UK: Ozzy Osbourne Sings Final Concert with Black Sabbath

Sunday, July 06, 2025

Ozzy Osbourne (76) sang his final concert with his legendary heavy-metal band, Black Sabbath, in Birmingham, England on Saturday.

Posted by C0RI0LANUS at 11:30 PM | 23 COMMENTS | permalink | Comment on This Entry |

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One wonders what the Beatles, Yes, and the Yardbirds II (AKA Led Zeppelin) thought of Black Sabbath in 1968; all superlatives I imagine. 1970 Video: YouTube.com.

https://www.nme.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/black-sabbath-poster@2000x1270.jpg

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I hope somebody played Black Sabbath on the Saturday night tunes thread; that would have been apropos.

#1 | Posted by C0RI0LANUS at 2025-07-06 08:46 PM | Reply

Ranking every Black Sabbath song (Ozzie era)

loudwire.com

#2 | Posted by Corky at 2025-07-06 08:51 PM | Reply

War Pigs is my favourite

#3 | Posted by hamburglar at 2025-07-07 12:12 AM | Reply

Same night that Jeff Lynne played his final show.

I got to see Black Sabbath in 2016, on their second to last farewwll tour.

#4 | Posted by chuffy at 2025-07-07 12:15 AM | Reply

#4: Wow, lucky you. Before the internet, way back when, many of us thought that Jeff Lynne worked with the Beatles on their later albums. Don't know how that rumor started, but the Beatles obviously heavily influenced him. I loved his incorporation of string instruments, particularly the violin. Beethoven would have approved of ELO: youtu.be

#5 | Posted by C0RI0LANUS at 2025-07-07 12:49 AM | Reply

#5
I saw ELO on the farewell tour a few months ago, they were great. I'm a huge fan of Tony Iommi, and stoked I got to see Sabbath live. I opted for those tickets instead of Prince, thinking I'd get a shot at seeing him before he died later that year.

#6 | Posted by chuffy at 2025-07-07 12:57 AM | Reply

#7: Oof! That was unlucky. I was fortunate to see Asia 3x, including front row seats once. But I missed out on Jay and the Americans on what turned out to be his last tour. I thought I'd catch him, but the poor guy croaked. youtu.be

Frank Sinatra called Jay 'the Voice."

#7 | Posted by C0RI0LANUS at 2025-07-07 01:15 AM | Reply

I saw Black Sabbath in junior high when they opened for the Rolling Stones. Floor ticket price? $6

#8 | Posted by AMERICANUNITY at 2025-07-07 01:36 AM | Reply

#8: www.beaconjournal.com

#9 | Posted by C0RI0LANUS at 2025-07-07 01:39 AM | Reply

#9 | Posted by C0RI0LANUS

Great shows back in that day at affordable prices. I went to dozens of shows between 8th and 12th grades. Never paid more than $6.50 for floor seats. In that day, at least where I lived, it was first come first serve for all three tiers in an arena. I grew up in a rock & roll city. Probably why the Stones had Black Sabbath opening on that leg. My mom didn't know I went with friends or she'd have been absolutely sure I was going to ----! ESPECIALLY with a band called Black Sabbath on the bill, let alone the Stones LOL

#10 | Posted by AMERICANUNITY at 2025-07-07 01:47 AM | Reply

#10: We're about the same age, though you might be a tad my senior. Yup, tickets were affordable. I lost track of how many times I saw the Ramones in NYC. I have a collection of ticket stubs mounted. And we also enjoyed great music on free TV: Soul Train, Don Kirshner's Rock Concerts, Dick Clark's AB, and the Tonight Show used to be 90 minutes long, so, we'd hear the performer's second set about 1247. SNL featured great musicians too. This is the stuff our parents watched on free TV: youtu.be

How terrific are these dancers?

#11 | Posted by C0RI0LANUS at 2025-07-07 02:28 AM | Reply

I flew up to Chicago in May as Post Malone's guest at his Wrigley Field show. Tickets for the free seat I was in - 9th row by the walkway over the audience - went for $1k. I'd never pay that to see anyone live. You and I have both seen legendary acts back in the day when concert promoters and (most) arena/stadium-level artists weren't gouging the public. We were lucky!

#12 | Posted by AMERICANUNITY at 2025-07-07 02:43 AM | Reply | Newsworthy 1

How terrific are these dancers?

#11 | Posted by C0RI0LANUS

The cat's meow :-)

#13 | Posted by AMERICANUNITY at 2025-07-07 02:45 AM | Reply

#12: I saw these guys three times (my wife saw them once): youtu.be

My band did not cover this song, which would have been fun for a drummer as you can hear from the syncopation.

#14 | Posted by C0RI0LANUS at 2025-07-07 03:19 AM | Reply

That song has a bit of Brit soul ... perhaps influenced a bit by Motown records of that era. ----- guitar backbeat, and, as you say, syncopated kick and bass.

#15 | Posted by AMERICANUNITY at 2025-07-07 03:26 AM | Reply

My first show was Pearl Jam at Alpine Valley, senior year of high school (better late than never, though it took me a while to start getting into rock music). Under thirty bucks for a lawn seat. Even if you didn't like PJ, still had to give them props for fighting Ticketmaster.

I also worked crowd control as a scrawny college twerp at Alpine Valley for a whole $6/hour one summer. Working the gates area at Ozzfest, I was pissed seeing scores of people leaving right before Ozzy was set to go on. Stupid nu-metal fans

#16 | Posted by hamburglar at 2025-07-07 03:40 AM | Reply

#15: Initially I had a bit of trouble with the song until I realized the final strike in the measure was Colin Blunstone singing "Pah!"

I was formally taught how to play the piano and trumpet, but I taught myself the drums, so I had to listen carefully and figure out out all the nuances of the songs in the pre-internet era. Playing Police songs was fun, but unravelling the mighty Stewart Copeland was a challenge. BTW: One of our gigs was on a USCG facility last century, not a USO show like your band performed.

#17 | Posted by C0RI0LANUS at 2025-07-07 03:41 AM | Reply

#16: I was pissed seeing scores of people leaving right before Ozzy was set to go on.
Wow. I hope they all regret it today.

#18 | Posted by C0RI0LANUS at 2025-07-07 03:43 AM | Reply

SLAYER!

#19 | Posted by lee_the_agent at 2025-07-07 07:49 AM | Reply

Saw Sabbath in 1979 and they sucked. Ozzy could barely keep himself upright hanging on to the mic stand. Fortunately, the opening band was a new outfit I had never heard of called Van Halen. Guess which t-shirt I bought?

#20 | Posted by TFDNihilist at 2025-07-07 09:16 AM | Reply

Wow-an entire, civil thread with just the regulars-nice!

#21 | Posted by Yodagirl at 2025-07-07 10:09 AM | Reply

I've been a fan of Black Sabbath since their first album. I remember back in the day, reading an article about that album. The article said (give or take) ... Mr Osbourne played the album for his Mom. After hearing the first track (aptly called Black Sabbath), she turned to him and asked... are you on drugs?

I saw Black Sabbath in Louisville, KY back in 1973 or so. It was an excellent, though sparsely attended, concert.

#22 | Posted by LampLighter at 2025-07-07 12:10 PM | Reply

#20: Saw Sabbath in 1979 and they sucked. Ozzy could barely keep himself upright hanging on to the mic stand. Fortunately, the opening band was a new outfit I had never heard of called Van Halen. Guess which t-shirt I bought?
I remember hearing stories about Black Sabbath's tour when you saw them. Poor Ozzy was addled with booze and/or drugs from what I recall hearing. I forget if that was the same year he bit off a dead bird or a bat's head.

#23 | Posted by C0RI0LANUS at 2025-07-07 12:43 PM | Reply