“It really is like starting from scratch”: Ozzy Osbourne is doing “endurance training” ahead of final Black Sabbath show

Ozzy Osbourne is physically training in preparation for his final show.

The Prince Of Darkness will grace the stage for the last time, both as a solo performer and with his pioneering heavy metal band Black Sabbath, at Villa Park in his hometown of Birmingham on July 5.

Talking with his friend and Billy Idol guitar player Billy Morrison on SiriusXM, Osbourne says he’s doing “heavy training” for the swansong show. He adds that returning to the stage after the multiple surgeries he’s had in recent years “really is like starting from scratch”.

When Morrison asks about his regimen, the singer explains: “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 and weight training. I’m going and going, you know?”

He continues: “I’m waking up in my body, you know? I mean, three minutes to you, for instance, is nothing, but I’ve been laying on my back recovering from umpteen surgeries.”

Black Sabbath embarked on a farewell tour from 2016 to 2017 and Osbourne’s last full-length solo set was at Ozzfest at The Forum in Inglewood, California, on December 31, 2018.

In early 2019, the frontman was hospitalised with complications from the flu and postponed the remaining dates of his No More Tours II run. He later cancelled the tour outright after falling in his Los Angeles home. It was revealed in 2020 that Osbourne had also been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.

In 2023, Osbourne retired from touring, but his wife/manager Sharon announced plans for a farewell Birmingham gig as early as January 2024. The event, Back To The Beginning, was confirmed this February. It will mark the first time the original Sabbath lineup – Ozzy, Tony Iommi, Bill Ward and Geezer Butler – have shared the stage since 2005.

The Back To The Beginning bill will be rounded out by a who’s-who of heavy metal. Metallica, Guns N’ Roses, Slayer, Anthrax, Gojira and many others will perform. There will also be a ‘supergroup’ composed of Billy Corgan (The Smashing Pumpkins), Fred Durst (Limp Bizkit), Papa V Perpetua (Ghost) and many others. Tom Morello (Rage Against The Machine) is acting as the event’s musical director and famed actor Jason Momoa will host.

In February, Ozzy revealed that he’s not doing a full set with Sabbath and will instead perform “bits and pieces” with his bandmates. “I am trying to get back on my feet,” he said. “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.”

Louder’s resident Gojira obsessive was still at uni when he joined the team in 2017. Since then, Matt’s become a regular in Prog and Metal Hammer, at his happiest when interviewing the most forward-thinking artists heavy music can muster. He’s got bylines in The Guardian, The Telegraph, NME, Guitar and many others, too. When he’s not writing, you’ll probably find him skydiving, scuba diving or coasteering.