Early Review: Ozzy Osbourne, Rob Halford at 1st Mariner Arena, November 29
Contributor Evan Haga reviews Ozzy Osbourne's show Monday night at 1st Mariner Arena.
Wham City be damned: For three terrifically loud hours last night at a half-full 1st Mariner Arena, Baltimore was a metal town again.
Ozzy Osbourne—Prince of Darkness, reality TV icon, advertising personality—played a 100-minute show that stretched back to his Black Sabbath days, covered ’80s and ’90s solo hits, and tossed in an obligatory new song for good measure.
You guessed it: Osbourne’s voice ain’t what it used to be, but a crack band featuring consistently jaw-dropping guitarist Gus G. pulled up the slack and the results were worth the tinnitus.
This was unapologetic metal, and, consequently, lots of fun: pyrotechnics, marathon drum solos on elevated platforms; “Iron Man;” “Crazy Train;” “Paranoid;” a well-used foam gun, and an opening set from another hard-rock icon, Rob Halford.
A full review to come later today. Set list after the jump.
Our Ozzy photo gallery is here.
Rob Halford setlist:
Resurrection
Made in Hell
Locked and Loaded
Made of Metal
Nailed to the Gun
Fire and Ice
Thunder and Lightning
The Green Manalishi (With the Two Prong Crown) (Fleetwood Mac cover)
Diamonds and Rust (Joan Baez cover)
Jawbreaker (Judas Priest cover)
Like There’s No Tomorrow
Cyber World
Ozzy Osbourne setlist:
Bark at the Moon
Let Me Hear You Scream
Mr. Crowley
I Don’t Know
Fairies Wear Boots (Black Sabbath)
Suicide Solution
Road to Nowhere
War Pigs (Black Sabbath)
Fire in the Sky
Shot in the Dark
Guitar solo/Full-band jam/Drum solo
Iron Man (Black Sabbath)
I Don’t Want to Change the World
Crazy Train
Encore:
Mama, I’m Coming Home
Paranoid (Black Sabbath)
Update: Fun fact! "Light show designed by Michael Keller, using Vectorworks Spotlight software, made in Columbia, MD," says reader John, who works for Vectorworks.
Evan Haga is a frequent Midnight Sun contributor, and the managing editor of JazzTimes. He last reviewed The Cult at Rams Head Live.
Photo: Gene Sweeney Jr/Baltimore Sun
Erik Maza is a features reporter at the Baltimore Sun. He writes for several sections of the Sun paper and contributes weekly columns on music and nightlife. He also writes and edits the Midnight Sun blog. He often covers entertainment, business, and the business of entertainment. Occasionally, he writes about Four Loko, The Block, the liquor board, and those who practice "
