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Ozzy Osbourne Announces ‘Farewell’ Tour Taking Him Into 2020
Ozzy Osbourne has announced that his upcoming solo world tour will be his last, with dates – including a North American headline run to be announced – expected into 2020 and kicking off in Mexico in May.
Balazs Mohai / MTI via AP – Ozzy Osbourne
Budapestarena, Budapest, Hungary
“People keep asking me when I’m retiring,” Ozzy said in a statement. “This will be my final world tour, but I can’t say I won’t do some shows here and there.” This tour comes after five decades and more than 2,500 shows for Osbourne, who was frontman for Black Sabbath, which formed in 1968.
Following the Mexico date, Ozzy will head to South America for solo shows in three countries, followed by a European leg of headlining dates as well as festival appearances launching June 1 in Moscow.
A North American headline run, produced by Live Nation, will be announced in 2018, according to the statement. However, the dates will include guitarist Zakk Wylde, Blasko on bass, Tommy Clufetos on drums and Adam Wakeman on keyboards.
Ozzy, 68, has been a fixture on the road since the early Black Sabbath days, when the band wrote the book on modern heavy metal. His solo career in the ’80s also was largely successful and introduced the world to guitarist Randy Rhoads.
Ozzy has hinted at retirement before, even naming his 1992 tour “The No More Tours” tour before coming back with the 1995 “Retirement Sucks” tour.
Ozzfest has become an institution of its own, with star-studded metal lineups playing all over the world.
In 2007 Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne announced at Pollstar Live! that that year’s Ozzfest would be free of charge to fans.
The 2016 Ozzfest Meets Knotfest event, featuring Black Sabbath, Disturbed, Megadeth, Opeth and Black Label Society, reported 27,496 tickets sold at Glen Helen Amphitheater in San Bernardino Sept. 24.
Black Sabbath recently wrapped its own farewell tour, “The End Tour” which ran from January 2016 into February of 2017, where the Birmingham-based metal gods ended its tour with two dates – Feb. 2 and Feb. 4 at Genting Arena. According to Pollstar data, those dates moved 26,836 tickets and grossed $2.54 million.
For 2016’s Year End charts, Black Sabbath moved 956,139 tickets, with an average gross of $1.15 million. That put them at No. 15 on Pollstar’s 2016 Year End Top 100 Worldwide Tours feature.
In 2012, Black Sabbath guitarist and founder Tony Iommi was diagnosed with the early stages of lymphoma. He recently told Loudwire that he has to take a rest from heavy touring. Although in remission he said it’s likely his cancer will come back.
Dates announced, with many venues TBA, include Mexico City May 5, Buenos Aires May 11, four dates in Brazil (May 13-20), Sweden Rock festival June 8, Download in the UK June 10, Download Paris June 15, and Altice Arena in Portugal July 2.