Ozzy Osbourne "Farewell" Tour

[Rick N. Backer]

I saw him on the Diary of a Madman, Bark at the Moon and Speak of the Devil tours. I saw the Diary tour just weeks after Randy died, with Bernie Torme on guitar. In his prime, Ozzy was about as good a showman as anyone. Is he past his prime now? Of course he is. Will I go see him? Yes.

[J2112YYZ]

The jokes come easy when talking about Ozzy. I can't speak for anyone else but I do it all in good fun and don't have any bad intentions. I don't doubt that he can still bring it live. My issue is that he's had the same setlist for 20 years now. He'll do the same ten or so solo tunes and the same three or four Sabbath ones and that's it. So my excitement to see him one last time isn't really there since I've seen him a number of times in the past.

 

I know there isn't anything else for the older rock stars to do except go out and tour. It's all they've done their whole lives and it's all they know. It's just the whole farewell thing has been done to death and nobody buys it.

[driventotheedge]

The jokes come easy when talking about Ozzy. I can't speak for anyone else but I do it all in good fun and don't have any bad intentions. I don't doubt that he can still bring it live. My issue is that he's had the same setlist for 20 years now. He'll do the same ten or so solo tunes and the same three or four Sabbath ones and that's it. So my excitement to see him one last time isn't really there since I've seen him a number of times in the past.

 

I know there isn't anything else for the older rock stars to do except go out and tour. It's all they've done their whole lives and it's all they know. It's just the whole farewell thing has been done to death and nobody buys it.

Actually, much like Sabbath he'll throw in one and if you're lucky two surprise songs. But yeah, the rest will be familiar I fully admit that.

[J2112YYZ]

I don't think anyone here will be going to the Lisbon show but Judas Priest is opening for Ozzy that night.

[djflex]

Well, I guess part of my thought process is , who knows if I will ever get one last chance after this. If he close and I can afford it , I'm in. Not to be morbid , but with all the recent passing , I don't want to regret missing a show. Ozzy may be past his prime but he's still Ozzy ffs

[TexMike]

There's a rumor that his '91-92 tour was called a farewell because he had been misdiagnosed with MS and Sharon was afraid he wouldn't be capable of performing much longer. I buy that because he was still huge and relatively young then. His new album at the time (No More Tears) ended up selling like triple platinum. He really had no need to play that card.

 

Now it appears he'll be touring without a new album. That disappoints me, just like Sabbath did when they also didn't record anything new for a farewell and just played the same old songs. I understand financially why artists do that, but I still hate it because I care more about new music than seeing a rehashed show.

 

And yeah, the main problem with live Ozzy is there's only a handful of songs he has the range to sing. So you can pretty much predict the set list now. The only question is how many of the Sabbath tunes will he throw in.

 

He's still a legend and people should go if they've never seen him, but it's definitely time.

 

 

[Jaminbenb]

I think I will pass. He is one of those artists who I saw several times in their prime that just don't excite me about the prospects of seeing them anymore. I was going to comment also - he retired around the same time as The Who.

 

I had the opportunity to see him on his first Blizzard of Ozz tour (With Randy Rhoads 1981) and thought it was amazing... I saw his return to Black Sabbath tour in 1999, and thought he should give it up after that. He was in pretty bad shape.

[J2112YYZ]

There's a rumor that his '91-92 tour was called a farewell because he had been misdiagnosed with MS and Sharon was afraid he wouldn't be capable of performing much longer. I buy that because he was still huge and relatively young then. His new album at the time (No More Tears) ended up selling like triple platinum. He really had no need to play that card.

 

Now it appears he'll be touring without a new album. That disappoints me, just like Sabbath did when they also didn't record anything new for a farewell and just played the same old songs. I understand financially why artists do that, but I still hate it because I care more about new music than seeing a rehashed show.

 

And yeah, the main problem with live Ozzy is there's only a handful of songs he has the range to sing. So you can pretty much predict the set list now. The only question is how many of the Sabbath tunes will he throw in.

 

He's still a legend and people should go if they've never seen him, but it's definitely time.

 

Whether Ozzy has new music or not doesn't matter because he wouldn't play any of it. He'll play whatever the lead single is and maybe one other that will be the follow up single and that's it. How many new tunes did Sabbath end up doing off 13? Three or four I think. It's been pointless for him to even have new material for almost 20 years now. I think it's a waste of time for anyone to record a new album and then not play a good chunk of it live. Why bother releasing anything but a couple singles if the bulk of the new material never makes the live set?

[TexMike]

There's a rumor that his '91-92 tour was called a farewell because he had been misdiagnosed with MS and Sharon was afraid he wouldn't be capable of performing much longer. I buy that because he was still huge and relatively young then. His new album at the time (No More Tears) ended up selling like triple platinum. He really had no need to play that card.

 

Now it appears he'll be touring without a new album. That disappoints me, just like Sabbath did when they also didn't record anything new for a farewell and just played the same old songs. I understand financially why artists do that, but I still hate it because I care more about new music than seeing a rehashed show.

 

And yeah, the main problem with live Ozzy is there's only a handful of songs he has the range to sing. So you can pretty much predict the set list now. The only question is how many of the Sabbath tunes will he throw in.

 

He's still a legend and people should go if they've never seen him, but it's definitely time.

 

Whether Ozzy has new music or not doesn't matter because he wouldn't play any of it. He'll play whatever the lead single is and maybe one other that will be the follow up single and that's it. How many new tunes did Sabbath end up doing off 13? Three or four I think. It's been pointless for him to even have new material for almost 20 years now. I think it's a waste of time for anyone to record a new album and then not play a good chunk of it live. Why bother releasing anything but a couple singles if the bulk of the new material never makes the live set?

 

Well, you're right that he'd play very little from a new release live. That's a given. But like I said previously, I'd still be more interested in new music than another tour, regardless of whether he'd perform any of that new music at a show. If an album is decent, I don't not listen to it simply because some or even most of it didn't get played live.

 

Sabbath's 13 wasn't ultimately quite as good (IMO) as any albums from their original era, but I'm still damn happy I got new music from a band that I love. And for me, 4 new songs at a show is usually plenty. That's how many Rush played per night on the VT tour.

 

The problem with Ozzy's "farewell" show is that we know he won't dig out rare gems from the back catalog (ala Rush on R40) because he's only comfortable singing a predictable batch of songs. So without at least something new in the form of an album, it's a pretty anti-climactic way to go out. Just my opinion.

[Union 5-3992]

There's a rumor that his '91-92 tour was called a farewell because he had been misdiagnosed with MS and Sharon was afraid he wouldn't be capable of performing much longer. I buy that because he was still huge and relatively young then. His new album at the time (No More Tears) ended up selling like triple platinum. He really had no need to play that card.

 

Now it appears he'll be touring without a new album. That disappoints me, just like Sabbath did when they also didn't record anything new for a farewell and just played the same old songs. I understand financially why artists do that, but I still hate it because I care more about new music than seeing a rehashed show.

 

And yeah, the main problem with live Ozzy is there's only a handful of songs he has the range to sing. So you can pretty much predict the set list now. The only question is how many of the Sabbath tunes will he throw in.

 

He's still a legend and people should go if they've never seen him, but it's definitely time.

 

Whether Ozzy has new music or not doesn't matter because he wouldn't play any of it. He'll play whatever the lead single is and maybe one other that will be the follow up single and that's it. How many new tunes did Sabbath end up doing off 13? Three or four I think. It's been pointless for him to even have new material for almost 20 years now. I think it's a waste of time for anyone to record a new album and then not play a good chunk of it live. Why bother releasing anything but a couple singles if the bulk of the new material never makes the live set?

There's a rumor that his '91-92 tour was called a farewell because he had been misdiagnosed with MS and Sharon was afraid he wouldn't be capable of performing much longer. I buy that because he was still huge and relatively young then. His new album at the time (No More Tears) ended up selling like triple platinum. He really had no need to play that card.

 

Now it appears he'll be touring without a new album. That disappoints me, just like Sabbath did when they also didn't record anything new for a farewell and just played the same old songs. I understand financially why artists do that, but I still hate it because I care more about new music than seeing a rehashed show.

 

And yeah, the main problem with live Ozzy is there's only a handful of songs he has the range to sing. So you can pretty much predict the set list now. The only question is how many of the Sabbath tunes will he throw in.

 

He's still a legend and people should go if they've never seen him, but it's definitely time.

 

Whether Ozzy has new music or not doesn't matter because he wouldn't play any of it. He'll play whatever the lead single is and maybe one other that will be the follow up single and that's it. How many new tunes did Sabbath end up doing off 13? Three or four I think. It's been pointless for him to even have new material for almost 20 years now. I think it's a waste of time for anyone to record a new album and then not play a good chunk of it live. Why bother releasing anything but a couple singles if the bulk of the new material never makes the live set?

How many new songs did Sabbath even play on their last tour? Zero I think

[treeduck]

At this point can he do much more than stand there and drool?

 

I think he can still clap like he always does on stage.

[J2112YYZ]

There's a rumor that his '91-92 tour was called a farewell because he had been misdiagnosed with MS and Sharon was afraid he wouldn't be capable of performing much longer. I buy that because he was still huge and relatively young then. His new album at the time (No More Tears) ended up selling like triple platinum. He really had no need to play that card.

 

Now it appears he'll be touring without a new album. That disappoints me, just like Sabbath did when they also didn't record anything new for a farewell and just played the same old songs. I understand financially why artists do that, but I still hate it because I care more about new music than seeing a rehashed show.

 

And yeah, the main problem with live Ozzy is there's only a handful of songs he has the range to sing. So you can pretty much predict the set list now. The only question is how many of the Sabbath tunes will he throw in.

 

He's still a legend and people should go if they've never seen him, but it's definitely time.

 

Whether Ozzy has new music or not doesn't matter because he wouldn't play any of it. He'll play whatever the lead single is and maybe one other that will be the follow up single and that's it. How many new tunes did Sabbath end up doing off 13? Three or four I think. It's been pointless for him to even have new material for almost 20 years now. I think it's a waste of time for anyone to record a new album and then not play a good chunk of it live. Why bother releasing anything but a couple singles if the bulk of the new material never makes the live set?

There's a rumor that his '91-92 tour was called a farewell because he had been misdiagnosed with MS and Sharon was afraid he wouldn't be capable of performing much longer. I buy that because he was still huge and relatively young then. His new album at the time (No More Tears) ended up selling like triple platinum. He really had no need to play that card.

 

Now it appears he'll be touring without a new album. That disappoints me, just like Sabbath did when they also didn't record anything new for a farewell and just played the same old songs. I understand financially why artists do that, but I still hate it because I care more about new music than seeing a rehashed show.

 

And yeah, the main problem with live Ozzy is there's only a handful of songs he has the range to sing. So you can pretty much predict the set list now. The only question is how many of the Sabbath tunes will he throw in.

 

He's still a legend and people should go if they've never seen him, but it's definitely time.

 

Whether Ozzy has new music or not doesn't matter because he wouldn't play any of it. He'll play whatever the lead single is and maybe one other that will be the follow up single and that's it. How many new tunes did Sabbath end up doing off 13? Three or four I think. It's been pointless for him to even have new material for almost 20 years now. I think it's a waste of time for anyone to record a new album and then not play a good chunk of it live. Why bother releasing anything but a couple singles if the bulk of the new material never makes the live set?

How many new songs did Sabbath even play on their last tour? Zero I think

 

They didn't do anything off it as far as I know. Maybe they did one of them a handful of times but it wasn't anything regular. Everyone goes to hear the classics anyways, so I get the setlist choices. The diehards who enjoy everything and want to hear different stuff are few and far between at most arena rock shows.

[ozzy85]

There's a rumor that his '91-92 tour was called a farewell because he had been misdiagnosed with MS and Sharon was afraid he wouldn't be capable of performing much longer. I buy that because he was still huge and relatively young then. His new album at the time (No More Tears) ended up selling like triple platinum. He really had no need to play that card.

 

Now it appears he'll be touring without a new album. That disappoints me, just like Sabbath did when they also didn't record anything new for a farewell and just played the same old songs. I understand financially why artists do that, but I still hate it because I care more about new music than seeing a rehashed show.

 

And yeah, the main problem with live Ozzy is there's only a handful of songs he has the range to sing. So you can pretty much predict the set list now. The only question is how many of the Sabbath tunes will he throw in.

 

He's still a legend and people should go if they've never seen him, but it's definitely time.

 

Whether Ozzy has new music or not doesn't matter because he wouldn't play any of it. He'll play whatever the lead single is and maybe one other that will be the follow up single and that's it. How many new tunes did Sabbath end up doing off 13? Three or four I think. It's been pointless for him to even have new material for almost 20 years now. I think it's a waste of time for anyone to record a new album and then not play a good chunk of it live. Why bother releasing anything but a couple singles if the bulk of the new material never makes the live set?

They did a couple of tunes off 13... wish they did more. I didn't agree with Sabbath's decision to can the new album just before their last tour. I listen to Ozzy's (and Rush's) albums from the last 20 years, not just the classics.

 

It's funny how much lasting damage Ozzy's reality show caused, even a decade and a half later. Those shows embarrass Ozzy himself. (...that's gotta be hard to do, given his history...) Now a whole generation of rock fans thinks he's a drooling idiot. Sad. He was over-medicated all to hell. I saw him in '07... it was a bit rough. He started that tour at White Rock Amphiteater and was flat for 3 or 4 songs until he got rolling. Too reliant on the water hose and other gimmicks. Saw him in 2010 (2011?), quite different. Cohesive, jovial, funny. Not a return to 1983, but pretty damn good. He must have cleaned up a bit by then. Sabbath '13 was OK to good for him, better for the band.

 

I'll no doubt buy the next album. Go to the tour? Dunno, though that's partly me. I just don't see as many big shows as I used to. Maybe. I know our heroes are closing out for good. I've seen a few. Just saw the Scorpions/Megadeth show In Tacoma. It was good. Made me kinda feel it that this whole stadium rock thing is starting to slip away.

 

Ozzy has always had a lot of ridicule leveled at him. Always. Well, he does set himself up for a good bit of it. Glad he's going for his last round. Maybe I'll be there.

[Tombstone Mountain]

I remember on the No More Tours tour in 1992 people actually thought that was it for him. I was only 14 so of course my young and dumb ass totally believed it too.

I saw him in Louisville on that tour. Alice in Chains and Sepultura opened. One of the best shows I've seen. AIC simply shined on the Dirt tour. Funny thing about Ozzy...he doesn't tolerate apathy at his shows. He MAKES you stand up. Pipes were good that night too!

[laughedatbytime]

I'd go if I Ozzy didn't want to see my f***ing hands more often than Baltimore cops do on their average stop of someone with a broken taillight.

[J2112YYZ]

North American dates. Stone Sour will open.

 

 

Apr. 27 - Jacksonville, FL @ Welcome to Rockville

Apr. 29 - Fort Lauderdale, FL @ Fort Rock

Aug. 30 - Allentown, PA @ PPL Center

Sep. 01 - Syracuse, NY @ Lakeview Amphitheater

Sep. 04 - Toronto, ON @ Budweiser Stage

Sep. 06 - Boston, MA @ Xfinity Center

Sep. 08 - Wantagh, NY @ Jones Beach Amphitheatre

Sep. 10 - Holmdel, NJ @ PNC Bank Arts Center

Sep. 12 - Camden, NJ @ BB&T Pavilion

Sep. 14 - Bristow, VA @ Jiffy Lube Live

Sep. 16 - Cuyahoga Falls OH @ Blossom Music Center

Sep. 19 - Clarkston, MI @ DTE Energy Center

Sep. 21 - Tinley Park, IL @ Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre

Sep. 23 - Noblesville, IN @ Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center

Sep. 26 - Dallas, TX @ Starplex Pavilion

Sep. 28 - Houston, TX @ Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion

Sep. 30 - Albuquerque, NM @ Isleta Amphitheater

Oct. 02 - Denver, CO @ Pepsi Center

Oct. 04 - Salt Lake City, UT @ USANA Amphitheatre

Oct. 06 - Mountain View, CA @ Shoreline Amphitheatre

Oct. 09 - Chula Vista, CA @ Mattress Firm Amphitheatre

Oct. 11 - Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Bowl

Oct. 13 - Las Vegas, NV @ MGM Grand Garden Arena

[RUSHHEAD666]

OCTOBER 6! SHORELINE!! I'M THERE!

 

Might even go to Vegas if the set list kicks arse!

[RUSHHEAD666]

Ozzy at MGM! Last time I saw a show there it was ummmmm RUSH!

[ozzy85]

No WA dates... bummer. Just as well. Tix will probably be a few $$.

[Oracle]

Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeah gonna skip this. I've already got summer tour plans for Dead & Co along with music festivals. Ozzy is a waste of money at this point. Saw Sabbath in Detroit, I won't lose any sleep.

[J2112YYZ]

Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeah gonna skip this. I've already got summer tour plans for Dead & Co along with music festivals. Ozzy is a waste of money at this point. Saw Sabbath in Detroit, I won't lose any sleep.

 

I would think the Dead would be the bigger waste of money since their main man has been dead for over 20 years. At least when seeing Ozzy you still get Ozzy.

[Entre_Perpetuo]

Ozzy can't go on a farewell tour; he's immortal. He just needs to form a supergroup with Mick and Keith from the Stones and rock and roll will literally never die. Mick and Ozzy can duet, Keith will sing backups, Mick can play bass and Ozzy can learn a few basic drum beats. They'll be called "Rolling (Over) Sabbath"

 

or maybe the Black Stones, that's a pretty cool name.

[thirteen]

Ozzy at MGM! Last time I saw a show there it was ummmmm RUSH!

 

Rush R40?

If yes I was also there!

[Oracle]

Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeah gonna skip this. I've already got summer tour plans for Dead & Co along with music festivals. Ozzy is a waste of money at this point. Saw Sabbath in Detroit, I won't lose any sleep.

 

I would think the Dead would be the bigger waste of money since their main man has been dead for over 20 years. At least when seeing Ozzy you still get Ozzy.

 

I was born a year and a day before Jerry's last concert. As long as Bobby, Bill, Mickey and Phil are around, I'll catch them every chance I get. Haven't seen Phil since Fare Thee Well in 2015 because he never brings Terrapin Family Band any closer than Chicago.

[RUSHHEAD666]

Ozzy at MGM! Last time I saw a show there it was ummmmm RUSH!

 

Rush R40?

If yes I was also there!

 

YOU ROCK!!!!