Ozzy Osbourne @ Acer Arena(18/3/08)

Tue 25th Mar, 2008 in Gig Reviews

Check out all the Ozzy Osbourne photos HERE.

After an 11-year absence Ozzy Osbourne made his way down under, joined by Sevendust in their support slot.

Originating from Atlanta, Georgia, Sevendust were touring on the strength of their 2007 release Alpha. Vocalist Lojon Witherspoon governed onstage and his vocal output sounded very Living Color. Guitarists Sonny Mayo and John Connolly followed closely, showing some stylish handiwork on Prodigal Son and Inside.

The lead up to Ozzy Osbourne’s show was a witty spoof on various TV shows and films including The Pirates of the Caribbean and The Sopranos. Once the veil dropped, the Prince of Darkness exploded with intro number I Don’t Wanna Stop. Although not filled to capacity, the attendance was plentiful, and there were a great deal of young fans too young to be up so late on a Tuesday night. This reflected how Ozzy had diversified from a “one-time has been” to a television superstar, courtesy of TV sitcom The Osbournes. Songs such as Bark At The Moon and Suicide Solution would be alien to such young ears. In Ozzy’s other life, he was infamous for bat and dove head-biting, not to mention facing lawsuits over Suicide Solutions’ supposed subliminal lyrics and hemi sync tones, that were at the centre of a youth suicide in 1984.

Ozzy’s right hand man Zakk Wylde had visited our shores last year with his band Black Label Society. Starting out with Ozzy as a juvenile guitar prodigy, there was no better-suited candidate to fill in for Randy Rhodes after his untimely death. Wylde resembled Thor, God of Thunder as he strutted onstage during his distortion-laden guitar solo, dropping to his knees and pounding on his chest in ritualistic style. Nonetheless, numbers such as Mr. Crowley made famous by Rhodes’ dynamic riffs seemed a breeze for Wylde. The camaraderie onstage was extended to other band members, such as former Faith No More drummer Mike – œPuffy’ Bordin, who beat the drums with great zeal and fury.

Wylde was at ease changing his guitars multiple times to show off his Signature Epiphone series, as Ozzy belted out Black Sabbath classics War Pigs and Paranoid. Ozzy was comical – throwing buckets of water on an ongoing basis at the audience to tease them. The 59-year-old could not keep up physically with Wylde, and resorted to bopping and swaying onstage – yet his voice did not wane.