The celebratory atmosphere around Birmingham the day before the concert tribute to Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath is seen everywhere. The fans queueing for a photo opportunity at the famous Black Sabbath Bridge stretches down the road. The murals dotted around the city are also visited like (un)holy relics. The city has embraced there most famous son by having an exhibition of Ozzy’s career in the City’s Museum. Even upmarket store Selfridges is getting in on the act with their own range of expensive Sabbath Merchandise, topped of by a Statue of Ozzy made from Lego (!!!)
The camaraderie between Metal fans from every corner of the world is a pleasure to be part off. Many a pint is sunk, and tales of sabbath and Ozzy are told late into the night. My abiding memory on the eve of the gig is of laughter and good vibes.
The morning of the gig starts at a leisurely pace as waves of black shirted fans emerge for food in the various cafes and eateries around the train station. If Friday’s atmosphere was celebratory, the morning of the gig, you can almost taste the electricity in the air. The train to the venue Villa Park is packed tighter than a tin of sardines but the jokes and banter being exchanged across the carriage make the trip almost bearable. Around the stadium very long lines of fans trying to get into their designated zone moves swiftly and once inside the stadium the anticipation is visible in the crowd at merch stands and bars, as a massive crowd makes way to standing area or seats.
Our section in L3, Q35/36 provides an exceptional view of the stage. The stadium is smaller than I expected, and I believe the crowd is going to be a capacity of 44,000 which gives the event a very exclusive feel. I imagine the audience for streaming must be in the millions. Ozzy’s assistant acts as toaster telling a delighted crowd “Every motherf**ker in the world wants to be here but its you lot that are the ones that are” which goes down very well with the gathered masses as you can imagine. I have to pinch myself that this is actually happening, and I am one of the lucky ones present at this monumental event. Shortly before schedule the official mc Jason Momoa introduces the first act of the day
Mastodon, smash into “Black tongue” and “blood and Thunder” before their obligatory Sabbath cover. They absolutely win the crowd over with “Supernaught” the drum section in the middle is supplemented by two percussionists that replicate the songs carnival feel before that huge riff crashes back in and flays the skin of the faces of the fans. A very, very strong opening set.
The revolving stage allows for the quickest change over ever witnessed at a festival/concert, so props to the amazing road crew pulling of that magic trick.
Rival Sons mean business pulling out crowd Pleaser” Do your worst” Jay Buchanan looking ever more like a bearded Jim Morrison stalking the stage besuited and barefooted. His vocals really suit “Electric Funeral”, and he throws himself on to his knees and screams from a foetal position. They finish with their own song “secret”
Anthrax, don’t mess about smashing into “Indians”. When they play the war dance breakdown section, it inspires the first small circle pit. Scott Ian introduces their Sabbath cover which is “Into the Void”. Ian’s massive guitar tone making the classic riff sound absolutely earth shaking.
The short sets may have some complaining, but as this is a charity gig/celebration of Sabbath and particularly Ozzy, this feels a bit disingenuous to me. I feel this is basically Heavy Metal Live aid or a three-day festival compressed into ten hours.
Halestorm are a band I only know by reputation, so I approach their set with an open mind and curiosity. There is little doubt that vocalist Lzzy Hale can really sing and displays a real power in her delivery. However, the songs to my ears are bland and make zero impact on me personally. I also feel the choice of cover must be a generational thing. “Perry Mason” would have been the last song by Ozzy I would have thought I would hear today. First disappointment of the day for me but crowd seems to like them so what do I know.
Lamb of God, on the other hand demolish the stadium with “Laid to Rest” and “Redneck”. They then do a devastatingly crushing version of “Children of the Grave” that rattles my back teeth loose. An absolute triumph of a set.
Now comes the first of Super band Jams, an interchangeable band of Nuno Bettencourt, and Musical director Tom Morello, and a hugely welcomed Jake E. Lee with various singers. First up Lzzy Hale returns to tackle “the Ultimate Sin” which she honestly over sings to the point the melody disappears. Next up David Draiman enters the stage to a huge chorus of boos and sea of middle fingers. The argument that politics has no place here is invalid when remembering he was photographed autographing bombs. He looks shook but to be fair does a decent enough job of “Shot in the Dark” and “Sweet Leaf” Whitfield Crane gets a warm welcome and has a decent stab at “Believer”.
Next comes the first videoed insert of Jack Black dressed in Ozzy Jumpsuit singing “Mr Crawley” joined by Tom Morello and Scott Ian’s sons on various instruments. The humour of it delights and charms the audience. The first real surprise of the day is a standout moment as indie/pop singer Yungblud takes to the stage to sing a heartfelt and gorgeous “Changes” which starts the first crowd sing along of the day. When he sang the chorus acapella at the end of the song along with the crowd it was truly a very special moment.
Alice in Chains show they mean serious business, smashing into a crowd pleasing “Man in the box” inspiring another huge singalong. “Would?” is greeted by the loudest cheer of the day. The cover of “Fairies wear Boots” is not only a great choice but dovetails perfectly into the band’s sound. A triumph of a set and the highlight of the day so far.
I’m only human and this is my time to get some food and a beer. It must be said the only gripe I have is the ridiculous length of the line for food. Someone missed a trick by not placing a screen in this general area, so nothing was missed. As it was, I did miss most of Gojira’s set. Arriving back just in time for the end of their version of “Under the Sun” which was really good
Next up is what was advertised as a drum off which when I initially read it made my heart sink. In practice this was a fantastic segway into the second Super Band Jam. Three drum kits were lined up and manned by Travis Baker (blink 182), Danny Carey (tool), and Chad Smith (red hot chilli peppers). Aided by Tom Morello, Nuno Bettencourt and Rudy Sarzo, the band play a cover (minus vocals) of “Symptom of the Universe” each drummer taking a drum fill section to great applause.
K.K. Downing and Billy Corgan have the crowd won over blasting through “Breaking the Law” and then a blistering version of “Snowblind”. Enter Sammy Hagar, who sang an unrecognisable “Flying High Again” and Montrose’s “Rock Candy” which may be well known in America but is hardly an anthem on this side of the pond. He seems very pleased with himself and is’ visibly enjoying himself but his set falls flatter than a pancake hitting the ground. Papa Ghost makes a good stab at “Bark at the Moon”.
The second big surprise of the day is a dramatic entrance of Stephen Tyler, himself officially retired due to vocal issues, none of which are on display today. He is joined by perpetual Guest Ronnie Wood, for a stomping version of the yardbirds standard “The Train kept a Rollin’”. When Chad Smith, played the drum intro to “walk this way” the stadium erupted/ It almost levitated into the air when Tom Morello, played the riff to “Whole lotta Love”. If this is Tyler’s last appearance it was a hugely crowd-pleasing lap of honour.
Pantera receives a hero’s welcome and give the crowd exactly what they want with “Cowboys from Hell” and “Walk”. I’d hazard a guess that the volume of the “Respect” gang chorus could be heard in London! They then play a delicate version of “Planet Caravan” and in a bizarre moment repeat the cover of “Electric Funeral”
The building excitement among the audience with each consecutive set is dismantled by vibe killers Tool. Brilliantly accomplished musicians they may be but this set consisting of “Forty-Six” and “Aema” is boring beyond belief. They even make “Hand of Doom” sound as interesting as paint drying. This may be only my personal opinion, but its the first point of day I witnessed fans around me just ignoring band and having conversations.
Guns N’ Roses make a lowkey entrance with Axel sat at the piano leading the band through a few bars of the deep sabbath cut, the Bill Ward sung “it’s alright” before smashing into a totally out of tune and painful “Never say Die” and “Juniors eyes”. Axel’s screeching vocal sounds like Mickey Mouse. He just about gets away with “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath” which suits his range. The rest of the band play out of their skins and Slash is as impressive as always. The roar that greets Axel’s war cry of “Do you know where you are” before “Welcome to the Jungle” made me think he could pull it together, but his screech was like nails on a blackboard. “Paradise City” certainly got the crowd enthused but again his voice is just not there anymore. Agree or disagree but to my ears this performance was a total road crash and an embarrassing display.
Metallica just wander on to the stage and rip into a fantastic version of “Hole in the Sky” it may be slightly out of James Hetfield’s vocal range but unlike Axel he does a convincing job. “Creeping Death” pulverises the crowd and the “Die” chant in the middle section is always a joyful event. “For whom the bell Tolls” hits hard enough to level the city, never mind the stadium. A slight misstep is the cover of “Johnny Blade” which is played very well but is not a well-known Sabbath track even among their hardcore fans. Metallica then show their quality with a ferocious one-two punch set conclusion with “Battery” and “Master of Puppets”. A killer set by the world’s biggest heavy metal band.
Tom Morello steps on stage to pay tribute to the long lost and still missed “Randy Rhodes” a prerecorded segment of his sister speaking about her brother’s legacy leaves not a dry eye in the house.
The moment has arrived. The Intro Music and oceans of dry ice herald the entrance of the Prince of Darkness Ozzy Osbourne to emerge from a trap door under the stage. It was expected he would be sat on an elaborate throne, but the physical weakness and the damage Parkinson’s disease has done to him is still heartbreaking to see firsthand. The love and good will of the crowd towards him is not. He gives them “I don’t Know”, “Mr. Crowley”, and “Suicide Solution” in quick succession. His voice is for the most part on point. “Mama I’m coming Home” is the biggest singalong of the night and the crowd sing for everything they are worth. Ozzy is visibly moved as are every soul in the audience. The emotional wreckage reaches an apex with “Crazy Train” the middle section of “I know things are going wrong for Me” sees Ozzy’s voice crack and his vulnerability unleashes a mixture of love and grown adults sobbing quietly. And just like that Ozzy as a solo performing artist is over.
The anticipation begins to reach fever pitch with a short montage of Sabbath in their heyday is shown on the screens. The tolling bell and rain that heralds Black Sabbath’s entrance is greeted with unbridled elation. The mini set starts with “War Pigs” which every person present sings at the top of their voices. The camera pans on to every member of Sabbath individually and when it reaches Bill Ward, the roar is deafening. Musically Geezer Butler is the standout, his Bass is teeth rattling loud and heavy enough to crush your skull. N.I.B. is superb. “Iron Man’s” riff is sung note for note by the crowd. In the faster section Bill Ward loses his place and never really finds it again. However, it’s a minor gripe and the song still rocks. When they finish with “Paranoid” it does fall apart as both Ozzy and Bill Ward lose their bearings. Geezer and Tony anchor them so they can finish the song in a recognisable fashion.
Just like that the curtain comes down on one of the most important musical acts in the history of music. Fireworks light up the sky and the crowd high fives each other and hugs are given a plenty.
Despite the mixed emotions about this finale and the advanced physical deterioration of Ozzy, the celebration of his and Sabbaths career feels extremely fitting. As the crowds filter out to battle their way back to their various accommodations, there is no downbeat feeling just the realization that everyone present (and the audience streaming) witnessed a legendary cultural event, the twilight of the Gods, it will be spoken of for generations.
Don’t be sad it’s over, rather be happy it happened, and we were privileged to bear witness to it.
Sabbath Worship forever. \m/
-Bobo Coen
Comments