Having been a performer for years, I feel that I have a unique insight on what goes on in a singer’s mind as they go through their show. The Ozzy Osbourne show on November 16th at the Saddledome left me completely clueless from beginning to end. The man is still crazy after more than 40 years of performing. One thing was very clear though: he still loves doing these shows, and enjoys taking his crowds along for the ride.
The 62 year old Ozzy seemed like a child as he made his way around the stage, singing the songs that made him famous and enticing the audience to clap and sing along. A lot of people say that Ozzy has just become a caricature of himself over the years, but from what I saw at the show he is only having as much fun as he can, doing what makes him happy. He almost seems to be playing, rather than just working. A lot of times you will see someone perform and they are obviously going through the motions, but not Ozzy. He certainly had a blast every time he sprayed the kids in the front row with the foam gun that he had onstage. Of course after he sprays the audience he always sprays himself.
Ozzy and his young band played for almost 2 full hours to the near-capacity crowd at the Scotiabank Saddledome. The Ozz Man thrilled the audience with songs that spanned his entire career, from Black Sabbath classics like Warpigs and i>Paranoid to the quinitessential Ozzy tunes like Mr. Crowley, Crazy Train and Mama I'm Coming Home. Even some of the newer songs from his most recent album "Scream" made the line-up.
One of the things that really impressed me was the band that played with Ozzy. Of course none of them are original members of the group, but all of them seemed to share Ozzy's love of the music. Gus G was incredible on lead guitar, nailing licks made famous by the likes of Randy Rhodes and giving an ear blistering solo that showed his own style and originality. Tommy Cluketos played the skins impeccably, and Rob Nicholson was a standout on the bass. Meanwhile keeping everything going in the background was the amazing keyboardist and rhythm guitar man, Adam Wakeman.
I love the mix of people that you see at a concert like this. You have people like myself, young professionals that loved the music in high school and are there as a tribute to our youth. You see families and teens that may only be discovering Ozzy and his brand of crazy metal. There are the hardcore metal fans that never miss a concert, mixed in with the first timers that just love a great show.
Opening up for Ozzy this time around was Halford, a heavy metal band whose singer is none other than legendary Judas Priest frontman, Rob Halford. His 45 minute opening set was a tribute to a career that has also spanned 40 years. Halford can still scream out the songs after all this time, and he truly got the crowd into the metal mood. Although I found a lot of their music a bit heavier then I usually like my metal, you couldn't help but enjoy the pounding bass lines and screaming guitar.
All in all, it was a great show. Sure Ozzy is getting older and his vocals aren't 100% all the time, but his passion for the music is still strong. I have had the opportunity to see quite a few shows over the past year, and I have to say that thanks to Ozzy's onstage antics and love of what he does, I enjoyed this one the most.