The tool’s frontman Maynard James Keenan has expressed an air of concern about what to expect from Ozzy Osbourne’s last performance in July.
Keenan and his tool bandmates are one of the many actions scheduled to appear at the back of the starting concert taking place in Birmingham, England on July 5. The event will include names like Osbourne’s own Black Sabbath, which performs their last ever show, while actions, while actions go in Metallica, Slayer, Anthrax, Alice in Chains and Myriad Agre to Bill.
While Osbourne has not performed a complete set since December 31, 2018 – two months before his diagnosis of Parkinson’s – he has previously tempered expectations of the upcoming concert and notes that he does not “plan to make a set of black sabbath,” but rather “small bits and pieces” with the group. “I do what I can, where I am well,” he explained.
Despite this, Osbourne fans only told last week that he has taken on “endurance training” prior to performance in an attempt to “wake up” his body after years spent recovering from several operations. “I haven’t done anything for this will be seven years, and that’s why I’ve been through all this operation,” he explained. “It’s really like starting from scratch.”
While Osbourne was introduced in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in October 2024 as a solo artist (he was previously introduced as a member of Black Sabbath in 2006), Keenan was ready to like Wolfgang van Halen, Billy Idol and Jelly Roll to perform a tribute to honor his legacy.
Talking to Loudwire Nights Podcast recently noted Keenan that his experience with Osbourne at the induction ceremony has left him uncertain what he could expect at the July event.
“I think for me to see Ozzy move around on [the Rock Hall ceremony]the idea that he is playing a show at all if we are honest was the conversation to go to the song like, ‘we get this conversation but ahh … I don’t know [concert] will happen, ‘”Keenan told the podcast ..
“And even now I’m careful to say, ‘yes! Everything in, he wants to do it.’ Because man, I do not know what kind of modern miracles we will come on to get him on stage to make the songs, but this becomes a challenge for them.
Keenan closed by noting that he feels privileged to be included in the upcoming event, even though he added that he “prepares for the worst, but hopes for the best.”
Rage against machineist Tom Morello will be the musical director of the show, which marks Osbourne’s first time on stage since a short 2022 set at the NFL kickoff in Los Angeles; His last full show was in December 2018 at the forum in LA as part of his No More Tours 2 outing.
Other actions intended to appear on the last Sabbath blowing includes: Halstorm, Gojira, as well as appearances by smashing pumpkin -leader Billy Corgan, Guns N ‘Roses’ Duff McKagan and Slash, Wolfgang van Halen, Limp Bizkit’s Fred Durst, Lzzy Hale Davis, Sammy Hagar and Måre.