PRIMUS paid tribute to Ozzy Osbourne by performing a cover of the BLACK SABBATH classic “N.I.B.” during the Les Claypool-fronted outfit’s July 28 concert at Saenger Performing Arts Theater in New Orleans, Louisiana. Handling lead vocals for the track was Puddles Pity Party, the sad clown alter ego of Atlanta entertainer Mike Geier. Check out fan-filmed video of the performance below.
PRIMUS is currently on the “Onward & Upward Tour”, which is the first to feature new drummer John Hoffman alongside Claypool and guitarist Larry “Ler” LaLonde.
The night after Ozzy‘s death, PRIMUS paid musical and visual tribute to the legendary heavy metal singer during a concert at Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater in Bridgeport, Connecticut by teasing BLACK SABBATH‘s “Iron Man” and playing a snippet of Osbourne‘s classic “Crazy Train” while images of the Prince Of Darkness appeared on the screens behind the band. Later in the set, BLACK SABBATH‘s “Paranoid” served as the intro to “HOINFODAMAN”.
Ozzy famously teamed up with PRIMUS to record a version of “N.I.B.” for 2000’s “Nativity In Black II” compilation, the second of a series of a series of BLACK SABBATH tribute albums. Their collaborative track also appeared on Osbourne‘s 2005 box set “Prince Of Darkness”.
Ozzy died the morning of July 22, his family announced in a statement.
“It is with more sadness than mere words can convey that we have to report that our beloved Ozzy Osbourne has passed away this morning. He was with his family and surrounded by love. We ask everyone to respect our family privacy at this time,” the family said.
No cause of death was given, but Osbourne had battled a number of health issues over the past several years, including Parkinson’s disease and injuries he sustained from a late-night fall in 2019.