JuicyTalk
For nearly 40 years, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame has inducted some of the most influential, underappreciated, and well-known musicians and bands into its prestigious club. When artists like Carole King, Nina Simone, and Metallica are given this honor, they’re often witness to performances by music artists who admire them deeply. Sometimes this makes for the performance of a lifetime.
Other times, the performances leave viewers wondering why those artists were the only ones available to book. When Ozzy Osbourne was inducted in 2024 for his success as a soloist, his ceremony severely disappointed at least one family full of massive fans of the Prince of Darkness. Luckily, a recent celebration more than made up for this lackluster tribute.
Osbourne’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Was Questionable
The Tribute Included Performances By Jelly Roll & Billy Idol
After Black Sabbath was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2006, it was only a matter of time before their longtime frontman was given his own solo induction. Osbourne’s time would come in 2024 alongside artists like Cher, Kool & the Gang, and Foreigner.
Osbourne’s catalog is full of iconic rock ballads and head-bangers, and he’s influenced an overwhelming number of well-established artists, so why did his induction ceremony feel so confusing? For one, the musicians were definitely not the issue. Chad Smith, Zakk Wylde, Robert Trujillo, Wolfgang Van Halen, and Andrew Watt held down the instrumental fort from start to finish.
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The issues lie in the vocalists. Maynard James Keenan, Jelly Roll, and Billy Idol would likely be no one’s first, second, or third choices to pay tribute to songs like “Mama, I’m Coming Home” or “Crazy Train.” It’s easy to brush this aside by noting that Osbourne’s music isn’t easy to sing, but there are more than enough capable vocalists out there who can get the job done.
Back To the Beginning Is The Tribute Osbourne & Black Sabbath Deserved
The All-Day Performance Was An Historic Day For Heavy Metal
On July 5, over 42,000 rock fans and hundreds of renowned musicians gathered to celebrate the career of Black Sabbath and Osbourne. The all-day farewell tribute, titled Back To the Beginning, saw the four original members of Black Sabbath on stage for the first time in two decades, making it a farewell to remember.
Some of the biggest artists in rock repeatedly acknowledged the influence Black Sabbath and Osbourne’s music has had on their own careers.
With acts like Metallica, Halestorm, and Guns N’ Roses in the lineup, as well as numerous supergroups made up of musicians like Tom Morello and Nuno Bettencourt, there was no lack of talent on the Villa Park stage. Some of the biggest artists in rock repeatedly acknowledged the influence Black Sabbath and Osbourne’s music has had on their own careers.
Several Covers That Day Put His Induction Tribute To Shame
There Was No Shortage Of Appreciation For Osbourne’s Contributions
While sitting through this historic performance, it quickly became clear that Osbourne’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction never needed to be so underwhelming. There are plenty of rising rock acts and established bands who surely would’ve been more than grateful to take the stage and pay their respects to one of the genre’s biggest names.
Beyond that, Back To the Beginning provided fans with enough incredible covers of Black Sabbath and Osbourne songs to make them forget about Jelly Roll’s questionable rendition of “Mama, I’m Coming Home.”
One of the biggest standouts was a last-minute addition. When Yungblud took the stage in an all-black suit to perform “Changes,” many people in the audience likely didn’t know who he was or already disliked his over-the-top pop-punk image.
As soon as he opened his mouth, it was clear he wasn’t messing around. Osbourne is one of Yungblud’s greatest influences, and that shined through from the raw vocal delivery he gave to the audience interactions that have been compared to Freddie Mercury at Live Aid. Many rock fans who immediately dismissed him are now flooding YouTube comments with praise and respect.
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Other standouts that could’ve easily taken the Hall of Fame stage were Halestorm’s rendition of “Perry Mason,” Papa V Perpetua’s vocal performance of “Bark at the Moon,” and Jack Black’s frame-for-frame music video performance of “Mr. Crowley” alongside rock offspring and musical prodigies Roman Morello, Revel Ian, Yoyoka Soma, and Hugo Weiss.
No one seems to be sure how the tribute artists are chosen for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame each year, but it’s obvious that their team isn’t looking too hard for talent that would do each artist justice in the most honorable way.
Ozzy Osbourne deserved an induction like Back To the Beginning, full of iconic talent who wouldn’t be where they are without him and young talent paving the way for modern rock.
