On this day (November 15) in 1992, Ozzy Osbourne played the final show of his No More Tours tour. The 64-date trek took the Prince of Darkness across the United States and Canada. It ended with two nights at the Pacific Amphitheatre in Costa Mesa, California. Black Sabbath opened for him. However, their vocalist at the time refused to take the stage.
By 1992, Osbourne had been a touring musician for more than two decades. His time with Black Sabbath made him a heavy metal icon, and his solo career was booming. However, he had been misdiagnosed with multiple sclerosis. He had a wife and three kids at home that he wanted to spend time with before his condition deteriorated. So, he announced his retirement and a farewell tour.
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Black Sabbath was doing well, too. They had recently released Dehumanizer and Ronnie James Dio was on his second stint with the band. However, fans who came to Osbourne’s concert didn’t see him perform with the band. He reportedly thought his predecessor was a “clown” and refused to open for him. Fortunately, Judas Priest frontman and fellow metal icon Rob Halford was there to take his place.
Ozzy Osbourne Reunited With Black Sabbath
After Ozzy Osbourne finished his 12-song set, he returned for two encores. First, he and his band returned to the stage to perform “Mama, I’m Coming Home” and “Crazy Train.” Then, he returned to the stage with Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward to perform a handful of Black Sabbath classics.
They opened with “Black Sabbath” before launching into “Fairies Wear Boots,” “Iron Man,” and closing the night with “Paranoid.”
It would have been a fitting farewell for one of the godfathers of heavy metal. Fortunately, though, that wasn’t the case. Osbourne later learned that he did not, in fact, have MS. So, he started working again. He released Ozzmosis in 1995 and supported it with the Retirement Sucks Tour. Two years later, he kicked off the first Ozzfest Tour, which also featured the original Black Sabbath lineup.
Featured Image by Mick Hutson/Redferns
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