BIRMINGHAM, England (AP) — It’s easy to assume that all famous musicians know each other, but until Saturday’s “Back to the Beginning” final show honoring Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath, the Prince of Darkness had never met Guns N’ Roses singer Axl Rose. Despite both men being hard rock royalty, their paths had never previously crossed.
Now they have met, and Osbourne has described Rose as an “utter gentleman” and friend. Alongside a backstage photo in which a seated Osbourne reaches out to shake Rose’s hand, Osbourne, 76, wrote, “My first time meeting Axl Rose. At my age, you don’t get to meet many legends, seriously an utter gentleman.”
Osbourne later shared a photo of himself smiling with Rose and GNR guitarist Slash in his dressing room, captioned “Guns N’ Darkness.”
Rose expressed his excitement about the event in a post on X, saying, “Wow!! What an EVENT. Extremely overwhelming!! Really great crowd!! Was very emotional for everyone!! MET OZZY!!” He noted it was great to meet Sabbath and shared appreciation for Osbourne’s resilience in overcoming personal challenges.
Rose added, “It was great to meet Ozzy’s family and see friends and peers in all the bands,” thanking Osbourne, Sharon, Black Sabbath, and the fans for the experience.
Guns N’ Roses performed four Sabbath songs—”It’s Alright,” “Never Say Die,” “Junior’s Eyes,” and “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath”—alongside their own hits “Welcome to the Jungle” and “Paradise City.” The event at Villa Park in Birmingham, Sabbath’s hometown, featured performances by Metallica, Slayer, Alice in Chains, Anthrax, Tool, and Steven Tyler of Aerosmith, with musical direction by Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello.
Osbourne, who has faced health challenges, including surgeries and a Parkinson’s diagnosis, performed four Sabbath classics—”War Pigs,” “Iron Man,” “N.I.B.,” and “Paranoid”—along with solo tracks “I Don’t Know,” “Mr. Crowley,” “Suicide Solution,” “Crazy Train,” and “Mama, I’m Coming Home.”
According to The Guardian, in addition to the 40,000-plus attendees at the venue, more than five million fans streamed the event worldwide on a two-hour delay.
