LIVE REVIEW: Ozzy Osbourne + Slash @ Gibson Ampitheatre 2/1

Two rock ‘n roll legends, one stage, one night. If ever there was a great moment in rock history, that moment was last Tuesday night at the Gibson Amphitheater. Guitar god, Slash, accompanied by singer, Myles Kennedy (Alter Bridge), treated concertgoers to a very special evening of Guns N’ Roses and Velvet Revolver songs.

The crowd embraced Myles Kennedy, as he put his best boot forward and unleashed his internal Axl Rose on “Nightrain,” “Rocket Queen,” “Paradise City,” and “Sweet Child O’ Mine.” Slash stood in his usual rock pose with his black top hat, tattered leather pants, unzipped vest, and shiny guitar draped across his chest. He annihilated every single song, including Velvet Revolver’s “Slither” and “Back To Cali” off his 2010 self-titled album.

The anticipation grew stronger as the lights went black and a sinister laugh resonated throughout the venue. The Prince of Darkness was ready to plow his crazy train right into the audience. But before Ozzy Osbourne set foot on stage, a video-spoof montage appeared of Ozzy as a blue Avatar ready for self-gratification. Fortunately, the scene cut straight to the Jersey Shore cast including a very Guido Ozzy, who called Snooki all sorts of endearing names. The spoofs continued with Lady Gaga’s “Telephone” featuring Ozzy as a very grotesque tranny in fishnets, and as a shimmery “Prince of Fucking Darkness” in Twilight. It was no surprise that Ozzy would poke fun at pop culture and himself – after all, he has morphed into a caricature of himself.

The Godfather of heavy metal emerged and greeted the audience with “Let me see your fucking hands!” as he dove right into “Bark at the Moon.” The crowd roared as Ozzy dunked his entire head in a bucket of water and belted out “Let Me Hear You Scream!”

There is something extraordinary about a 62-year old man who still manages to beguile and excite the masses with profanity, a facial expression, and reckless stage antics. Albeit, there were no bat head biting moments, but he did spray the audience with a soapy water hose.

Between the jovial, heartfelt adoration for the crowd and spraying suds into their faces, Ozzy and co. gave us all a friendly reminder of how great of an entertainer he really is. “Suicide Solution,” “Fire in the Sky,” and “Crazy Train” was performed at such high decibels, my eardrums literally imploded. Black Sabbath songs also made a cameo to the delight of everyone in attendance; “Fairies Wear Boots,” “War Pigs,” and ending the night with “Paranoid.”

This was a glorious night of rock mayhem that deserved a permanent fist pump devil horn in my book.