On Sunday evening, a private plane brought legendary British heavy metal rocker and former Black Sabbath lead singer Ozzy Osbourne, accompanied by his wife and personal manager Sharon, to Israel’s Ben-Gurion International Airport, ahead of today’s Ozzfest at Tel Aviv’s Yarkon Park.
At a press conference at a Tel Aviv hotel, when asked whether he had any hesitations about visiting Israel in light of recent cancellations by a number of international artists, Osbourne replied that he tries to stay away from politics because “I wouldn’t know what I was talking about.”
Sharon added that “Britain has the IRA and no one cancels concerts there.” Asked why it took him so long to arrive, Osbourne said, “I don’t know. I was drunk for years.”
On Monday, the Osbournes visited various sites in Jerusalem’s Old City, including the Western Wall, which was packed with visitors for Succot/the Feast of Tabernacles; the Church of the Holy Sepulchre; and also Yad Vashem the Holocaust Martyrs’ and Heroes’ Remembrance Authority.
According to Osbourne, the visit to Israel has made a “great impression. We were very pleased to have the opportunity to come to Israel and visit the holy sites in the Old City.”
Today, Osbourne is expected to meet with fans at Tel Aviv’s Yarkon Park at around 4 p.m., and later to watch performances by the Korn and Soulfly bands, as part of the Ozzfest, the long-running multi-band metal festival that Osbourne launched decades ago. At 8:55 p.m., he is scheduled to take the stage.