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Two Saskatchewan fans who saw Ozzy Osbourne perform just over two weeks ago say his final concert now feels like a farewell they didn’t know they were attending.
Rachel Ish of Saskatoon was in Birmingham, England, on July 5 when the rock legend took the stage at Villa Park for what would be his final show. She attended the concert with her son, and says the news of Osbourne’s death has left her stunned.
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“I cried with 3,000 other people two and a half weeks ago,” she said. “We just knew we were so incredibly lucky to be there.”
Osbourne died on Monday at the age of 76. His final performance came during a massive Black Sabbath tribute show titled Back to the Beginning. Ish said the entire day felt like a celebration of heavy metal, with fans and performers alike recognizing Osbourne’s influence.
“He kept telling us he hoped we were having a good day, and that his fans were the most important to him,” she said. “I’ll never forget it.”
(Video by Guus Van De Velde)
Guus Van De Velde, also from Saskatoon, nearly missed the show after his flight through Calgary was cancelled. He eventually made it to London via St. John’s, Newfoundland, just in time.
“I got there 24 hours late, but at least I made it,” he said. “There was no way I was missing this.”
For Van De Velde, a longtime fan since the early 1980s, the concert carried personal significance. He credits Osbourne and the late guitarist Randy Rhoads for introducing him to the woman who became his wife.
He said the performance was emotional and powerful, even if Ozzy showed signs of strain.
“He said, ‘You have no idea what my last six years have been like.’ And then they went straight into Mama, I’m Coming Home. You could tell he was choking up. So were we.”
Both fans noted Osbourne’s voice held up surprisingly well, singing nine songs between solo and Sabbath hits. Van De Velde also pointed out that every band on the bill offered dedications to Osbourne and Black Sabbath, calling it a heavy metal sendoff on par with Live Aid.
“I realized I recorded the last couple minutes of Paranoid,” he said. “And now I can’t stop watching it.”
Despite health struggles in recent years — he had Parkinson’s disease — both Ish and Van De Velde said Osbourne appeared joyful and present during the show.
“He didn’t look like someone who’d be gone two weeks later,” Van De Velde said. “But I’m so grateful I was there. That wasn’t just a concert. That was history.”
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