Ozzy, we bow to you!
What charisma. What showmanship. What energy. The 65-year-old, with antics and expletives and all, was a sight to behold on Thursday night as Black Sabbath rocked Abu Dhabi’s du Arena.
It was hot and humid but none complained as thousands of rock fans waited for the heavy metal pioneers to appear following a spirited warm-up by local act Anuryzm.
Just before the clock struck 9.30pm, a voice behind the Sabbath curtain said, “I can hear you” and went into a sinister laugh. The crowd screamed, “Ozzy, Ozzy”. The curtains opened up to the sound of sirens, sending fans into a tizzy, and in the blink of an eye, the legends — Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler — stood before us. Behind them, tour drummer, and youngest member of the band, Tommy Clufetos pounded the skin as the band took off with War Pigs, a classic from their second album Paranoid.
As Ozzy sang the first line ‘Generals gathered in their masses’, the crowd went: ‘Just like witches at black masses’. Then he went: ‘Evil minds that plot destruction’. And the crowd was: ‘Sorcerers of death’s construction’. That was it. Ozzy was on already familiar territory although it was his first gig in the Middle East. From there on, there was no looking back as the band unleashed a metal thunder unlike any other we have seen in the UAE.
After War Pigs, the band went on to play a selection of anthemic tracks such as Into The Void, Snowblind, Black Sabbath, N.I.B., Fairies Wear Boots, Rat Salad, Iron Man, Dirty Women, Children of The Grave, Age of Reason, End of the Beginning and tracks from their 2013 album, 13, in support of which the band are on a world tour.
As the night grew hot and sultry, the tempo on stage grew even hotter with Ozzy entertaining fans with his signature gestures and facial expressions while doddering across the stage in stilted steps. Ozzy may not be able to hit the high notes these days but that’s hardly a concern — he is too unique a showman.
After every song, he would shout out: “How you doin? … I can’t hear you!... God bless you… We love you.” And the crowd would roar back in approval.
Meanwhile, both Iommi (guitar), 66, and Butler (bass), 64, were rock solid, complementing each other as they churned out heavy metal monster riffs, now associated with Sabbath, while Clufetos, 34, rose to the challenge behind the drums, matching the veterans beat by beat. The American got his moment of glory with a seven-minute power-packed solo that literally shook the ground much to the excitement of headbangers.
Iommi’s playing was precise and melodic, and his burning solos and guitar riffs were undoubtedly taut. With plastic tips attached to the middle and ring finger of his playing hand (he lost the tips in an industrial accident), the left-handed guitarist played like he had six fingers.
Geezer looked the coolest in the set-up. Upright and fit as a fiddle, the bassist was a picture of extreme confidence as he went through the pacy, complex riffs with great ease. His scorching bass solo leading to the song N.I.B. will perhaps put many young players to shame.
As anticipated, Sabbath saved the best for the last. The encore was indisputably their most famous song — the 70s chartbuster Paranoid, and the entire venue sang with Ozzy.
“God bless. We love you. Reach home safely,” was Ozzy’s parting words.
Those who came to the show should surely consider themselves lucky as this could well be the last time they saw Sabbath perform live. The band reportedly plan to stop playing live after the 13 tour ends in July at the Summer Festival in London’s Hyde Park, partly owing to Iommi’s battle with lymphoma.
“Ozzy was fabulous. I’ve been listening to them since I was a teen. I’m glad I came,” said Graham, 51, from Durham, UK.
“I started preparing for the gig from morning itself. I had a replica of an old ad put by Ozzy Osbourne back in the 60s when he was looking for work. It read: Ozzy zig needs a gig. I went to Virgin Megastore and got them to print it on my T-shirt so I could wear it for the show,” said James, 55, from Portsmouth, UK.
“It was my baptism into heavy metal,” said Dubai-resident and guitar enthusiast Siddharth Singh, 32, from Delhi, India, while Assad, 24, from Pakistan said it was the best rock he’s been to in the UAE.
“A Sabbath gig is something every rock fan should put on his bucket list,” he said.
