I was not a Black Sabbath fan. I had heard of them and their
recordings but such musical tone and subject matter of lyric seemed a bit harsh
to me.
In 1971 a classmate of mine suggested that I try listening
to a full album and reading the lyric sheet.
Having then done so, I acquiesced “OK, a legitimate rock
band”. But still, I was not going to attend a concert.
Later on in life, having had a son who preferred rock of the
metal persuasion, I wound up going to concerts such as Motor Head, Metallica,
and, yes, Black Sabbath at the Palace, Auburn Hills, February 19, 2016.
What an experience!
Women of all ages dressed in Goth, many who had never met
before, coordinated to line up in front of the stage to simultaneously curtsey
before the Prince of Darkness.
During the show, Ozzy insulted the attendees, his fans. In
response they cheered and clapped! He called them the biggest losers ever. All
the more they cheered and clapped!
But it was all a show. A rock show. A time for like-minded
people to take a sabbath from their day to day lives and experience a
sense of camaraderie.
After the show, Ozzy provided the benediction “I love you,
God bless you, drive carefully”.
As harsh and heavy as his rock vocal, as chest-rattling was
the sound of drums, bass, and guitars, with the same intensity this benediction
was delivered by the Prince of Darkness.
And so, years later, upon the passing of Ozzy, I found myself
compelled to watch the funeral processional as it drove past a commemoration
site in Birmingham England.
Much gratitude for Sharon and family to take the time to
stop, emerge from the car and show loving respect for the fans at this fan site
before moving on to the private funeral.
