Ghost Dedicated One of Their Biggest Shows Ever to Ozzy Osbourne

It was supposed to be a tentpole moment for the already massive Ghost — their first time playing the iconic Madison Square Garden — but a cloud of grief and loss hung over the tens of thousands in attendance. News of Ozzy Osbourne’s passing had rippled through the crowd earlier that day and many knew that without “The Prince of Darkness”, there’s a very real chance Tobias Forge’s brainchild doesn’t exist.

So it only made sense that Forge, who had just performed as Papa V Perpetua at the ‘Back to the Beginning’ show in Birmingham to send Osbourne and Black Sabbath off into retirement, address the crowd a few songs into the show.

“We’re going to dedicate tonight’s show to the memory of the life and laughter of Ozzy Osbourne. For being the Prince of Darkness, he sure gave us a lot of light.”

What followed was tens of thousands of fans chanting “Ozzy” before Ghost launched into “The Future Is a Foreign Place”.

Forge has not hidden Ozzy’s importance to Ghost’s inception in the past. Prior to his performance in Birmingham on July 5, where he covered “Bark At The Moon”, he said Ozzy’s solo career heavily influenced how his musical approach changed.

Papa V dedicating the Madison Square Garden ritual to Ozzy Osbourne
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