Geezer Butler, the bassist for Black Sabbath, recalls the special moment he and Ozzy Osbourne shared on stage just before he passed away, but he claims he wishes he had spent more time with him.
Having secured 57 years of friendship and a career that spanned decades, it’s no wonder the bassist of Black Sabbath jumped at the chance to perform in his hometown with his former bandmates including Ozzy Osbourne. But Geezer Butler has revealed that he was taken aback by the fragility of the lead singer when he turned up to rehearsals ahead of their hugely anticipated show.
And sadly, it was their last performance as a whole band following Ozzy’s passing earlier this month.
Geezer said in a first-person interview with The Times, “I wasn’t prepared to see how frail he was,” despite knowing that he wasn’t in good health. Two helpers and a nurse helped him into the rehearsal area, and he was using a cane because he was Ozzy and had a black, gold- and precious stone cane on it.
Ozzy remained much more subdued than in previous years, saying very little and sat in his chair when it was his turn to sing.
However, Black Sabbath continued to practice and play until a few weeks prior when they were ready to welcome their adoring fans and give them a performance to remember.
Ozzy and Geezer’s friendship extended beyond that which Geezer recalls, when his son was born with a heart defect, when he kept in touch with him every day to check on him and check how he was doing.
Black Sabbath had always given their audiences a group hug before playing a show in order to express their gratitude for their support and loyalty.
All of that however had changed with Ozzy’s inability to carry on with their customs in their final performance.
“And so to the final concert,” Geezer said. The finale of that show was the most bizarre. We would typically give the audience a bow and a hug each other. However, we didn’t consider that Ozzy was sitting on his throne.
What do we do, he continued? Tony waved his hand to me and gave him a cake, but it was such an odd feeling to end our story in that manner.
Geezer expressed regret over what would have been Ozzy’s final performance, saying that he still wished he had spent more time with his former flame backstage.
He continued, “Wishes are now redundant, but I wish I could have spent more time with Ozzy backstage.” As Ozzy once said, “Wish in one hand and sh** in the other, and see which comes first.”
Geezer said, “I am so privileged to have spent most of my life with him,” before closing his tribute to Ozzy. How can I sum up 57 incredible years of friendship in a few words, despite the fact that there are millions of things I could write about? It has been a wild ride, God bless, Oz! I adore you.
Just a few weeks after his performance at Villa Park, where 40, 000 of his fans were present, Ozzy passed away.
He had Parkinson’s disease and was 76 years old when his tragic death occurred.
He said, “I don’t know what to say, man, I’ve been laid up for like six years,” as he once said to the audience.
He continued, “Thank you from the bottom of my heart, you have no idea how I feel.”
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Source: Mirror
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