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In May, Osbourne revealed that he would “jump at the chance” to play a final concert with Ward. Speaking on an episode of his podcast The Madhouse Chronicles, the singer reflected on the climactic show at the Birmingham Arena in 2017, saying he was “sad” that Ward was not there.
Bassist Butler then said later that month that he and Osbourne had “agreed” to play one last concert. It came after the Prince Of Darkness’ wife and manager, Sharon, said Ozzy was planning “two more shows to say goodbye” before he fully retires.
“Of course there’s an interest [on my part to do it], but there’s a big ‘but’ — you’d have to speak to Bill [Ward] about it. Everybody wants to do it [but I don’t know if he is] capable [of pulling it off],” he said.
The provisional shows would likely take place at Villa Park, the home of Butler and Osbourne’s beloved Aston Villa. “I’m definitely up for it, to finish the whole thing off,” Butler added. “Me and Ozzy have agreed, but I’m not sure about anybody else.”
Butler later commented in June that Osbourne “desperately wants” to play the final show, while guitarist Iommi has also expressed interest, saying it would be “a nice thing to do, but whether it happens will be another thing”.
In November, Ozzy said he might have to “accept the fact” that a live comeback may not be possible due to his ongoing health issues, including Parkinson’s disease and recovery from multiple surgeries.
“I’m taking it one day at a time, and if I can perform again, I will,” he told Rolling Stone UK at the time. “But it’s been like saying farewell to the best relationship of my life.
In January, Ozzy said he was going through a “slow recovery” process after his final operation.