A couple of weeks ago, the Osbourne family welcomed some of the biggest rockstars in the world and some ardent fans for a celebratory event to watch a preview of the new Back to the Beginning film (just released in theaters this week). It had the most talent gathered in one room since perhaps the Birmingham concert itself.
In addition to Jack, Amy and Sharon Osbourne (no Kelly), attendees included Black Sabbath's Geezer Butler and Bill Ward, plus many of the other musicians also seen in the film: Metallica's Robert Trujillo, Tool's Danny Carey, Quiet Riot's Rudy Sarzo, Guns N' Roses' Slash, Megadeath's David Ellefson, Halestorm's Lzzy, Anthrax's Scott Ian and a whole lot more. We also bumped into Travis Barker and wifey Kourtney Kardashian in the hallway on the way to our seats, and another former reality star, Gene Simmons—surprisingly. We'd guessed that the mystery band that Sharon had removed from the farewell charity concert (because, as she'd shared on her podcast, they demanded payment) might be KISS, but now not so sure. Reddit has lots of theories, but our second guess is Motley Crue, due to their money-minded ways and faux retirement, but we may never know. She's yet to spill the beans on who it was.
Iron Man
In any case, it was an emotional evening and the movie will be an emo experience for fans. When we reviewed the livestream for The Hollywood Reporter we found ourselves verklempt every time the camera panned over to a teary-eyed fan in the crowd (there were many) and Ozzy Osbourne was still alive at the time. Having streamed all 10 hours at home, we wondered how the film might condense it into about 100 minutes. Would anyone be left out? The answer is no. Director Ben Wainwright-Pearce has stated that Sharon insisted every single person who performed at the event be included in the final feature film. Truly, every band killed it.
Not surprisingly, the most-buzzed about set marked the middle of film: Yungblud's gorgeous cover of "Changes." We remembered it as being a more poppy, pitch-perfect cover, but seeing it again, it had some edge that was actually cooler. It was about emotion and reverence and it got the crowd more involved than maybe any other moment. It deserved the acclaim and solidified the British singer's rock cred at a time when he was getting a lot of flack. We've actually loved the guy since the COVID era when he covered David Bowie's "Life on Mars" for Mike Garson's virtual “A Bowie Celebration: Just for One Day!” streaming event. See it here if you missed it.
Sabbath Bloody Sabbath
It was a bit surreal to watch the film in the VIP balcony at the Orpheum, sitting amidst rock royalty as they saw themselves on the big screen and fans chanted "Ozzy! Ozzy!" in the seats below— before, during and after the film. Heads banged throughout, and sadly one of the heads was our own as we slipped down the theatre's steep staircase at one point and bumped our lip on a rail causing it to bleed. Very Ozzy circa '82. Thanks to the fellow known as Metal DJ Will for his help as we struggled to find balance in the dark room.
After the screening we joined guests for a fun after-fete, complete with sweets and snacks including Sabbath- branded purple M&Ms. The color purple was prominent all night in fact, with a purple carpet at the entry, clearly a nod to the iconic Master of Reality cover. Chatting with bigwig manager Andy Gould (White Zombie, Primus, Guns N' Roses) and PR legend Mitch Schneider as they reminisced about Ozzy, we were treated to some amusing tales and jokes. Gould—who's working with uproarious tribute band Yachtly Crew these days (in LA, see them at the Wiltern on Dec. 11)— and Ozzy would often trade some very off-color barbs, which we won't share here. But the big laughs were cathartic after the tears we had seeing the movie with the departed icon's friends and family.
All aboard—Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!
Schneider (who also worked with Bowie and shared some amazing stories about that) told us about his work with the Prince of Darkness in 1987, when he was brought in to handle press for Ozzy and the Ozzy/Randy ‘Tribute’ album.
"Sitting in the lounge at LAX and heading to NYC for interviews, Ozzy slyly treated me to his lovably outrageous humor," he recalled. "Since I was new to the team, I asked him about the famous 1981 incident—when he drunkenly bit the head of a dove off at Epic Records—and how he wanted me to respond to the press if I was asked about it. Ozzy immediately changed the topic and said he absolutely loved living in California, being healthy, and regularly having colonics. I’m thinking to myself, “Hmm…not sure where this is going.” Ozzy saw my puzzled look and matter-of-factly said, ‘The last colonic I had was so good, the beak came out.’ And just like that, Ozzy welcomed me to the team.” Check out Schneider's column called Vegas Mixtape for Vegas 411 for more stories, focused in Sin City.
(Carpet photos by Stephanie Cabral)
Just a Dreamer
Clearly, anyone who knew Ozzy loved him. And even those of who didn't felt like we did. Having covered several Ozzfests over the years, we feel so grateful to have seen him in his prime. And even when he wasn't at 100% health-wise, he always gave it his all. You felt it, just as you feel it watching this rockin' music movie. Of course, he would have probably loved to not be in a chair for the performance, but it gave him the regal setting he deserved, adding poignancy to the sets and a reminder of his resiliency. There was even a replica of the bat-adorned throne at the event for photo ops, which was a nice touch. If Ozzfest is really coming back soon, we're betting you'll see it there.
The concert film is a wonderful way to celebrate Ozzy and Black Sabbath's legacy, and we recommend seeing in a theater if you can. Click here to see where it's playing near you. Presented in Dolby Atmos, as well as Dolby 2.1 and 5.1, the concert film will also be available for home viewing in several formats including a 2-disc Blu-ray and CD edition, 2LP vinyl and 2-disc Blu-ray collection with exclusive limited-edition coloured vinyl variants (grey splatter vinyl available at Ozzy’s online store, purple splatter vinyl available at the Black Sabbath online store and metallic vinyl at record shops), along with a digital album. There's also a Deluxe Box Set and a soundtrack released by Mercury Studios. Check out some images from the film below.
More info at backtothebeginning.com
Let's Spend the Night Together is a semi-regular scene column taking you inside exclusive music events, soirees, clubs and random happenings in L.A. and beyond.
