MACHINE HEAD Honor Ozzy Osbourne With Black Sabbath Covers in Austria

Machine Head paid heartfelt tribute to the late Ozzy Osbourne during their July 22nd performance at Posthof in Linz, Austria. News of the legendary Black Sabbath frontman’s passing broke just 20 minutes before the Bay Area metal veterans took the stage for the opening night of their European tour.

In response, the band scrapped their usual set opener and instead launched into a pair of Black Sabbath classics: “War Pigs” and “Children of the Grave”. The moment was especially poignant given that “Diary of a Madman” — one of Ozzy’s signature solo tracks — has served as the intro to every Machine Head show for more than three decades.

Robb Flynn shared a message about the decision:

“We found out that Ozzy had passed away from Sky News 20 minutes before we walked on stage to the opening night of our European tour. In a state of sadness and shock we made the decision to forgo our usual opening setlist. Following our intro of Ozzy‘s ‘Diary of a Madman’ (that we’ve opened every Machine Head show with for the last 30+ years), we started the show with two Black Sabbath songs. ‘War Pigs’ and ‘Children of the Grave’. Everyone sang, everyone knew tonight meant something, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house.

There’s so much more to say about the power of Ozzy’s songs, but for now, we’ll let his music do the talking.

Our deepest condolences to Black Sabbath, Ozzy’s band, and the Osbournes.
–Robb”

Machine Head’s connection to Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath spans decades. The band contributed a cover of “Hole in the Sky” to the 2000 tribute compilation ‘Nativity In Black II: A Tribute To Black Sabbath’.

Do you love independent bands, or are you in one? The Mosh Network is not just a rock/metal news website, but it doubles as an independent band directory, designed so that visitors can browse independent bands by not just subgenre, but location as well. It’s perfect to keep your finger on the pulse of your area’s hottest and newest bands or if you’re in a band, it’s a great way to find bands to network with! Click the banner below and start discovering bands all over the world, now!