A resurfaced video of Ozzy Osbourne performing at Victoria’s Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre in 2010 is stirring memories for Vancouver Islanders following news of the rock icon’s death this week.
The heavy metal legend and reality TV star passed away at the age of 76, surrounded by family.
“It is with more sadness than mere words can convey that we have to report that our beloved Ozzy Osbourne has passed away this morning. He was with his family and surrounded by love. We ask everyone to respect our family privacy at this time,” a. statement shared by his loved ones read.
Osbourne had gone public in early 2020 with a diagnosis of Parkinson disease, a nervous system disorder affecting movement. He also disclosed he had emphysema, and in a GQ interview later that year, said he feared catching COVID-19 due to his condition.
He had previously cancelled tour dates in 2019 due to health complications, and his last public performance came just two weeks ago in England.
Born John Michael Osbourne, he rose to fame in the 1970s as frontman for Black Sabbath, before launching a wildly successful solo career. He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame twice—once with Sabbath in 2006 and again in 2024 as a solo artist.
Over his decades-long career, he sold more than 100 million albums worldwide.
Among the many cities that welcomed Osbourne over the years, Victoria held a unique connection. His first known stop in the city was during his Blizzard of Ozz tour, when he performed at Memorial Arena on July 14th, 1981. He returned nearly three decades later for a high-energy show at the Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre on November 12th, 2010.
That 2010 performance marked the start of his Canadian tour and filled the then-five-year-old arena with over 7,200 fans. Captured from the trusses of the venue by a crew member, the video offers a rarely seen overhead perspective of the sold-out crowd and stage pyrotechnics.
At one point, Osbourne’s voice may have been a little mumbly, but the energy and enthusiasm from both performer and fans were undeniable.
“I was there too! He was pretty mumbly at that point even but I sure enjoyed that energy,” wrote Reddit user paist13, reacting to the resurfaced footage.
Another local recalled being too young for his 1981 stop but managed to catch the 2010 show, “Just stumbled across this footage of Ozzy performing at Save-On Arena in 2010. I went to that show myself. Unfortunately I was only 11 when he played here in 1981 at the Memorial Arena so I didn’t get to go to that one.”
A third comment added a wholesome behind-the-scenes detail:
“My husband worked ground crew at the time and Ozzy left them burgers and soup (zero bat heads!) and was apparently very lovely.”
During the Victoria show, Osbourne performed a mix of solo hits and Sabbath staples, including “Bark at the Moon,” “Mr. Crowley,” “War Pigs,” “Iron Man” and “Crazy Train.” The concert served as a reminder that, even into his 60s, the self-proclaimed Prince of Darkness still knew how to put on a show.
He leaves behind his wife Sharon and their three children. If you were lucky enough to see him live in Victoria, you witnessed a piece of heavy metal history.
Watch the 2010 Victoria footage here:
