Rob Halford was set to provide support with Judas Priest for Ozzy Osbourne on his farewell tour. Due to numerous health issues and the coronavirus pandemic, Ozzy’s tour was postponed. However, The Prince of Darkness canceled all remaining tour dates last month saying he was physically unable to tour anymore.
In a new interview with Metal Hammer, the Metal God expressed empathy and appreciation for Ozzy. He said, “I can only reinforce what all of Ozzy’s fans, including us in Judas Priest, have said to him though, which is that he has done so much for all of us in rock and metal. He’s done so much for his fans, and we all know how bad he feels about having to cancel because he lives for those fans. You can see that every time he goes onstage, he’s beaming and connecting with everybody.”
Halford added, “It was terrible for him to have to make that important – and, to be honest, right – decision. He made the right call. I don’t think he wanted to put himself through a thing where it’s like ‘Okay, we’ll have a go’ then have to cancel after a couple of shows.”
He concluded, “Even though there’s a lot of love for him and a lot of care and understanding, I’ve seen what the British metal maniacs have been saying and it’s exactly how I feel too – put your feet up, you’ve earned it!”