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July 24, 2008 |
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01. I Don't Know
02. That I Never Had
03. Believer
04. Junkie
05. Mr. Crowley
06. Gets Me Through
07. Suicide Solution
08. No More Tears
09. I Don't Want To Change The World
10. Road To Nowhere
11. Crazy Train
12. Mama, I'm Coming Home
13. Bark At The Moon
14. Paranoid
Bonus Footage
- Biography
- Discography
- Videography
- Behind The Scenes – The Obsournes In Japan
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OZZY...no need to mention the last name. Metalheads young and old know who he is and have heard at least one of his albums, or at minimum, they know that he's the guy who bit the head off the bat. The man is a legend, and this 2002 release may likely be the last time you see him somewhat coherent and aware of what's going on around him. No disrespect to OZZY, but from more recent television footage of 'The Osbournes' and various interviews, the end of his time on the throne may be drawing near for the Prince of Darkness.
Video (6/10)
OZZY has a history of delivering intense live shows. This time he's invading your living room in Dolby 5.1 surround with his February 15, 2002 show at Budokan Hall in Tokyo, Japan. Sorry to say, but as far as OZZY is concerned, that intensity is gone. His stage presence is almost non-existent as he stands center-stage for the majority of the evening, occasionally jogging across the stage to get water. The best scenery the stage has to offer besides the usual colored lights and spotlights is a backdrop which unfolds about halfway through the show, unless you also consider OZZY mooning the crowd "scenery". With his money, you would think that the Prince of Darkness could afford a better outfit than black track pants and the cheesy sequined crosses sewn onto a black shirt he showed up wearing.
One thing is certain though - OZZY is still having fun. Maybe it's the meds, but he's out there smiling and laughing a lot and moons the crowd with a sneer look on his face then whispers "I'm fucking crazy!" I had to laugh when he picked up this woman's designer hat that was tossed on stage and put it on his head, as he looked ridiculous. In fact, I think Zakk (Wylde) gave him the same look I did. OZZY demonstrates to the Japanese crowd a few of his (in)famous frog leaps (also always good for a smile). OZZY is also still in the habit of pulling his guitarist's hair. I was anxiously waiting for Zakk to haul off and belt him one. I'm not sure if OZZY's 'shake-and-stare' routine is part of his stage theatrics or the onset of Parkinson's disease.
There are two monsters on the stage, but it's not what you think - it's former SUICIDAL TENDENCIES bassist Robert Trujillo and long-time OZZY-sidekick axeman Zakk Wylde flanking OZZY up front, while former FAITH NO MORE drummer Mike Bordin provides coverage from the rear. With long-time keyboardist John Sinclair rounding out this stellar group of musicians (although he's not spotted once during the concert, even during the keyboard intros to "Mr. Crowley" or "Gets Me Through"), OZZY leads the troops into this battle on Japanese turf. His voice is still fantastic and gives 110% when he hits the stage. His performance is even more impressive considering he's now in his fifties and has been doing this for over thirty years. Trujillo is a phenomenal bassist and plays both old and new tunes flawlessly while getting a good aerobic workout running around on his side of the stage.
Zakk also executes perfectly and throws his own touch into some of the older songs. That man really has stage presence as he alternates positions between the stage monitors and the front of his amplifiers near the back of the stage. Back on the drum riser, Bordin is a ferocious skinsman and pounds for the 90-minute set like it's the last show he'll ever perform at...very impressive!
However, as good as the band and Ozzy's voice are, there are still some things that disturbed me with regard to the production of this DVD. First, it would've been nice to see close-ups of Zakk's hands while he was doing his guitar solos in each song. I mean, showing me the solo from the camera 10 rows back in the crowd is not satisfactory. When the correct camera was on Zakk, it was only for a few seconds - obviously not long enough. At least his amazing 8-minute demonstration of how to play the guitar at the end of "Suicide Solution" alone on stage was documented correctly. Zakk's fingers rip across the fretboard as he works his magic with his instrument. He even plays a little piece of "Eruption" by a guy you may have heard of (fellow guitarist Eddie Van Halen), and then gets down to business with his own rendition of "The Star Spangled Banner", much to the appreciation of the crowd.
Secondly, OZZY has found it necessary to use a teleprompter, which is probably much of the reason he stays center-stage, but I feel there is no reason for the viewer to have to see it. Personally, I would've been much happier not knowing that OZZY can't remember all the lyrics to "Paranoid", a song which I can only begin to imagine how many times he's sung. I feel that the post-production team should've made a point of eliminating the footage that has the teleprompter in plain sight. Lastly, there is one thing you should see and another you shouldn't see on stage. You SHOULD NOT see other cameramen. This is just poor production. However, you SHOULD see the band member playing the keyboard intros as they're played, not just in the DVD extras. They had the footage as the camera shows him performing live in the extras, so why not as part of the initial show?
Shame on the producers for the disrespect shown to John Sinclair by not acknowledging him properly in this video as an official band member, and shame on OZZY for keeping him so hidden on the side of the stage anyways.
Audio (8.5/10)
Contrary to the few issues with the video detailed above, the 5.1 Surround audio track is extremely well done. The rear channels take care of crowd noise and arena sound-fill while the front channels bombard you with the heavy hitting rhythm section of Trujillo and Bordin, as well as Wylde's vicious guitar attack. The center channel is also done well, making OZZY's vocals seem center stage, exactly where he spent the majority of the evening.
Extras (1/10)
There's nothing overly exciting too be seen here, and also too much work. You have the option of scrolling through 14 pages of TV text to read the biography, or you can see all of OZZY's album and video covers in the biography and discography extras. Then there's the "Behind The Scenes In Japan"...as previously mentioned, the only good thing to come out of this extra is that you actually get to see who keyboardist John Sinclair is. Other than that, there is way too much Jack and Kelly footage...shopping, fighting, eating...who really cares? The viewer would be better off with no bonus material at all, as my initial thought at the end of 29 minutes was "Wow, wasn't that a total waste of my time!"
In summary, this video IS indeed worth seeing, as OZZY and the entire band give a remarkable performance, and we can't be sure how many of those OZZY has left in his system. The slightly lower score is due mainly to post-production and nitpicking...from a long-time OZZY fan's point of view.
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