Ozzy Osbourne had planned to do two separate full sets at the Back To The Beginning farewell gig, however there were discussions between his bandmates over his health
Late rock icon Ozzy Osbourne had his own Black Sabbath bandmates concerned about his health days before his passing. As he was blighted by illness in his final years, Ozzy kept the group guessing at what his plans were for their final performance in Birmingham earlier this month.
Ozzy had planned to do two separate full sets at the Back To The Beginning farewell gig, featuring a series of his solo hits and then Sabbath bangers. However there were discussions between the concerned Brummie bandmates over whether the 76-year-old would have the energy to finish that workload.
Incredibly brave Ozzy, battling chronic back and neck pain along with Parkinson’s, powered on. In the end they slimmed down the Sabbath fan rousing finale set from six tracks to four as a last minute decision.
READ MORE: Ozzy Osbourne dead UPDATES: Black Sabbath icon honoured with tributes outside home
Ozzy’s lifelong pal and Sabbath guitarist songwriter Tommy Iommi has opened up on the incredible backstage dramas and any aftermath of Oz’s long standing dramas between band mates were quashed as they were overwhelmed with the occasion.
Tommy even confided how the group returned to their teenage mindsets taking the mickey out of drummer Bill Ward for removing his shirt to drum at night. Their banter rekindled the spirit of their youth allowing them to enjoy rehearsals and the gig.
Ozzy and his pals found the Villa Park experience “nerve racking” and “hairy” despite over five decades of live experiences on many of the world’s biggest stages.
Tommy, 77, admitted of Ozzy’s last ever performance: “It was making it up as we went on really.
“It was really a case of how long Ozzy could do it really
“Because we didn’t know with him doing his own set, which I said to him, I didn’t think he should do because I didn’t want him to get burned out by the time he’d come with us,
“But he didn’t and he did his own set.
“We ended up doing four songs but we had put aside sort of six or seven.
“But it worked out that we did four, so that was fine.
“So we could have done six, but we ended up doing four.” Tommy admitted that the venue’s “strict curfew” also meant doing an encore after the rapturous fan reaction was also over the table.
Tommy defended Ozzy’s throne performance given his health battles including Parkinson’s, leg, neck and back injuries.
“I am really a bit of a perfectionist.
“We are in our late seventies, so you can only do so much and to expect perfection from everybody is just impossible at the moment.
“But they did what they could do and everybody was fine about it and I think the audience would know that and accept that.
“They weren’t expecting us to go on and be absolutely just brilliant players.
“We played as we played as we are now.
“To actually be on the stage we’ve just been on and use the wall of amps and cabinets was great again. I mean that’s what it’s all about for me – that power, that sound.”
Ozzy concerned his bandmates by his decision to be on stage for his set straight before finishing the night with their hits.
Tommy said: “That was my concern and that was all our concern. “Actually. Geezer, myself and Bill, we thought that he should have a longer break.
“And we didn’t really know how we were going to do it.
“Because the original plan was we got a curtain and the curtain was going to be raised and we’d all be there.
“But of course the day before when we went down for a soundcheck to the stadium, the curtain didn’t work and they thought it would be best not to use it because it was windy.
“So then we had to figure out how we’re going to get on stage. We walked on.”
Ozzy sang I Don’t Know, Mr. Crowley, Suicide Solution, Mama, I’m Coming Home and Crazy Train, before the band reunion.
Sabbath played War Pigs, N.I.B, Iron Man and Paranoid, but Tommy says Fairies Wear Boots and Black Sabbath were left out.
However Tommy, talking to Trunk Nation on Sirius admitted even after a month of rehearsals, drummer Bill had them on their toes.
“It was a little difficult for Bill because he hadn’t played it for so long and Geezer and I played on the last tour.
“Bill hasn’t toured for a long time.
“Of course it was a bit hairy wondering what’s going to happen really.
“Because Bill, when he plays, he plays different things every time, so you just have to be on your toes.
“It went well. It was strange for us, again, going on a big stage and a big audience and then also being streamed to millions of people. It’s very nerve wracking for a one-off show.
“Normally we would do a tour and we’d be rolling, but to get all worked up for one show and then ‘bang, it’s over. It seemed really, really strange.’”
Ozzy and Bill had engaged in a war of words since 2005, but reconciled in the last couple years,
“Of course a lot happened in the last 10 years or whatever. We had time to talk and talk of old times.
“And it just slotted straight back in like we hadn’t left each other, which was great.”
And the banter between them also returned with Bill taking some jabs for his decision to “act like he was twenty again” by whipping his shirt off on stage.
“When we had a break on the rehearsals, we went in to eat at the studio and Bill got his shirt off and Geezer was just about to have a sandwich. He went, ‘Bill, put your shirt on, you’re putting me off my sandwich.’
“Bill that he is always taking his shirt off every time.
“In the old days he’d always take his shirt off. But of course I thought I said to him, ‘blimey Bill, you look like Gollum.’ And I don’t think he knew who Gollum was. He’s always been the same, but he just doesn’t care. He goes on and does what he wants, which is great.
“Of course the joke started again as soon as we were together. It was really fun actually.
“The communication carried on from many years ago.”
Ozzy famously once tried to light Bill on fire, but Tommy laughed that was off the cards
“No, I did say that. I said, well, ‘we won’t go that far this time,Bill.’”
Iommi admitted Bill was the key to the show even taking place – and him changing his mind about a comeback.
“That’s why I said yes in the first place I didn’t want to do it because I said we’d already done the final show before it was The End (Black Sabbath’s final concert at their hometown of Birmingham’s Genting Arena on February 4th, 2017)
“It was the end as far as I was concerned, that was it. And so I disagreed with doing this show for a while and then of course the other three guys wanted to do it and because it’s for charity, it was a great reason to do it.
“A lot of people said they hadn’t seen Bill and why didn’t we finish it off properly with Bill? “And so here we are, we’ve done it, finished it off with Bill and that’s great.
“We’ve wrapped it up now.”
Iommi was overwhelmed with the outpouring of love from performers at BTTB including Guns’N’Roses, Pantera, Slayer and Metallica.
“We were so proud to have all these bands come forward to support Sabbath and it was Sabbath. It wasn’t just Ozzy, it was a Sabbath. It’s not just the end for Ozzy, it was the end for Sabbath. ‘I thought it should have just been Sabbath because that’s what it was about originally. That’s how it all started about Sabbath with all the bands coming forward. But of course it didn’t happen that way.
“It really brought it home (how much we meant to bands) and the guys were so respectful and so insane saying to me ‘without you we wouldn’t be here.’”
Sabbath’s swansong will be a 100-minute film titled Back to the Beginning: Ozzy’s Final Bow.
“Presented as a love letter to Ozzy and the pioneering sound of Black Sabbath, the theatrical release will be a distilled version of the epic all-day event held at Villa Park…. the film promises a deeply personal and electrifying farewell from the godfather of heavy metal with exclusive behind-the-scenes access and interviews from this iconic live performance.”
The concert raised roughly $190 million for a variety of charities, including Birmingham Children’s Hospital, Acorn Children’s Hospice and Cure Parkinson’s, making it the highest-grossing charity concert of all time, according to Billboard.
A separate documentary titled No Escape From Now will detail Osbourne’s recent health issues on its release through Paramount+ later this year.
The Prince of Darkness will release his second memoir, Last Rites, in October.Tommy insists that BTTB is not his retirement.
“I was doing my own album until this came up, and then of course I decided to stop and concentrate on the Sabbath thing.
“I can’t stop. I have to carry on. I enjoy what I do and it’s great being creative and I love to create music and that’s what started me off and that’s what will finish me off probably. But I love it.
“And there will be more from me and I’m getting more involved in, as you say, we spread our wings with the ballet and different things and there’s a lot more things to come, so I’m looking forward to that.”
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