In the days leading up to the Ozzy Osbourne concert I wondered which Ozzy I would see - the hapless old man you seem to see everywhere or the dynamic frontman I grew up with. Turns out I got to see both during his recent show. The majority of the time he was the Ozzy of old, using the same lines that he’s relied on for the past 30+ years, telling the crowd to go crazy and how much he loved everyone. There were a few times though where he showed his age and it looked like someone’s grandfather up on stage, bent over and tired.
The set list relied heavily on earlier material with a large selection of songs from Blizzard of Ozz and his days with Black Sabbath. There were a few suprises like “Shot in the Dark” and “Faries Wear Boots” which were a nice departure from his usual setlist. Overall the vocals sounded good and Ozzy seemed really into performing. I’ve admittedly lost my interest in Ozzy since his reality show hit but seeing this show reminded me of why I was a fan in the first place.
The backing back was solid but didn’t blow me away as I had hoped. I keep hearing a lot of good things about guitarist Gus G but I keep getting the feeling that between his playing on Scream and in concert that he’s being held back and not given a chance to show his talent. The low point of the show was the guitar solo and drum solo, both of which were way too long. While both musicans proved their ability with their respective instruments, I got bored with each less than a minute into it.
Slash’s solo band opened the show. Having Slash on the bill was the deciding factor in my going to the concert but for some reason their performance didn’t connect with me. I’ve heard so many good things about their show at Harrah’s Voodoo Lounge earlier this year and I’m wondering if their show isn’t better suited for smaller venues instead of large arenas. They hit the stage ten minutes before the posted show time and played for an hour with a nice setlist with a mix of songs from his solo album, Velvet Revolver, and Guns ‘n’ Roses. I would definately like to see them again in a more intimate venue to see if there’s any difference.