Sammy Hagar will sing ‘Flying High Again’ at Ozzy Osbourne’s final concert
Sammy Hagar, musician and former singer of Van Halen and Montrose, has confirmed that he will sing ‘Flying High Again’ at Ozzy Osbourne’s farewell concert. The show will take place in Birmingham on July 5th.
On February 5th, Black Sabbath announced a spectacular line-up for their final performance before Osbourne retires from performing. Osbourne, Geezer Butler, Bill Ward and Tony Iommi will perform together as a four-piece for the first time in 20 years with support from Metallica, Slayer, Pantera, Gojira, Halestorm, Alice In Chains, Lamb Of God, Anthrax and Mastodon.
The star-studded event sold out in less than ten minutes.
Hagar showed excessive enthusiasm at the opportunity. He told Loudwire Nights host Chuck Armstrong, “Well, the fact that I got asked to do it almost the first day… When the word started leaking out — inside word — [the event’s musical director] Tom Morello calls me and says, ‘Hey, man, would you be interested?’ I went, ‘Yes.’ He didn’t even have to say what. ‘Would you be interested?’ ‘Yes, Tom. I’m in — all in.”
He continued, “I was so flattered that I was one of the early guys on,” but he admitted there are stylistic differences between Osbourne’s craft and his own. He said: “I don’t sing like Ozzy — I’m a different kind of singer.”
Hagar is taking the event seriously, prepping in the run-up. “I’ve been studying,” he announced. “Everybody’s asking, ‘What do you listen to?’ I’m saying, ‘I’m listening to fucking Ozzy until the fifth.’ I gotta learn his phrasing. And his melodic structures are so unique; he’s such a unique singer.”
Osbourne is also training for the event. He revealed that he participates in “endurance training” as he hasn’t performed since late 2018 and shared in February that he “can’t walk”.
All profits from the show will be shared equally between the following charities: Cure Parkinson’s, Birmingham Children’s Hospital and Acorn Children’s Hospice, a Children’s Hospice supported by Aston Villa.
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