Ozzy Osbourne reflected on the “emotional” yet “terribly frustrating” final Black Sabbath show in a new BBC documentary.
Sharon & Ozzy Osbourne: Coming Home aired on BBC One on Thursday night (October 2), an intimate film that charted the final years of the rock icon’s life as he prepared to get fit enough to perform at the huge ‘Back To The Beginning’ farewell show in Birmingham this summer.
Osbourne died on July 22 at the age of 76, just 17 days after the historic performance, and in poignant scenes at the end of the documentary, he spoke about the experience of performing in front of 44,000 people for one final time.
In footage captured five days after the show, Ozzy sat in his kitchen with his son Jack and daughter Kelly, and they reflected on their favourite moments from the gig.
“I have to say that my favourite part of the whole weekend was when dad sang ‘Mama, I’m Coming Home’,” Kelly said. “I don’t feel like there was one dry eye. Oh my god, dad, everybody was crying.”
Ozzy responded: “I got all emotional with that. I couldn’t fucking get the words out, I was just swallowing my fucking emotion.”
Recommended
Jack interjected to say: “The guys from Metallica, Slayer, Tool, everybody was just up there, like, crying.”
The conversation prompted Ozzy to share: “The only thing I really got… what was terribly frustrating for me, I had to sit there instead of running across the stage. That was fucking torture, because I wanted to get off that [chair] so much.”
He continued: “It was very humbling, to sit in that chair for nine songs. What a great way to go out, that gig was.”
Ozzy went on to explain that after the show, he and his family headed back to their house in Buckinghamshire and “just slept non-stop throughout the day and a half”. He added: “I haven’t even given it a thought, what happens next. But I can retire with a clear conscience.”
Sharon then reflected on “the emotion and love for Black Sabbath and Ozzy”, explaining that his “dream came true” by playing one final concert. She said: “It’s our last chapter. This is it – this is our time. However long it is, it’s our time.”
UK readers can watch Coming Home on the BBC iPlayer here.
At ‘Back To The Beginning’, the singer sat on a giant winged throne on stage, playing a solo set first before being joined by Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward, with the original Sabbath line-up playing together for the first time since 2005.
It was Osbourne’s first full gig since 2018, and he had undergone multiple surgeries during the following years and had experienced numerous health problems, including Parkinson’s disease.
The documentary was initially set to air in August, but was pulled from the TV schedule at the last minute due to “the family’s wishes to wait a bit longer”.
Last month, Sharon Osbourne thanked fans for their “overwhelming love and support” and said she was “still finding my footing” following her husband’s passing. Ozzy’s son Jack had previously shared a “personal note” about his father in a video on his YouTube channel, while Kelly explained how she had found her “smile again” amid the “sadness and grief”.
Another forthcoming new documentary, No Escape From Now, will detail the Prince Of Darkness’ final six years. Watch the trailer above.
The artist’s death certificate confirmed his cause of death to be a heart attack, while also mentioning that he was suffering from coronary heart disease and Parkinson’s. The document listed his occupation as “Songwriter, Performer and Rock Legend”.
Comments are closed, but trackbacks and pingbacks are open.