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Black Sabbath’s Back to the Beginning benefit concert was full of emotion for fans who’d waited years to see Ozzy Osbourne reunited for one last show with the band he helped make famous. And for the rockers hand-picked to play with him, it was a night they’ll never forget.
Lzzy Hale, whose band Halestorm was one of the groups chosen as a supporting act for the July 5 show, in Birmingham, England, tells PEOPLE in this week’s issue that her memories of Osborne — who died on July 22 at age 76, just two weeks after the show — will forever remind her of the power of music.
“There was a point when we were all clapping and crying, and he was trying to get out of that throne, trying to stand up,” she says. “That’s the beauty of music. I bet you that he could fly in that moment. I think that this was exactly how he wanted to end that chapter.”
Jo Hale/Redferns; ROSS HALFIN
Hale, 41, says that even now, she gets “emotional” thinking about watching Osbourne’s final set, which included five solo songs and four with Black Sabbath. Osbourne played the show while sitting in a bat throne, as his Parkinson’s disease had greatly affected his mobility.
“Everybody’s tearful and crying but [with] the biggest smiles on their faces. He was just hungry until the end. He was throwing it down, and we were like, ‘Oh my god!’” Hale recalls. “Everybody was on the same page and everyone was there for the same reasons. I don’t know if we’ll ever experience anything like that again.”
Hale — whose band Halestorm will release their sixth studio album Everest on Aug. 8 — is a longtime fan of the star, and says she even spells her stage name “Lzzy” as a nod to the rocker-turned-reality TV star. She was the only woman invited to play the show, which also featured bands like Alice in Chains, Guns N’ Roses and Metallica.
“We were walking amongst rock gods,” she says. “But everybody had that same feeling, that same teenage, childlike wonder about being there. It was like, ‘Oh my god, Sabbath is here.’ You see guys like Metallica dudes and Lamb of God and all of these titans, and we’re all just little kids like, ‘Can you believe this? This is amazing. I’m so glad we’re here.’ It was wonderful.”
While Hale didn’t get a chance to sit down for a conversation with the man of the hour, as Osbourne “kept getting wheeled in and out and doing his thing,” she did spend time backstage with his wife, Sharon, and with Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi.
“Sharon was very sweet. She’s such a powerhouse,” says Hale. “We were talking about women being represented in metal, and I was just thanking her for including me and she was thanking me profusely for being a part of it.”
REUTERS/Sachin Ravikumar
Hale also was inspired by her chat with Iommi, saying, “The overall takeaway from the show was, ‘My gosh, I can feel the lineage, I can feel the roots that have been my foundation in order to be a rock and roll star right here. It was like a living, breathing thing at that event.”
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In the days since Osbourne’s death, Hale — who founded her band with brother Arejay — says she’s been focused on his contributions — and paying her own tribute. Halestorm played a show outside of Portland, Ore., the day Osbourne died and wound up dedicating the entire set to the star.
“What I’ve been doing in my own way since his passing is just, ‘Thank you Ozzy, for showing us the path less traveled and giving us a safe space to be our weird selves,’” Hale says. “I think that’s something that my little brother and I took to heart when we were kids. ‘Yeah, we’re crazy for doing this, but so is Ozzy, and he’s doing it.’”
The city of Birmingham announced on Tuesday, July 29 that it will celebrate its hometown hero with a cortege procession featuring Osbourne’s family and a live brass band performance. The rocker’s hearse will slowly make its way down the city’s Broad Street, allowing fans to say goodbye.
Osbourne’s family announced his death on July 22 in a statement obtained by PEOPLE.
“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,” the statement read. “He was with his family and surrounded by love. We ask everyone to respect our family privacy at this time.”
For more on Ozzy Osbourne, pick up this week’s issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands everywhere Friday.
