Rob Halford Weighs in on Ozzy Osbourne Retiring from Touring
Rob Halford was set to provide support with Judas Priest for Ozzy Osbourne on his farewell tour. Due to numerous health issues and the coronavirus pandemic, Ozzy’s tour was postponed….
Rob Halford was set to provide support with Judas Priest for Ozzy Osbourne on his farewell tour. Due to numerous health issues and the coronavirus pandemic, Ozzy's tour was postponed. However, The Prince of Darkness canceled all remaining tour dates last month saying he was physically unable to tour anymore.
In a new interview with Metal Hammer, the Metal God expressed empathy and appreciation for Ozzy. He said, "I can only reinforce what all of Ozzy’s fans, including us in Judas Priest, have said to him though, which is that he has done so much for all of us in rock and metal. He’s done so much for his fans, and we all know how bad he feels about having to cancel because he lives for those fans. You can see that every time he goes onstage, he’s beaming and connecting with everybody."
Halford added he felt Osbourne made the "right" decision to retire from touring. He said that deciding to continue with the tour only to potentially cancel after few shows would've been far worse.
He noted that while there's still "a lot of love" for Ozzy, there's certainly no shame in riding off into the sunset. Halford says he agrees with many other metalheads and thinks, "Put your feet up, you’ve earned it!"
Judas Priest is one of the greatest bands in heavy metal – it’s hard to imagine the genre without them, and arguably they’re the second most influential metal group after only Black Sabbath. So, we’re totally stoked that the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is finally – FINALLY! - inducting them later this year (yeah, it’s the “Musical Excellence” award, but we’ll take it). And as Screaming For Vengeance is about to turn 40, and the band is celebrating its 50th anniversary, we thought that this would be a perfect time to rank the band’s 50 best songs.
50. “Jawbreaker” from ‘Defenders of the Faith’ (1984)
Sony Music49. “(Take These) Chains” from ‘Screaming For Vengeance’ (1982)
Sony Music48. “Angel” from ‘Angel of Retribution’ (2005)
Sony Music47. “Dragonaut (live)” from ‘Battle Cry’
Sony Music46. “Revelations” from ‘Nostradamus’ (2008)
Sony Music45. “Last Rose Of Summer” from ‘Sin After Sin’ (1977)
Sony Music44. “Bloodstone” from ‘Screaming For Vengeance’ (1982)
Sony Music43. “Sword of Damocles” from ‘Redeemer of Souls’ (2014)
Sony Music42. “Epitaph” from ‘Sad Wings Of Destiny’ (1976)
KOCH Records41. “The Rage” from ‘British Steel’ (1980)
Sony Music40. “Genocide” from ‘Sad Wings of Destiny’ (1976)
KOCH Records39. “Grinder” from ‘British Steel’ (1980)
Sony Music38. “Tyrant” from ‘Sad Wings of Destiny’ (1976)
KOCH Records37. “Freewheel Burning” from ‘Defenders of the Faith’ (1984)
Sony Music36. “Let Us Prey/Call For The Priest” from ‘Sin After Sin’ (1977)
Sony Music35. “Dreamer Deceiver/Deceiver” from ‘Sad Wings Of Destiny’ (1976)
KOCH Records34. “Winter/Deep Freeze/Winter Retreat/Cheater” from ‘Rocka Rolla’ (1974)
KOCH Records33. “Island of Domination” from ‘Sad Wings of Destiny’ (1976)
KOCH Records32. “No Surrender” from ‘Firepower’ (2018)
Sony Music31. “Rocka Rolla” from ‘Rocka Rolla’ (1974)
KOCH Records30. “Judas Rising” from ‘Angel of Retribution’ (2005)
Sony Music29. “Evening Star” from ‘Hell Bent For Leather’ (1978)
Sony Music28. “Lightning Strike” from ‘Firepower’ (2018)
Sony Music27. “A Touch Of Evil” from ‘Painkiller’ (1990)
Sony Music26. “Out In The Cold” from ‘Turbo’ (1986)
Sony Music25. “Metal Gods” from ‘British Steel’ (1980)
Sony Music24. “Starbreaker” from ‘Sin After Sin’ (1977)
Sony Music23. “Stained Class” from ‘Stained Class’ (1978)
Sony Music22. “Delivering The Goods” from ‘Hell Bent For Leather’ (1979)
Sony Music21. “The Hellion/Electric Eye” from ‘Screaming for Vengeance (1982)
Sony Music20. “Running Wild (live)” from ‘Unleashed in the East’ (1979)
Sony Music19. “Riding On The Wind” from ‘Screaming For Vengeance’ (1982)
Sony Music18. “Never Satisfied” from ‘Rocka Rolla’ (1974)
KOCH Records17. “The Ripper” from ‘Sad Wings of Destiny’ (1976)
KOCH Records16. “Firepower” from ‘Firepower’ (2018)
Sony Music15. “Sinner” from ‘Sin After Sin’ (1977)
Sony Music14. “Beyond The Realms of Death” from ‘Stained Class’ (1978)
Sony Music13. “Fever” from ‘Screaming For Vengeance’ (1982)
Sony Music12. “Heading Out To The Highway” from ‘Point of Entry’ (1981)
Sony Music11. “Painkiller” from ‘Painkiller’ (1990)
Sony Music10. “The Green Manalishi (With The Two-Pronged Crown)” from ‘Hell Bent For Leather’ (1979)
Sony Music9. “Dissident Aggressor” from ‘Sin After Sin’ (1977)
Sony Music8. “Exciter” from ‘Stained Class’ (1978)
Sony Music7. “Diamonds and Rust” from ‘Rocka Rolla’ (1974)
KOCH Records6. “Living After Midnight” from ‘British Steel’ (1980)
Sony Music5. “Victim Of Changes” from ‘Sad Wings of Destiny’ (1976)
KOCH Records4. “Screaming For Vengeance” from ‘Screaming For Vengeance’ (1982)
Sony Music3. “Breaking The Law” from ‘British Steel’ (1980)
Sony Music2. “You’ve Got Another Thing Coming” from ‘Screaming For Vengeance’ (1982)
Sony Music1. “Hell Bent For Leather” from ‘Hell Bent For Leather’ (1979)
Sony Music
