Full Review by The Riff Report Blog – July 5, 2025
Stage: Back To The Beginning Main Stage
Artist: OZZY OSBOURNE (THE PRINCE. THE LEGEND. THE RETURN.)
Time: Sundown ’til souls rose 🌙✨
🕯️ “I’M NOT GOING ANYWHERE… I’M F***ING OZZY!” – THE HOMECOMING WE DIDN’T KNOW WE NEEDED 🦇🥹
Ozzy Osbourne. Back in Birmingham. On his own terms.
Villa Park felt less like a stadium and more like a cathedral of love, riffs, and legend worship. Thousands of fans – young and old, tattooed and teary-eyed – came to witness the unthinkable: Ozzy on stage again. Solo. Strong. And still the f*ing man.**
The moment he shuffled out, arms wide like a glitter-drenched vampire pope, and croaked,
“Hello Birminghaaaaaam! I’M BACK!”
you could feel every hair on every arm stand to attention.
🧙♂️ THE SETLIST – SOLO HITS, SABBATH LOVE, AND PURE EMOTION
- I Don’t Know
- Mr. Crowley (those keys! those solos! those lasers!)
- No More Tears
- Bark at the Moon 🐺🌕
- Flying High Again
- Patient Number 9
- Shot in the Dark
- Mama, I’m Coming Home (Villa Park wept – no joke 😭)
- Dreamer
- Crazy Train 🚂🤘
- Paranoid (yep. He went there. Sabbath classic, just for us.)
- Encore: Changes (acoustic with pre-recorded duet from Sharon 😭😭)
🎤 OZZY – AGED, SHAKY… AND STILL ABSOLUTELY ICONIC 🖤
Let’s not lie – Ozzy’s voice isn’t what it was. His walk’s a slow wobble.
But none of that mattered. Because his spirit? Still louder than a thousand Marshall stacks.
He gave every ounce of himself. Clapping out of time? Who cares. Singing a few notes off? Irrelevant.
The sheer joy, grit and bloody heart he put into the performance made it one of the most emotional gigs we’ve ever seen.
🎸 ZAKK WYLDE – THE GUARDIAN OF THE RIFF
Zakk returned as Ozzy’s axe-wielding knight once again, melting faces and holding it down like the demon Viking he is.
His solos on “No More Tears” and “Mr. Crowley”? Filthy. Heavenly. Transcendent.
He even gave Ozzy a cheeky hug mid-set and shouted:
“You can’t kill the f***ing Prince of Darkness!”
Amen to that, butt. 🙏
🧟♂️ THE CROWD – A MASS OF LOVE, TEARS & LUNACY
People cried. People chanted. People held signs like “WELCOME HOME OZZY”, “YOU RAISED ME”, and “I WENT OFF THE RAILS FOR YOU”.
There were toddlers on shoulders, old-school Brummies in full Sabbath denim, and even one lad dressed as Bark at the Moon Ozzy with glittering fangs.
During “Mama, I’m Coming Home,” strangers were hugging. Blokes with beers were full-on sobbing into their mates’ leather jackets.
You don’t get that for anyone else. Only Ozzy.
💥 THE HIGHLIGHTS – MOMENTS THAT BROKE US
- A pre-recorded message from Tony Iommi, Geezer, and Bill Ward played on the big screen before “Paranoid.” Everyone lost it.
- “Dreamer” was performed under a light show of stars, planets, and galaxies – with Ozzy whispering: “This one’s for the next generation of weirdos.”
- Ozzy’s mic cut out for a second… the crowd sang for him. He cried. We all did.
- Final bow? Ozzy knelt. Looked around. Said, “Thank you for waiting. I love you forever.”
🎯 FINAL VERDICT: THE PRINCE CAME HOME – AND WE’LL NEVER FORGET IT 🖤
No fancy tricks. No dancers. No ego. Just Ozzy f*ing Osbourne**, 76 years young, baring his soul in his home city.
He didn’t just perform – he reminded us what rock means.
That it’s about survival. About spirit. About singing through the pain, even when your knees hurt and your voice wobbles.
Score: 20/10 Bats, Ballads & Bloody Beautiful Madness 🦇🎤
Mood: Overwhelmed. Inspired. Home.
Diolch, Ozzy. For the riffs, the tears, the chaos – and for never forgetting where you came from. 🖤
Michael is the founder, editor, and chief riff wrangler behind The Riff Report, an independent Welsh rock and metal publication built by fans, for fans. With a lifelong passion for loud guitars, unforgettable live shows, and the incredible community that surrounds rock and metal, he created The Riff Report to celebrate everything that makes the scene special—from legendary headline acts and grassroots venues to rising bands that deserve to be heard.
A familiar face at festivals across the UK, Michael spends much of the year covering events including Download Festival, Bloodstock Open Air, Steelhouse Festival, Firevolt, Plumpton Revival, and many more. Whether he’s battling the Welsh weather on a mountainside, surviving a weekend in a muddy campsite, or squeezed against the front barrier with thousands of fellow fans, he’s always searching for the next great story to share.
As editor of The Riff Report, Michael writes festival guides, breaking news, album reviews, gig reviews, interviews, opinion pieces, nostalgia features, and behind-the-scenes stories from across the rock and metal world. His writing combines honest opinions, humour, and a genuine love for live music, bringing readers closer to the bands, festivals, venues, and people that keep the scene alive.
Michael is particularly passionate about supporting independent artists, local venues, charities, and the wider UK rock and metal community. He believes every band deserves a chance to be discovered and every festival has a story worth telling. Through The Riff Report, he aims to shine a spotlight on both the biggest names in rock and the future stars waiting to break through.
When he’s not writing or interviewing artists, you’ll probably find him exploring festival campsites, photographing live shows, chatting with fellow fans over a pint, or planning the next road trip in search of more riffs, bigger crowds, and unforgettable moments.
Above all, Michael believes rock and metal are about more than music—they’re about community, friendship, and creating memories that last a lifetime. That’s exactly what The Riff Report exists to celebrate.
Proudly Welsh. Proudly Loud. Always chasing the next great riff. 🤘
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