Just over a month out from Black Sabbath’s monumental and star-studded last concert in Birmingham, UK, Ozzy Osbourne has revealed he’s been training for his long-awaited return to the stage.
As previously reported, Osbourne used his Ozzy Speaks SiriusXM radio show earlier in the year to note that he won’t be playing a full set with Sabbath, but rather performing “little bits and pieces” with the group when they hit the stage July 5th at Birmingham’s Villa Park.
The singer hasn’t performed a full show since 2018, and the past few years have found him enduring a spinal surgery and battling Parkinson’s disease. Nevertheless, a new episode of Ozzy Speaks found the metal godfather revealing to co-host Billy Morrison that he’s recently been working with a physical trainer so he can get back onstage.
“I’ve got this trainer guy who helps people get back to normal. It’s hard going, but he’s convinced that he can pull it off for me. I’m giving it everything I’ve got,” Osbourne said. He and Morrison then quickly discussed show anxieties and training routines, leading Osbourne to note, “…All I can say is I’m giving 120%. If my God wants me to do the show, I’ll do it.”
In addition to reuniting Ozzy with his Black Sabbath bandmates, the Back to the Beginning show is likewise expected to find the singer hitting select songs from his solo catalog.
The concert will also feature appearances from Metallica, Slayer, Pantera, TOOL, Gojira, Lamb of God, Mastodon and Guns N’ Roses, plus a one-time supergroup including members of Korn, Ghost, Smashing Pumpkins, Limp Bizkit, Disturbed, Sleep Token and more.
A forthcoming documentary on Osbourne titled No Escape From Now is currently in production at Paramount+ and is set to take a candid look at Osbourne’s health struggles over the past few years. Filming will take place at the Back to the Beginning concert.
“The last six years have been full of some of the worst times I’ve been through. There’s been times when I thought my number was up,” Osbourne had previously said in a statement. “But making music and making two albums saved me. I’d have gone nuts without music.”