he’ll be physically ready.
“I’ll be there, and I’ll do the best I can,” Ozzy tells The Guardian. “So all I can do is turn up.”
Since he last performed a full live set on New Year’s Eve 2018, Osbourne has dealt with a myriad of health issues, including suffered a fall in his home in 2019, which required multiple surgeries. In preparing for the concert, Ozzy says he’s been lifting weights and bike riding with help from “a guy living at my house who’s working with me.”
“It’s tough – I’ve been laid up for such a long time,” Ozzy says. “I’ve been lying on my back doing nothing and the first thing to go is your strength. It’s like starting all over again. I’ve got a vocal coach coming round four days a week to keep my voice going.”
“I have problems walking,” he continues. “I also get blood pressure issues, from blood clots on my legs. I’m used to doing two hours on stage, jumping and running around. I don’t think I’ll be doing much jumping or running around this time. I may be sitting down.”
Ozzy adds that both he and Sabbath are “only playing a couple of songs each.”
“I don’t want people thinking ‘we’re getting ripped off,’ because it’s just going to be … what’s the word? … a sample,” he says. “You’re going to get a few songs each by Ozzy and Sabbath.”
The concert takes place July 5 in Sabbath’s hometown of Birmingham, England. The bill also includes Metallica, Slayer, Pantera, Halestorm and Alice in Chains.
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