Ozzy Osbourne has decided to call off his headlining set at the inaugural Power Trip festival this fall, admitting his health is still shaky and he’s not willing to have his first show in almost five years be “half-assed.” Judas Priest will take his place instead, the band announced Tuesday.
“As painful as this is, I’ve had to make the decision to bow out of performing on Power Trip in October,” Osbourne wrote on social media Monday. “My original plan was to return to the stage in the summer of 2024, & when the offer to do this show came in, I optimistically moved forward. Unfortunately, my body is telling me that I’m just not ready yet and I am much too proud to have the first show that I do in nearly five years be half-assed.”
Osbourne was set to headline the second night of Power Trip on Oct. 7, with the show marking his first full gig since New Year’s Eve 2018. In his note, Osbourne didn’t say whether or not he thought he’d be ready to return to the stage at some point.
Judas Priest will take the reins of the headlining performance instead, after Osbourne described his replacement as “personal friends of mine.” “I can promise that you will not be disappointed,” he wrote.
“Judas Priest are primed and proud to fly the flag for Heavy Metal at this prestigious festival,” the Rob Halford-fronted brand wrote on Instagram. “We are ready to raise double horns way up high together keeping the metal faith at this ‘bostin’ one of a kind Power Trip world event!”
He added, “Above all, I want to thank my fans, my band, and my crew for their unconditional loyalty and continued to support. I love you all and will see you soon.”
Not long after that New Year’s Eve 2018 show, Osbourne slipped and fell in the middle of the night, aggravating an old injury and ultimately canceling the European leg of what was supposed to be his farewell tour. Those shows were pushed further because of the Covid-19 pandemic, and eventually, Osbourne decided to cancel them outright and announce his retirement from touring in February of this year.
Despite ending his touring career, the Power Trip booking suggested Osbourne was still interested in playing the occasional one-off gig. Last year, amidst his recovery, he made a surprise appearance at England’s Commonwealth Games for a performance with Black Sabbath bandmate Tony Iommi, and in September played during halftime of a Rams-Bills NFL game.
Speaking with Rolling Stone last year, after the Commonwealth Games gig, Osbourne said, “Up until last night, I was semi-retired,” he says, lifting his head for emphasis. “For three years, I’m thinking, ‘I’m never going onstage.’ I kind of half-bought myself into the fact that [my performing career] was over.”
While Osbourne’s health issues have curtailed his ability to perform, they haven’t kept him from music. Last year, the metal great released a new solo album, Patient Number 9, which arrived just two years after his 2020 offering, Ordinary Man (that album marked his first in a decade).
This story was updated on July 11 at 3:50 p.m. to include Judas Priest replacing Ozzy Osbourne as the fest’s headliner.