Ozzy Osbourne’s isolated vocals from Black Sabbath’s farewell show have surfaced, and they’re as gut-wrenching as you’d expect.
We’re all still recovering from Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath’s ‘Back To The Beginning’ show, closing the book on the band’s story.
Now, thanks to vocal coach and content creator Dimitris Barmpas, you can listen to the isolated audio from the event.
The concert saw original members Tony Iommi, Bill Ward, Geezer Butler and the Prince of Darkness himself return to the stage in Black Sabbath’s hometown for one last final performance. The event garnered a massive 40,000 in-person attendees and over 5 million viewers worldwide, according to The Guardian.
Several high-profile guests appeared on stage in support of Black Sabbath, including members from Lamb of God, Mastodon, Yungblud, Alice in Chains and more. The event managed to raise a staggering $190 million for for three major charities: Cure Parkinson’s, Birmingham Children’s Hospital, and Acorn Children’s Hospice. That tally alone makes it the most successful charity concert of all time.
Osbourne himself took to perform a five-song solo set at the concert. Despite the contagious excitement of hearing Black Sabbath perform ‘War Pigs’ one last time, the highlight from the event was seeing Ozzy perform his 1991 ballad ‘Mama I’m Coming Home’.
With the context of this being the final Black Sabbath performance and Ozzy’s history with Parkinson’s and other health issues, the song took on an entirely new meaning. Watching Ozzy in his chair, straining his voice to deliver the song, is enough to make any grown man cry.
Dimitris Barmpas shared a post to social media, isolating the Prince Of Darkness’ vocals from the screams of the crowd, instruments and backing tracks to give a stripped-back version of Ozzy’s performance on the night.
While it’s not the most technically impressive performance, I’d argue that’s not the point. Ozzy Osbourne’s performance here marks an entire career filled with controversy, ups and downs, and scandals, and at the end of it all, acceptance.
It’s a stellar performance from one of the best to have ever done it in music history, and the perfect finale for such a legend to go out on. God bless Black Sabbath, and God bless Ozzy Osbourne.