Legendary musician Ozzy Osbourne recently recalled the European leg of Black Sabbath’s 1978 ‘Never Say Die!’ tour with Van Halen in a recent episode of ‘Ozzy Speaks’ on SiriusXM’s Ozzy’s Boneyard.
Ozzy Osbourne talks about Eddie Van Halen
“I just couldn’t believe it,” Osbourne said about their opening band’s performance. “[Eddie Van Halen] made it look so f*cking easy. They outshone us. They blew us off the stage.”
He added, “Eddie was a great guy. He was always nice with me. He was a lovely man to be around, and Alex [Van Halen]. I took all of them down to my local pub… That was f*cking great.”
The singer talked about his touring memories with Van Halen during an October 2022 chat with Revolver, as well. His words read, “[Eddie] was such a great guy. They came to our local pub and it was good fun. But David Lee Roth, he’s lost a couple of nuts and bolts. When you meet him, it’s like, ‘What’s wrong with him?’ He’s like somewhere else, you know?”
During the European tour, Osbourne wasn’t a fan of David Lee Roth, who, according to Geezer Butler, often copied the Black Sabbath vocalist’s stage antics.
Butler told BraveWords back in June, “It was really upsetting Ozzy at the time, because, whatever Ozzy did one night, David Lee Roth had said the same thing the next night. It was upsetting Ozzy. Then, Eddie was doing these extended solos, so Tony [Iommi] had to have a word with him about that.”
Black Sabbath also felt frustrated that their label was giving more attention to Van Halen while neglecting them though the bassist noted, “They were great guys, a great band, and we [enjoyed] long-lasting friendships, especially Tony and Eddie.”
The connection between the two bands continued even after they both eventually disbanded. Eddie’s son, Wolfgang Van Halen, is scheduled to pay tribute to Osbourne at his second induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on October 19.
Wolfgang will be performing at the ceremony with Zakk Wylde, Steve Stevens, and Andrew Watt, and the vocalist will be inducted by Jack Black.
