Does Ozzy read his lyrics from a screen at his feet when he plays live?

Wolfe Tone

Was watching this and it appears he is.... does he do that all the time live, for all his songs? Or have I got it wrong and he is just staring at what looks like a screen for some other reason?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXX96AZwrLM

reverenddave

well in fairness to him he is 62(ish) years old,
i just think he can move around like he used to

Wolfe Tone

reverenddave wrote: »

well in fairness to him he is 62(ish) years old,
i just think he can move around like he used to

I appreciate that but it really does look like he is reading from a screen, the same in some other videos too.

brendansmith

I doubt it.
Anyone would have a big red, embarrassed face if they saw the stupidity of some of his lyrics up in front them.

Ash.J.Williams

Most of the bigger bands have this technology at their disposal in live situations...it shows setlist and lyrics. James hetfield uses it also, i'd say all the big festivals have it too.

jack presley

Axl Rose was doing this back on the Use Illusion Tour so it's nothing new.

Wolfe Tone

Ash.J.Williams wrote: »

Most of the bigger bands have this technology at their disposal in live situations...it shows setlist and lyrics. James hetfield uses it also, i'd say all the big festivals have it too.

Man thats daft, like karaoke?

scudzilla

Yes, he does use it, it's just like a Karaoke machine.

Now i also heard this about 6 years ago, take it how you will.

I worked as a roadie for a month during the summer of 2003 i think it was, the band got pretty big in the uk and europe and were on the festival scene. I heard from a few members of this band, and the tour manager, that During Ozzy/Sabbath shows, they have a guy in the wings singing along with Ozzy, but he's faded totally out of the mix, at certain points during the show, when Ozzy's voice started to waver, or he couldn't reach certain high notes, this guy was brought into the mix by the sound engineer.

I have no doubt at all that this is true as it was confirmed to me by too many people

Ash.J.Williams

Wolfe Tone wrote: »

Man thats daft, like karaoke?

Not quite, it's basically an electronic setlist, but it has the ability to show lyrics also..i'm sure the likes of hetfield only need a glance now and again...although it failed him during whiskey in the jar in dublin in 2006!!

RayCon

scudzilla wrote: »

I heard from a few members of this band, and the tour manager, that During Ozzy/Sabbath shows, they have a guy in the wings singing along with Ozzy, but he's faded totally out of the mix, at certain points during the show, when Ozzy's voice started to waver, or he couldn't reach certain high notes, this guy was brought into the mix by the sound engineer.

yeah, Ive heard that too

dasdog

I can't say I know the song but is he even singing? There's no volume dynamic for a live mic.

Nailz

scudzilla wrote: »

Yes, he does use it, it's just like a Karaoke machine.

Now i also heard this about 6 years ago, take it how you will.

I worked as a roadie for a month during the summer of 2003 i think it was, the band got pretty big in the uk and europe and were on the festival scene. I heard from a few members of this band, and the tour manager, that During Ozzy/Sabbath shows, they have a guy in the wings singing along with Ozzy, but he's faded totally out of the mix, at certain points during the show, when Ozzy's voice started to waver, or he couldn't reach certain high notes, this guy was brought into the mix by the sound engineer.

I have no doubt at all that this is true as it was confirmed to me by too many people

I'd well believe it actually, doesn't Ozzy have (had) a few doubles for like interviews and certain appearances and **** like that? I remember seeing the video for a song called "Therapy" by Infectious Grooves - for those of you who don't know that was a Suicidal Tendencies Funk Metal side project including Mike Muir and Robert Trujilo - and it featured Ozzy on it. And I could have sworn it wasn't Ozzy, it was a pretty convincing double, looked a hell of a lot like him, but you just know it wasn't him. Then I researched it a bit, and I came across a good bit of stuff on it. Did he even say he had doubles in an interview?

Wolfe Tone

I did a bit more looking, here is a screenshot from him singing paranoid in 2002, clearly a karaoke thing!

PeterIanStaker

scudzilla wrote: »

I worked as a roadie for a month during the summer of 2003 i think it was, the band got pretty big in the uk and europe and were on the festival scene. I heard from a few members of this band, and the tour manager, that During Ozzy/Sabbath shows, they have a guy in the wings singing along with Ozzy, but he's faded totally out of the mix, at certain points during the show, when Ozzy's voice started to waver, or he couldn't reach certain high notes, this guy was brought into the mix by the sound engineer.

I have no doubt at all that this is true as it was confirmed to me by too many people

Wow, that's amazing really, for all the wrong reasons. Between that and stuff like auto tune, "live" performances are under threat.

Nailz

Wolfe Tone wrote: »

I did a bit more looking, here is a screenshot from him singing paranoid in 2002, clearly a karaoke thing!

But in fairness, just because it's infront of him and at his disposal doesn't necessarily mean he uses it all the time. Although having said that, it does seem like the most awesome karaoke around! \m/

Pauleta

Its not Karaoke. He just has it there in case he forgets any of the words. He is bound to forget the words sometimes. He probably only looks at it a handful of times a show.

Wolfe Tone

Pauleta wrote: »

Its not Karaoke. He just has it there in case he forgets any of the words. He is bound to forget the words sometimes. He probably only looks at it a handful of times a show.

He stared at it for the whole song, in the first vid I posted he does the same.

JBnaglfar

Still its hardly karaoke. A musician who uses sheet music in a live performance is giving a performance no less than one who works from memory, why should Ozzy having the lyrics in front of him make any difference?

On the other hand, someone singing in the wings is a different story.

bnt

You'll see them at the Rush concert too. If a band has an huge catalogue of songs going back 40-ish years, I don't begrudge them a little help in the memory department. :cool:

Degag

I've seen Tom Araya use something similar aswell.

BostonB

I'm surprised he remembers his name tbh.

I don't think its that unsual these autocues.