Black Sabbath's and Ozzy Osbourne's final performances going down this summer in Birmingham, UK this summer, and Ozzy has been very transparent about how much he'll be able to physically perform. In February, he admitted he'd only be singing "bits and pieces" of Black Sabbath's and his solo repertoire, and in a new interview with The Guardian, the 76-year-old expressed his concern for fans thinking they're "getting ripped off" by the short sets.
“We’re only playing a couple of songs each,” Ozzy admitted. “I don’t want people thinking, ‘We’re getting ripped off,’ because it’s just going to be … what’s the word? … a sample, you’re going to get a few songs each by Ozzy and Sabbath.”
Fortunately, the day-long Back to the Beginning event will also feature performances by several other icons in the rock world, and the lineup just got more impressive because Ozzy's wife Sharon Osbourne revealed that Aerosmith's Steven Tyler and the surviving members of Soundgarden were just added to the bill. Last week, Ozzy spoke about how he's begun "heavy training" to get ready for the show, and during his conversation with The Guardian, he confirmed that this would definitely be the last time he performed live.
“I’d love to say ‘never say never’, but after the last six years or so … it is time,” the 76-year-old said. “I lived on the road for 50-odd years, and I’ve kind of got used to not picking up my bags and getting on the bus again. I don’t smoke dope or do any of the rock star lifestyle any more. I’m kind of like a homebody. I never go out. I never hang out in bars – I don’t drink.”
“So what the f**k is out there for me? I hate going shopping with my wife. I feel like stabbing myself in the neck after half an hour," he added. "But it’s time for me to spend some time with my grandkids, I don’t want to die in a hotel room somewhere. I want to spend the rest of my life with my family.”
Back To The Beginning and is to take place July 5. The all-day event will also feature sets from Metallica, Slayer, Pantera, Alice in Chains, TOOL, and many other rock and metal icons.