Ozzy Osbourne Shares How It’s Really Like Touring With Metallica

Ozzy Osbourne Shares How It’s Really Like Touring With Metallica | Society Of Rock Videos

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Ozzy Osbourne recalls his first encounter with Metallica when he joined them on the road in 1986. The Prince of Darkness shared what it was like meeting the metal band when they were just starting out in their musical journey.

Metallica opened for Osbourne on his first American solo trek The Ultimate Sin Tour in 1986. While for Metallica, it was the opening leg of their 1986 to ’87 Damage, Inc. Tour.

When asked about his first impressions with Metallica in his interview with Metal Hammer, he said:

“I remember walking past the dressing room. They were playing Black Sabbath. I had no idea they were big fans. I thought they were taking the piss!”

He continued:

“While we were on tour, I’d keep seeing James hanging about like he wanted to ask something. Eventually, he walked up and said, ‘We want to play [Black Sabbath’s] ‘Paranoid’ with you,’ and we were like, ‘Sure!’ Then they showed just how big Sabbath fans they were. [Late Metallica bassist] Cliff [Burton] had a massive smile on his face the whole time.”

Osbourne described them as a “nice bunch of guys.” He mentioned Metallica singer-guitarist James Hetfield’s many skateboarding accidents when he talked about their time together:

“Of course, it all came back around, when I got up to do it with them at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame [in 2009], which was brilliant too. … To us, they were just a nice bunch of guys! The wildest we had from them was James, who must have broke his arm three fucking times on that tour skateboarding.”

During that time, Osbourne could sense Metallica were going to be huge:

“You could tell just from how the crowd reacted every night. But you know, they’re a great band. I remember it all really took off when they put out ‘The Black Album.'”

Now, current Metallica bass player Robert Trujillo would also perform with Osbourne.

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