Ozzy Osbourne is not retiring from performing completely.
The Black Sabbath rocker announced his final solo world tour, a two-year jaunt of the globe entitled the ‘No More Tours 2’ – which is a reference to a tour of the same name which he conducted in 1992 – on Tuesday (06.02.18), but has reassured fans that he still plans to do the odd show here and there.
In an interview with Rolling Stone conducted after the announcement, the 69-year-old rocker said: "I’m not retiring.
"It’s ‘No More Tours,’ so I’m just not doing world tours anymore. I’m still going to be doing gigs, but I’m not going on tour for six months at a time anymore. I’d like to spend some time at home."
Ozzy – known as The Prince of Darkness – wants to spend more time with his family after recently welcoming his eighth grandchild into the world, Minnie, his son Jack Osbourne’s third child.
On why he’s giving up touring, he said: "I’ve experienced fantastic things; it’s been an incredible journey.
"I just need to slow it down a little.
"I enjoy being a grandfather.
"I don’t want to go through another generation of Osbournes without seeing them grow up."
Ozzy will be doing Black Sabbath classics such as ‘Paranoid’ and ‘Crazy Train’ on the tour, but after the Birmingham band retired themselves from touring, he insists he didn’t take away anything from their final concerts, only that he has "more control" now.
He said: "Black Sabbath is a completely different thing. When I was in Black Sabbath, I was just a singer with a band called Black Sabbath. Now it’s Ozzy Osbourne, and I have more control over what’s going on than I did with Sabbath."
Announcing the final tour, Ozzy said: "I’ve been extremely blessed to have had two successful music careers. I’m looking at this final tour as being a huge celebration for my fans and anyone who has enjoyed my music over the past five decades."
The ‘War Pigs’ singer is to be joined by longtime collaborators Zakk Wylde, Blasko, Tommy Clufetos and Adam Wakeman on the run, and will be supported by Stone Sour.
‘No More Tours 2’ kicks off with a pair of festival shows in Florida – Jacksonville’s Welcome to Rockville and Fort Lauderdale’s FortRock on April 27 and 29 respectively – before he jets off across Central and South America and Europe, before heading back to the US in August.
Ozzy Osbourne ‘not retiring’ from performing
