Ozzy Osbourne on Farewell World Tour: "I'm Not Retiring!" | Revolver

Ozzy Osbourne on Farewell World Tour: "I'm Not Retiring!"

Prince of Fucking Darkness talks best shows, how he'll spend time off the road, why he's not really saying goodbye
ozzy 2018 press, Mark Weiss
Ozzy Osbourne, 2018
photograph by Mark Weiss

Last night (August 30th), Ozzy Osbourne — joined by guitarist Zakk Wylde, bassist Blasko, drummer Tommy Clufetos and keyboardist Adam Wakeman — launched the North American leg of his farewell world tour, dubbed "No More Tours 2" in a nod to his 1992 No More Tours trek. Ozzy revisited his 50-plus years as a performer, performing songs from both his solo career and his time in Black Sabbath, at the tour kickoff (see the set list below), as he plans to do across the rest of the run, which is set to wrap up October 13th in Las Vegas. In a February interview with Revolver, he hinted at musical plans beyond that date, including even a possible follow-up solo album to 2010's Scream; today, he's officially announced that this tour does not, in fact, mark his retirement. In an entertaining new Q&A, he also discusses his favorite gig of all time, his experiences in Sabbath and how he plans to spend his downtime once he returns home from the road.

LET'S TALK ABOUT THE TOUR AND EVERYTHING YOU'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO.
OZZY OSBOURNE
 The band is great and I'm singing better than ever. It's great to be back with Zakk. Tommy [Clufetos], the drummer, is great. Blasko is always great. There's no excess trouble. No drama ... there are no arguments. We just get up, do our gig, and have fun. Nobody gets loaded anymore. When you get to the party days in the Eighties, it was like Caligula on the road.

SO, IS THIS IT FOR YOU ON THE LIVE FRONT?
I have to say this, "I'm not retiring!" I'm just not doing world tours anymore. I'm still doing gigs. I'm still going to do shows, just no more world tours. They'll say, "You said you were going to retire on the No More Tours Tour 25 years ago," but I'm not retiring!

ozzy2 PRESS 2018, Mark Weiss
photograph by Mark Weiss

HOW DO YOU GET THROUGH THE SHOWS AND THE WHOLE ROAD EXPERIENCE?
I have to hand it over to a power greater than myself. It's a higher power. I'm not religious. There's something out there that helps get me through. It's too much for me to own it all. 

IF YOU COULD REMEMBER, WHAT IS THE BEST GIG YOU'VE EVER PLAYED?
The first night at Castle Donnington [in the U.K.]. It was me, Van Halen and AC/DC. It was a long, long time ago — maybe 30 years ago [1984]. It was one of those gigs where everything was perfect. It was a great show. We just did a great show in Tel Aviv, too.

WAS THAT YOUR FIRST TIME IN ISRAEL?
No, it was the second time. The first time I played there a few years ago, it was great, and I thought, "I hope I don't do a bum gig!" I went on, and they really appreciated it. We had a great night, and the review was great.

WHEN YOU COME HOME FROM TOURING, WHAT IS THE THING YOU LOOK FORWARD TO MOST?
Me and Sharon spending some time together. Something happens as soon as I've got my bags down — The Osbournes happens. It's always drama. I have this notion that me and Sharon are going to have a peaceful holiday, but you bet your ass as soon as I walk through that door, it's fucking something. Get me back on the road!

WHEN THE AUDIENCE IS HAVING A GOOD TIME, YOU SEEM MORE ENGAGED.
I'm virtually deaf now, but if I can't feel that emotion ... I have to hear them and feel the emotion. One memorable gig we played was an outdoor gig in California [in 1992], for Randy Rhoads. We were supposed to play, but we had to cancel and reschedule. When we played, it was like a riot there! I remember the good gigs, but I also remember the bad gigs like when I've been hungover, or my voice was fucked.

IF YOU OVERHEAD A FAN TALKING TO ANOTHER AFTER LEAVING YOUR SHOW, WHAT WOULD YOU WANT THEM TO SAY?
"What a great show!" "I had the best time of my life!" I've been doing this for 50 years, and I still get nervous when I'm on stage. My job is to go onstage and give them the best hour or two of entertainment that I can possibly give them. I'll give them my heart and soul and it comes back from them.

WHAT SURPRISES YOU THE MOST ABOUT YOUR CAREER?
The longevity. I'm 70 this year [in December]. I remember when I got my first Black Sabbath album. I was happy that I'd made an album. Then, the manager came in and said, "Your album got to No. 17 on the charts," and it stayed there for like two years. We were touring, we came to America, we experienced the world. From the word "Go," we were a big success. We may have gotten royally ripped off by managers, but our lives had been changed for the better forever. Doing that last run with Black Sabbath we ended the last show in Birmingham. It was a great end to a great career. Sabbath was the catalyst to where I am right now. It was a wish that came true beyond our wildest dreams. When Paranoid went No. 1 in England, I thought, "This will only go on for a few years." And ... we're here 50 years later.

Ozzy Osbourne set list, 8/30/2018:
Bark at the Moon
Mr. Crowley
I Don't Know
Fairies Wear Boots
Suicide Solution
No More Tears
Road to Nowhere
War Pigs
Miracle Man / Crazy Babies / Desire / Perry Mason
I Don't Want to Change the World
Shot in the Dark
Crazy Train

Encore:
Mama, I'm Coming Home
Paranoid
Changes