Remembering Ozzy Osbourne's Iconic Red Rocks Show

The rock legend passed away at age 76 on July 22.

July 22, 2025

Image: Ozzy Osbourne performing at Ball Arena in 2018.

Ozzy Osbourne performing at Ball Arena in 2018. Aaron Thackeray

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Tonight, we'll bark at the moon.

Just weeks after performing his final show with Black Sabbath, Ozzy Osbourne died on July 22 at the age of 76 after a long battle with Parkinson's.

The rock legend was known as the founding vocalist of Black Sabbath, which formed in Birmingham, England, in 1968. After being kicked from the band, he pursued a solo career in the late '70s. He repeatedly said in interviews that one of his greatest inspirations was the Beatles, although the music he made was decidedly heavy metal. And his attitude was hardcore, too: Ozzy was known for his captivating stage antics, which included biting the head off of a bat at a 1982 performance in Des Moines, Iowa.

Unfortunately, he was just as well-known for his substance abuse as well, which had gotten him booted from Sabbath. And anyone who watched his iconic reality show, The Osbournes, could see that those issues lasted well throughout his life. But in 2021, Osbourne announced that he had reached seven years of sobriety, which continued until his death.

Of course, we remember Osbourne as one of metal's ultimate purveyors. He continued to tour voraciously throughout his solo career, which resulted in several live albums. That included his No More Tours tour in 1992 — a tour he would repeat again in 2018 — which he had planned after being mistakenly diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. The tour stopped at Red Rocks Amphitheatre for a two-night run on June 23 and 24. The shows included a performance of the song "Changes," featured in the 1993 live album, Live & Loud, which received a Grammy in '94 and went platinum four times.

That tour obviously didn't end up being his last. He would continue to release music and perform live, with his final tour being the No More Tours Tour II in 2018. While the tour was meant to last longer, he was forced to cancel the European leg after two years of postponements. But that tour did make it to Denver, where he performed at the Pepsi Center (now Ball Arena).

Perhaps his most well-known Colorado shows are the Red Rocks ones, however. See the video of Osbourne performing "Changes" below:

Emily Ferguson has been the music and culture editor atWestword since November 2021. In her role, Emily writes and edits profiles of local and national musicians, previews of upcoming performances and guides to the best of Denver’s entertainment scene. Her previous work experience includes contributing to the arts sections of the Wall Street Journal, The Spectator and the Free Beacon. While attending the College of Charleston, Emily was a fire performer and worked at music festivals.

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