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Ozzy Osbourne Cancels UK/Euro Dates Over Spine Injury
Ozzy Osbourne has been forced to cancel his UK and European arena tour scheduled for May. In a heartfelt statement to fans, he explained why. He even suggested his touring days have come to an end.
Statement from Ozzy Osbourne:
“This is probably one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to share with my loyal fans. As you may all know, four years ago, this month, I had a major accident, where I damaged my spine.
“My one and only purpose during this time has been to get back on stage. My singing voice is fine. However, after three operations, stem cell treatments, endless physical therapy sessions, and most recently groundbreaking Cybernics (HAL) Treatment, my body is still physically weak.
“I am honestly humbled by the way you’ve all patiently held onto your tickets for all this time, but in all good conscience, I have now come to the realization that I’m not physically capable of doing my upcoming European/UK tour dates, as I know I couldn’t deal with the travel required. Believe me when I say that the thought of disappointing my fans really FUCKS ME UP, more than you will ever know.
“Never would I have imagined that my touring days would have ended this way. My team is currently coming up with ideas for where I will be able to perform without having to travel from city to city and country to country.
“I want to thank my family……my band…….my crew……my longtime friends, Judas Priest, and of course, my fans for their endless dedication, loyalty, and support, and for giving me the life that I never ever dreamed I would have.
I love you all…”
Tickets will be refunded at the point of purchase.
The Euro and UK dates were part of Osbourne’s “No More Tours 2” trek, which got postponed several times for various reasons, mainly because the 74-year old has been hit with a couple of setbacks to his health over the past years.
See: Ozzy Osbourne Postpones European Tour Once More, Citing Recovery From Surgery
In 2019, the former Black Sabbath frontman underwent surgery after falling in his Los Angeles home and aggravating injuries from a 2003 ATV accident. That incident caused him to postpone all of his 2019 tour dates to 2020, just months after pushing back U.K. and European dates because of a severe upper-respiratory infection that turned into pneumonia.
At the start of 2020, the four-time Grammy winner announced that he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, subsequently announcing the cancelation of all his 2020 live dates in order to seek treatment.
In August of 2022, Osbourne made a surprise appearance during the closing ceremony of the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham alongside Black Sabbath bandmate Tony Iommi, marking Osbourne’s first live appearance in nearly three years.
He also performed during half-time of the 2022 NFL season opening game between the Buffalo Bills and the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium in September that year.
“No More Tours 2” began in April 2018. Reports of the arena run submitted to Pollstar’s Boxoffice show many sell outs with several grossing almost or mora than $1 million. Examples include the Sept. 28, 2018 performance at The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in The Woodlands, TX (15,548 tickets, $937,095 gross), Sept. 8 at Northwell Health At Jones Beach Theater in Wantagh, NY (13,346 tickets, $1,509,205 gross), or the Sept. 4 show at the Budweiser Stage in Toronto, ON (15,355 tickets, $962,485 gross).
Pollstar’s last box office report from Osbourne is the last iteration of Ozzfest in 2018, which sold 12,465 tickets at the Forum in LA, grossing $1.2 million.