Lars Ulrich talks about Ozzy Osbourne and Sabbath’s final show

Metallica co-founder and drummer Lars Ulrich talked about Ozzy Osbourne’s death and Black Sabbath‘s final show, which took place at Villa Park in Birmingham last July. Metallica was the last band to perform before Ozzy took the stage to celebrate his solo career, followed by Sabbath’s final performance.

He told Howard Stern that everyone was nervous about whether Ozzy would be able to perform those songs, and when they saw he was doing great, everyone got excited.

Lars Ulrich talks about Ozzy Osbourne and Sabbath’s final show

I think there was a sense from all the musicians and fans of Black Sabbath, we were hoping for the best, we wanted it to be the best, we wanted it to be a grand slam, but we didn’t know, because ultimately none of us knew what kind of shape they were in. And then they started playing ‘War Pigs’, and I think instantly for all of us who were watching, it was just, like, ‘Okay, it’s gonna be fine. They sound great, if not better than ever.'”

“And then Ozzy came in singing. Everybody was just, like, ‘They’re gonna fucking kill it.’ Nobody walked away going, ‘That’s the last time we’ll see Ozzy.’ [We thought], ‘We’ll see him at some event, or we’ll be there to present another award for him.’ So when he passed two weeks later, we were all just so stunned. That was the word that was being texted around to everybody on the text chains that I was on: ‘This is just so fucking stunning.'”

“At the same time, he got to accomplish that concert that had been in him since before Covid. Maybe it was just the load off his shoulders that he got to accomplish what he wanted, and then maybe he just sort of let go. Who knows?” Lars Ulrich said (Transcribed by Blabbermouth).

Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne helped Metallica a lot during the early days, taking them on the road with the singer during the 1986 “Ultimate Sin” tour. Ozzy passed away last July 22 at the age of 76, a victim of cardiac arrest, after years dealing with Parkinson’s disease and other health issues.