Rest In Peace OZZY

  Hearing the sad news of the passing of Ozzy Osbourne this afternoon, really hit me, more than I had expected. Ozzy has been a part of my life since I was 13 years old hearing his solo material and Black Sabbath albums. Diary Of A Madman being my favourite solo album and then the Sabbath catalog, liked them all, but Volume 4 always hit me hard. I'm happy that Ozzy was able to pull off the Back To The Beginning show a few weeks ago.

 I'm sure every metal head and punk has an Ozzy story. Here is mine.

 My very first chance to see Ozzy in concert was June 30th, 1986 on his Ultimate Sin Tour with of all band opening Metallica. I was a huge Metallica fan and really liked the Ultimate Sin album. Actually it was the last solo album of his I really was into. Talk about an awesome double bill. But the scheduled show at Northlands Coliseum on June 30th, 1986 got canceled, talk about being bummed out.

 My next try at seeing Ozzy in concert was on June 8th,, 1996 on his Retirement Sucks Tour which was for his solo album Ozzmosis. Well at that time I found myself broke and not able to afford or get tickets. I remember it being on a Saturday and being really disappointed that I wasn't going to the show. Therefore, I spent the day drowning my sorrows and wishing I was going to the big Ozzy show. Much to my surprise, my buddy good buddy Geddy (RIP) shows up at my place around 5 in the afternoon with a pair of tickets to the show, last row on the floor, but who cared, we were going. Talk about being excited, but drunk too. Regardless, we were going to see the mighty Ozzy in concert. A few beers in my basement suite and then a few more at The Forum across the street from Northlands Coliseum. And, then we score some acid at the bar, well we didn't need that, but we did it anyways. Now we're primed for the show. Missed the opening act, which was Filter, no big deal, we were having fun at the peeler bar. But we got to our seats in time for Ozzy. I remember before Ozzy coming on they were showing clips of Ozzy on a big screen behind the stage that were hilarious and had the crowd pumped. And then the lights went down and Ozzy came on stage yelling "let's go fucking crazy!". I believe they opened with a Sabbath song, but I can't be sure. And then, I woke up at home the following morning with an Ozzy ticket stub in my pocket and no recollection of what happened. Apparently I got kicked out by the second song. Embarrassing yes, shitty yes, but an Ozzy memory nonetheless.

 It wasn't until July 6th, 1999, that I got to see Ozzy in concert again, and this time with the original Black Sabbath line up headlining Ozzfest in Vancouver at Thunderbird Stadium. What a fucking amazing show it was!

 Next time I got to see Ozzy live was  April 22nd, 2014 again with Black Sabbath in Edmonton at Rexall Place. This too was a impressive performance. here are a few pictures I took at that show.

Black Sabbath 2014.

 The Final time I saw Ozzy was March 2nd, 2016 with Black Sabbath again at Rexall Place in Edmonton. For this show I got row 2 on the floor the day of the show. Another fucking great show. Here are some pictures I took at that show.

Black Sabbath 2016.

 I am very thankful that I did get to see Ozzy a few times in concert. all three times were with Sabbath, which is cool, but kind of with I had seen him solo too, but I blew that chance. Thanks for the memories Ozzy and the music which will live on forever. You not only influenced musicians of all genres, but you also made a lasting impression on your fans. You did make a difference. Thanks Ozzy. May you Rest In Peace. 

Book Review

I recently finished a book my brother had brought me to read when he was here in August. It is a book wrote by Rudy Sarzo called, Off The Rails (Aboard The Crazy Train In The Blizzard Of Ozz) Sarzo has played in Quiet Riot,Whitsnake and Ozzy's band Blizzard Of Ozz. He played bass in all of the mentioned bands. This book is for the most part a journal of his tour with Ozzy between March of 1981 and Sept 1982, Ozzy's first solo tours with original and still the best guitar player Ozzy has ever had, Randy Rhoads.
The book starts with Rudy's upbringing in Cuba and coming to America and finally finding a band to play in, starting with Quiet Riot and then ending up with Ozzy, after Ozzy had left Black Sabbath. The book is full of all kind of stories that I have heard before but not from an actual member of the band. The biting the head off a dove at meeting with record executives, pissing on the Alamo in Texas while dressed in drag and so many other drunken stories, cool to hear stories from Rudy, whom was actually there at the time. Ozzy was quite messed up at this time in his life.
Then there is the tragic story of the plane crash that killed Randy Rhoads. This is the most detailed telling of the story I have ever heard. Worth the read.
All and all, an easy read, but a fun entertaining book. Check it out if given the chance.