Ozzy Osbourne admits it's 'like starting from scratch' as he starts endurance training for final gig
Ozzy Osbourne is getting himself stage fit for Black Sabbath's final concert.
Ozzy Osbourne has started "endurance training" ahead of his final concert and admitted it's like "like starting from scratch".
The Prince of Darkness hasn't played a full length show since 2018 and revealed in 2020 that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson's diagnosis - a progressive condition which affects mobility and mood and occurs when nerve cells in the brain don't produce enough dopamine - so the 'Back to The Beginning' concert at Birmingham's Villa Park on July 5 will take it out of him.
Speaking on the latest episode of SiriusXM's 'Ozzy Speaks', he told co-host Billy Morrison: "I'm in heavy training for this ['Back To The Beginning' concert in Birmingham, United Kingdom] that's coming up [in early July]. I haven't done anything for — this will be seven years [since I played a full concert], and so I've been through all this surgery. It really is like starting from scratch."
Sharing his regimen, he explained: "Well, it's endurance training. The first thing to go when you're laid up is your stamina, so believe it or not, I'm doing two sets of three-minute walks a day and weight training. I've gotta get going, you know."
Ozzy added: "I'm waking up in my body. I mean, three minutes to you, for instance, is nothing, but I've been laying on my back recovering from umpteen surgeries."
Due to Ozzy not being able to walk, it's believed he will perform from a throne.
The 'Paranoid' hitmaker - who has had neck and spinal issues, as well as Parkinson's disease, and sometimes uses a wheelchair as a result of his mobility problems - may even fly over the crowd from his spectacular seat.
And while this is supposed to be his final show, guitarist Zakk Wylde is hopeful that if Ozzy enjoys the performance, the group could get back on the road next year.
He told Riff X's Metal XS: “The game plan is, let’s hope this is what happen, you always gotta stay on the bright side of life, because Oz was singing at the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame thing.
“Ozzy was just sitting at the chair and he was singing 'Mama, I'm Coming Home', and it sounded great. So hopefully we'll just do this, and then Oz will go, 'Let's just fire up the machine again and we'll do another tour.’
"With Oz and his throne that just flies over the stadium or whatever, [where he] shoots out buckets of water and does everything like that. So if Oz has a great time and it's just, like, 'I wanna go out on the road again,' it's just, like, 'Good. Let's do it again.’”
The highly-anticipated show will see a whole host of other artists perform including Metallica, Smashing Pumpkins' Billy Corgan, Duff McKagan and Slash of Guns ‘N Roses, Limp Bizkit's Fred Durst, Korn star Jonathan Davis, Anthrax, and Wolfgang Van Halen.
Zakk said: “Everybody's gonna be playing Sabbath songs, it's gonna be pretty mind blowing.”
The heavy metal icon will reunite with Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward for the first time in 20 years.
However, Ozzy, 76, admitted he wouldn't be playing a full set but would be joining in with "bits and pieces" of the show.
Speaking on his SiriusXM show 'Ozzy Speaks: “I’m not planning on doing a set with Black Sabbath but I am doing little bits and pieces with them. I am doing what I can, where I feel comfortable.
"I am trying to get back on my feet... When you get up in the morning, you just jump out of bed. I have to balance myself, but I’m not dead. I’m still actively doing things.”
