Member 2By4 sent this to us:
Ozzy Osbourne, the 61-year-old former Black Sabbath frontman, reality TV star and Rock 'n' Roll's Prince of Darkness, showed off his funny side several times throughout his rambunctious two-hour concert.You're most welcome, 2By4. Glad you NJoyed.
But nothing beat the show's opening video montage, which placed Osbourne in scenes from various popular TV shows and movies, including Avatar, Jersey Shore, Twilight and Iron Man 2.
He even appeared as Beyonce in Lady Gaga's hit video, Telephone. Just so you know, Osbourne makes one butt-ugly woman.
It was a hilarious few minutes, which had the fans who took in the concert in stitches and screaming their approval.
But opening with such a bang meant Osbourne had a lot to live up to, and fortunately, Osbourne and his band were able to deliver.
Although it's difficult to pinpoint his true pinnacle moment (Osbourne has been lucky enough to enjoy several career resurgences over the years) the plain fact is Osbourne's best days are behind him.
He's still an entertaining figure - yelling obscenities at the audience, hopping frantically in one spot, that maniacal laugh - but after years of hardcore substance abuse (which he has since kicked), Osbourne moves as elegantly as an arthritic 92-year-old pensioner.
"Let the madness begin," declared Osbourne as he launched into his 1983 hit Bark at the Moon. Osbourne's voice sounded a little strained, but still good for his age and questionable mental health.
Though never professionally trained, Osbourne possesses an impressive vocal range and distinctive style.
That unmistakable helium-esque tone was still intact, even if he did have trouble hitting all the right notes.
One of the interesting things about Osbourne's career is that he's never really gone out of style. One could argue, he's never really been in style, but that's a whole other debate.
His popularity has never waned with hardcore fans, for whom Ozzy is the everyman hero (in black eyeliner.) His appeal crosses generations as shown by the age-diverse turnout.
Those who probably bought Black Sabbath's self-titled debut in 1970 were joined by teenagers and twentysomethings introduced to the metal guru by his MTV reality show, The Osbournes.
But no matter the age, everyone in the crowd happily stood and sang along to Osbourne's better known numbers such as Mr. Crowley, Suicide Solution and Black Sabbath favourites, Fairies Wear Boots and War Pigs.
Even newer tracks like Let Me Hear You Scream from his latest album, Scream, were greeted warmly.
Lead guitarist Gus G has the added pressure of being compared to some stellar musicians who have come before him in Ozzy's band - namely Zakk Wylde and the late Randy Rhoads.
But Gus G, who played guitar in the Greek metal band Firewind before joining Osbourne's group, held his own with some blistering solos and electrifying riffs.
The rest of the band - keyboardist/guitarist Adam Wakeman, bassist Rob 'Blasko' Nicholson and drummer Tommy Clufetos - were no slouches either and picked up the slack the few times Osbourne's vocals faltered.
Although this was hardly a show-of-the-year candidate, we all had a lot of fun.
I'd never watched a show from backstage before. It's really awesome since you get to see a lot more of what's really going on. Thank you so much BPD.
We're starting to receive a lot of new dates for 2011. Act early to get backstage for your favorite shows.
