After injury, Ozzy Osbourne postpones all 2019 concerts, including Hersheypark Stadium show
From a press release:
In a statement released today, Ozzy Osbourne announced that he will postpone all his 2019 tour dates in North America and Europe – including a scheduled stop at Hersheypark Stadium in Hershey on Saturday, June 8 with Megadeth – as he recovers from an injury sustained while dealing with a recent bout of pneumonia.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter, and 2019 Grammy Special Merit Award recipient recently fell at his Los Angeles home, aggravating years-old injuries stemming from his 2003 ATV accident that required surgery last month. Osbourne will remain under doctor’s care in Los Angeles as he recovers.
“I can’t believe I have to reschedule more tour dates. Words cannot express how frustrated, angry, and depressed I am not to be able to tour right now. I’m grateful for the love and support I’m getting from my family, my band, friends, and fans; it’s really what’s keeping me going,” Osbourne said.
“Just know that I am getting better every day. I will fully recover. I will finish my tour. I will be back!”
The shows will be rescheduled beginning in February of 2020, and concertgoers are being asked to hold onto their original tickets, as they will be honored for the rescheduled dates. Because some of the 2019 dates were festival appearances, not all will be rescheduled.
Osbourne’s planned June 8 show at Hersheypark Stadium has been postponed to June 6, 2020; there is no word yet if Megadeth will join him on that date. He kicked off his North American farewell world tour, “No More Tours 2,” in Allentown last August and planned to hit the road in 2019 with his longtime collaborators Zakk Wylde (guitar), Blasko (bass), Tommy Clufetos (drums), and Adam Wakeman (keyboards).
No More Tours 2, a reference to his 1992 “No More Tours” trek, launched in May of 2018 in Santiago, Chile with solo shows in three countries, followed by a six-week European leg of headlining solo dates and festival performances. His North American tour with platinum-selling hard rock band Stone Sour began at the PPL Center in Allentown on Aug. 30, with the final four shows of that leg of the tour postponed for Osbourne to recover from an infection.
Tickets, which start at $24.60 (processing fees apply), are still on sale at the Giant Center box office (550 Hersheypark Dr., Hershey), online at hersheyentertainment.com and ticketmaster.com, and by phone at 717-534-3911 or 800-745-3000.
On this postponed farewell world tour, produced by Live Nation, Osbourne will celebrate more than five decades as a performer, both as a solo artist and as lead singer of Black Sabbath, which formed in 1968. This tour will mark the end of global touring for the legendary artist, though he will continue to perform select live shows in the future. Throughout his career, he has sold more than 100 million records.
“People keep asking me when I’m retiring,” Osbourne says. “This will be my final world tour, but I can’t say I won’t do some shows here and there.
“I’ve been extremely blessed to have had two successful music careers,” he continues. “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.”
At 70 years old, Osbourne is a multi-platinum recording artist, a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee, and a three-time Grammy-winning singer and songwriter who has sold more than 120 million albums worldwide. His career has spanned more than 50 years as a successful solo artist and as the founding vocalist of Black Sabbath, which formed in 1968, and his music is as relevant today as ever, still being heard daily on television, in movies, on the radio, and at stadium sports events.
In 2011, Osbourne reunited with Black Sabbath and, in June 2013, after more than three decades of waiting, the band released their critically acclaimed album “13” (Vertigo/Republic), which entered the charts at No. 1 in 13 countries. Produced by seven-time Grammy-winning producer Rick Rubin, “13” features original Sabbath members Osbourne, Tony Iommi, and Geezer Butler. In 2014, the group won a Grammy Award in the Best Metal Performance category for the album’s first single, “God Is Dead?”
In May 2014, Osbourne was honored with the Stevie Ray Vaughan Award for his dedication and support of the MusiCares MAP Fund at the 10th anniversary MusiCares MAP Fund benefit concert. Later that year, he was presented with the Global Icon award at the 2014 MTV Europe Music Awards in Glasgow. This year also marks 20 years since Osbourne created his name-sake hard rock/metal touring festival Ozzfest, which has had a hugely successful run across North America, Europe, and Japan.
In January 2016, Black Sabbath began “The End” farewell tour, signifying the final performances of the legendary heavy metal band. The last shows took place at the Genting Arena in their home city of Birmingham, England in February 2017.
