Monday, January 17, 2011

Does Anybody Know The Words To Paranoid?



I've been going to concerts since 1973 when I tagged along with buddies to go to the Pershing Auditorium in Lincoln, Nebraska to see Deep Purple. But I've never seen the self proclaimed Prince of Darkness. Until last night. Oh Lord In Heaven, thank you for inventing Ozzy Osbourne and busting the mold.

Max and Max's Dad trudged off to see the 62 year old legend continue his Scream tour. I had no idea what to expect. The doddering old wastoid hollering for Sharon, or the fucking Prince of Darkness. What you get is both. Ozzy staggers around stage like a demented, arthritic codger. But then you realize from old videos from 30 years ago, Ozzy staggered around stage like a demented, arthritic codger when he was 30. So not much has changed. Ozzy is Ozzy. He is a riot.

Headbanging 50 plus year olds (I plead guilty) throwing the devil horns in the air as Ozzy drops F bombs in nearly every sentence and cranks out the classics like Bark At The Moon, I Don't Know and my personal fave, Mister Crowwwwwwwwwwwwwwley were all in attendance as well as 14 year olds trainees like Max. God, was this good stuff.

When Ozzy started hosing down the front rows with white foam from a fire hose I couldn't stop thinking this guy is nuts and loving every second of it. He did this 3 or 4 times always ending by shooting white foam in his own face and hair. Then some guy whose job it is to wipe off the teleprompter would slither out and make sure Ozzy could remember the words and where the hell he was.

Slash opened the show playing his solo stuff and throwing in some GNR. Now I hate GNR with a passion, but after Slash's set I am now convinced Slash just needs to stop hanging out with whack job lead singers like Ax'l & Scott Weiland. He was great also.

Ozzy is a national, no, a world treasure. He is one of a kind. The rest are mere serfs to The Prince. Long may you live, Ozzy.

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