Earlier this year, Ozzy Osbourne canceled his oft-delayed touring plans with Judas Priest while bemoaning the fact that his body still remained physically weak from a recent surgery. In the process of delivering the message, he commented, “Never would I have imagined that my touring days would end this way,” while also suggesting that he was looking into ways to perform without the grind of touring from city to city. Now, speaking on SiriusXM’s Ozzy’s Boneyard, the Prince of Darkness offered an update on his touring status, while revealing that he wasn’t exactly happy with how his comments about touring were portrayed in the press.
When asked by host Billy Morrison where he stands with touring, Osbourne explained, “Well, I’ve been working my guts out to try and get back on my feet. I’ve come to the point where Sharon says to me, ‘You know what, the truth of the marriage, you can’t keep booking tours and failing, cancelling.’ So if I can ever get back to where I can tour again, fine. But right now, if you said to me, ‘Can you go on the road in a month?,’ I couldn’t say yes.”
The singer adds, “If I could tour, I’d tour. But right now I can’t book tours because right now, I don’t think I could pull them off.” He later revealed that he’s “still in constant pain,” while adding that he’s doing his best to stay away from the pain medication.
That said, Osbourne isn’t ruling out a return to the stage should his health improve. And he wasn’t exactly happy with some of the reporting suggesting that he was hanging it up. “This fucking press drive you nuts,” explained Osbourne. “I mean, I looked in the magazine, ‘Ozzy’s on his last legs,’ I’m fucking not dying. Come on, guys. Haven’t I’ve had it bad enough already? If I get okay today. If the doctor said to me today, ‘Oh, you can tour,’ it would take another six months to get it together, you know? You’ve got no idea. You got no idea what my, I feel like a one-legged man in a butt kicking contest.”
The singer continued, “The only thing I’ve got that keeps me going is making records. But I can’t do that forever. I gotta get out there.” When Morrison suggested residencies as a way to perform, Osbourne countered, “The Vegas thing’s okay, but …”
Later in the interview, Osbourne was asked about his recent Grammy wins, but his thoughts once again turned to touring. “I’m not saying I don’t like ’em, but I wish I could tour to back it up,” stated the singer. “‘Cause I’m sitting at home, I’m getting these awards and okay. I don’t mind it. It cheers me up a little bit for a few days.”
Osbourne won Best Metal Performance for “Degradation Trip” with Tony Iommi and Best Rock Album for Patient Number 9 at the 2023 Grammy Awards earlier this month.
Ozzy Osbourne Speaks About His Touring Status on SiriusXM’s Ozzy’s Boneyard
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