Here's the Springsteen connection to the Ozzy Osbourne, Black Sabbath farewell concert
While Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band were wrapping up their historic Land of Hope and Dream Tour in Italy on July 3, a part-time member of the E Street Band was preparing to make music history in Birmingham, England,
Springsteen collaborator Tom Morello was the musical director for Back to the Beginning, the Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath farewell concert that also featured Guns N’ Roses, Slayer, Tool, Pantera, Gojira, Halestorm, Alice In Chains, Lamb of God, Anthrax and more.
“The goal from day one was very, very simple — to make it the greatest day, the most important day in the history of heavy metal music,” said Morello to Billboard prior to the show.
AdvertisementAdvertisement#«R14ekkr8lb2m7nfddbH1» iframe AdvertisementAdvertisement#«R24ekkr8lb2m7nfddbH1» iframeOsbourne, following a set with his solo band, was joined by fellow Black Sabbath members Tony Iommi, guitar; Geezer Butler, bass; and Bill Ward, drums, to play “War Pigs,” “Iron Man,” “N.I.B.” and “Paranoid” to close the show.
Osbourne, 76, has been battling Parkinson’s disease and emphysema, and performed the show seated on a throne. The concert, which took place on July 5, was live-streamed, and proceeds are intended for Cure Parkinson’s, the Birmingham Children’s Hospital, and Acorns Children’s Hospice.
Morello, an Illinois native, played with a supergroup that included Billy Corgan, Sammy Hagar, Steve Tyler, Ronnie Wood and more at the Osbourne farewell. Morello, formerly of Rage Against the Machine, played on Springsteen's 2012 album “Wrecking Ball,” and subbed for Little Steven Van Zandt when he missed 2013 shows in Australia due to acting commitments.
Bruce Springsteen shown in 2014 performing with Rage Against the Machine's Tom Morello.Morello, along with Smokey Robinson, John Fogerty, Emmylou Harris and Joe Ely, were bestowed American Music Honors by the Bruce Springsteen Archives and Center for American Music on April 26 at the Pollak Theater on the campus of Monmouth University in West Long Branch.
AdvertisementAdvertisement#«R1aekkr8lb2m7nfddbH1» iframe AdvertisementAdvertisement#«R2aekkr8lb2m7nfddbH1» iframeThe event also included performances by the recipients and Springsteen, Patti Scialfa, Van Zandt, Nils Lofgren, Jackson Browne, Darlene Love and more.
Springsteen and Steel Mill, the precursor to the E Street Band, opened for Black Sabbath at their Nov. 27, 1970 show at the Sunshine Inn in Asbury Park. Cactus was also on the bill.
The Back to the Beginning show had another Jersey connection: Osbourne's solo band features Jackson native Zakk Wylde on guitar.
“THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME — LOVE YOU OZ, ZAKK, XOXO,” posted Wylde on social media.
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AdvertisementAdvertisement#«R1hekkr8lb2m7nfddbH1» iframe AdvertisementAdvertisement#«R2hekkr8lb2m7nfddbH1» iframeChris Jordan, a Jersey Shore native, covers entertainment and features for the USA Today Network New Jersey. Contact him at [email protected]
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Ozzy Osbourne farewell concert has Bruce Springsteen connection
