Randall RobertsThis past weekend Ozzy Osbourne gigged BlizzCon, the convention held by top-tier gaming producer Blizzard Entertainment, the creator of, among others, World of Warcraft, Starcraft and Diablo.
From the photos that LA Weekly's Eric VanBeek snapped during the show at the Anaheim Convention Center, the legendary Black Sabbath screamer was in fine form.
The OC Weekly covered the convention over at its Heard Mentality blog. Twenty-thousand people showed up, many of them costumed, and paid $125 a pop to co-mingle with other human embodiments of the avatars that they try to blow to pieces when at home.
Ozzy Osbourne and Greek guitar god Gus G at BlizzCon; Credit: Eric VanBeek
Osbourne played the gig not with longtime guitarist Zakk Wylde, but with his rumored new guitarist Gus G, of Greek metal band Firewind. Filling in behind the kit while drummer Mike Bordin was on the road with a reunited Faith No More was Tommy Clufetos (Ted Nugent, Alice Cooper, Rob Zombie).
Nine-year-old prodigy Yuto Miyazawa; Credit: Eric VanBeek
Japanese guitarist Yuto Miyazawa is the Mozart of Metal, a prodigy who started wailing on his instrument of choice when he was a tyke. He proved it when he hopped onstage for “Crazy Train.” At one point Miyazawa rode around on Ozzy's shoulders while soloing.
Somehow Ozzy ended up with a hose; Credit: Eric VanBeek
Ozzy practiced proper firefighting when he noticed a brush fire break out in the crowd, and quickly stepped into action. He selflessly stayed behind while the masses made their way to the exits; flames consumed the convention center, but our man Ozzy didn't flee. He set the hose on the conflagration and extinguished it.
Phew. All in a day's work.; Credit: Eric VanBeek
Once the fire was put out, Ozzy cooled himself off. All in a day's work.
(None of that actually happened.)
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