Ozzy Osbourne has announced the dates for his rescheduled European tour, which was postponed earlier this year, promising fans he is “not retiring” yet.
The former Black Sabbath star, who was originally scheduled to kick off his No More Tours 2 shows in January, will now perform from October through to December next year across Europe, with seven dates in the UK and Ireland.
Osbourne, 70, fell at home earlier this year, aggravating injuries from a near-fatal quad bike crash in 2003, forcing him to cancel his upcoming performances.
He will kick off the six-week European stint at Newcastle’s Utilita Arena on October 23, before hitting Glasgow’s SSE Hydro on October 25 and London’s O2 Arena on October 28.
He will perform a homecoming Halloween gig on October 31 in his native Birmingham at the Resorts World Arena, and will then be at the Manchester Arena on November 2, and Dublin’s 3Arena on November 5.
Osbourne’s final UK show will be in Nottingham, at the Motorpoint Arena, on November 8, before the tour continues in countries including Germany, Austria, Italy, Switzerland and Sweden.
Osbourne said: “I can’t wait to get off my ass and get going again, but you’re just going to have to be a bit more patient.
“I want to be 100% ready to come out and knock your f***ing socks off. I’m not retiring, I’ve still got gigs to do and also there’s a new album on the way.
“To the fans, I sincerely thank you for your patience, your loyalty, I love you.”
While recuperating from a bout of pneumonia earlier this year, Osbourne fell over a rug and hit his head, falling face down and forcing his neck back.
JUST ANNOUNCED: @OzzyOsbourne has rescheduled his NO MORE TOURS 2 UK dates with @judaspriest to take place in Oct/Nov 2020 (all original tickets will remain valid) 🤘 Book tickets now 👉 https://t.co/QmugO5jrQb pic.twitter.com/WEqXEWk5Ky
— Live Nation UK (@LiveNationUK) November 11, 2019
He dislodged metal rods in his body, put there after his 2003 crash, in the fall, and he later said that he thought he was going to die.
He told The Sun newspaper in September: “Sharon (his TV star wife) was saying, ‘You’ve got to get out of bed.’ I would say, ‘What’s the point, I’m dying.’
“There were many times I thought, ‘I’m done.’ I was scared. I thought that was it.”
The fall followed bronchitis and pneumonia as a result of flu complications and surgery on his right hand last October, because he had contracted a staph infection.
Judas Priest remain the support acts for Osbourne’s tour, which celebrates five decades of his stint as the Prince of Darkness.
The band’s Rob Halford said: “We are very grateful for the rock solid support from our wonderful UK and European fans as Ozzy gets well and strong.
“The UK/European tour will showcase the very best British metal from the ones that started it all and we proudly look forward to celebrating our 50 heavy metal years together with you!”