Ozzy Osbourne said he’d rather do a bad show than let a waiting audience down and admitted he’s done so in the past.

Despite health issues that led him to announce in February that his touring days were over, the Black Sabbath icon is supposed to return to the stage for the inaugural Power Trip festival in California on Oct. 6-8. In a recent interview with Metal Hammer, he explained why he found it so difficult to bow out for good.

“I remember some good gigs, and I’ve done my fair share of fucking bad gigs,” Osbourne said. “A guitar player can change his guitar. A drummer can change the drum. If my voice goes, I’m fucked. … One time I was at a gig at Nassau Coliseum in New York. On the way to the gig, my voice went out. The kids were already there, and I thought, ‘What the fuck am I gonna do now?’ I went out and tried to sing. … They gave me a standing ovation. The kids would rather see you being bad than go home.”

He added that performing live was the main driving force of his life. “I’ve had to cancel my [2023] European tour but I’m determined,” he stated.

“I’ve gotta do more gigs if I have to get someone to wheel me out there. I mean, you can’t retire from this game. It’s not a job, it’s a fucking passion. I don’t know how to do anything else. … The thought of sitting in my house all day … I’m a road dog, you know? I’ve been doing it fucking 55 years. It’s the best thing to have ever happened to me.”

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