Prince Of Darkness
Ozzy Osbourne Rocks BankAtlantic Center
Johns Hopkins. We’ll get you there.
By Bill Bowen ohn Michael “Ozzy” Osbourne, whose early fame with the heavy metal-pioneering band Black Sabbath was the first of several successful public incarnations, has reason to have a warm spot for South Florida. It was in 1997 in West Palm Beach that Ozzy launched his hugely popular Ozzfest tours. Now he returns February 20th, when he’ll perform a 7:30 p.m. show at the BankAtlantic Center.
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Osbourne’s career began with the dark messages of Black Sabbath, the band that specialized in gloomy songs and started the heavy metal genre. The band, which was created by Osbourne, Geezer Butler, Tony Iommi and Bill Ward, tried to recreate the atmosphere of a horror film with its music by using harsh and sometimes dissonant guitar licks, combined with Osbourne’s eerie singing style. The resultant sound, the genesis of heavy metal, was unfamiliar to music critics, who pronounced each Black Sabbath album unappealing as the band released Black Sabbath, Paranoid and Master of Reality, only to watch aghast as each was made a commercial success by the buying public. Osbourne would later be dubbed the “Godfather of Heavy Metal.” Osbourne’s success continued into 1978, when he pursued a solo career while also trying out several bands, including the Ozzy Osbourne Band. His first solo album, Blizzard of Ozz, went multiplatinum, and others followed, including 1986’s Ultimate Sin, his highest charting studio album. Osbourne won his only Grammy Award for “I Don’t Want To Change The World” off his 1994 Live and Loud album. In 1995, he released Ozzmosis and returned to touring, dubbing his concert performances “The Retirement Sucks Tour.” He would proceed to sell 32 million solo albums, and his famous Ozzfest tours were attended by 5 million people. Later, he became renowned for his family’s reality TV show, “The Osbournes,” in which he was revealed to be a bit less sinister than his Prince of Darkness nickname implied. O
For 125 years, Johns Hopkins has pushed the boundaries of clinical, classroom and investigative medicine from its storied dome in Baltimore. That’s more than a century of knowledge, talent and innovation—all in one place. No matter where you live, a single call connects you with a personal guide to worldrenowned medical experts in every specialty. Ranked #1 by U.S. News and World Report for 20 consecutive years, we’ll coordinate every aspect of your trip—from appointments to travel arrangements and lodging—all tailored to your needs. Johns Hopkins USA, South Florida. Your personal link to Johns Hopkins Medicine. Please contact: M.L. Farrell, Director 561-659-1155 877-659-1155 (toll-free) mlfarrell@jhmi.edu hopkinsmedicine.org/usa/florida
For more information, call 954-835-7000 or visit bankatlanticcenter.com.
February 2011
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