A Celebration of Ozzy: A Night of Tribute with Crazy Babies and Sons of Sabbath in Toronto
- jaybroderick
- Aug 11
- 3 min read
Narrative, and all photos by: Michael Drukarsh
Toronto, Canada - On July 5th, 2025, 50 thousand fans gathered for the Black Sabbath/Ozzy Osbourne farewell concert in Auston, Birmingham. Another 4 million plus streamed it live around the world. Then on July 22, 2025, a mere 17 days later, the entire world gathered to mourn the passing of the legendary Ozzy Osbourne.
Since the 22nd of July, bands around the world have been paying tribute to the Prince of Darkness. From stadiums to arenas, concert halls to pubs, artists are finding ways to thank Ozzy for his contributions to music and to pay tribute to his legacy as a performer and all around incredible person. On August 9th at The Phoenix Concert Theatre in Toronto, a few hundred metal heads gathered to pay their respects to Ozzy, and jam along with two incredible tribute bands, Toronto’s very own Crazy Babies and Sons of Sabbath.
Crazy Babies
As the lights dimmed, O Fortuna, the famous concert opening for the Oz Man, played across the venue. The stage lights rose as Rod “Ozzy” Clarke took the stage dressed in Ozzy’s familiar black track suit. Kicking straight into show opener “I Don’t Know” it was obvious, Rod and the band knew what they were doing. Usually the crowd needs to warm up a bit before they engage, but Crazy Babies had them hooked from the first notes of Mad Brad “Zakk” Malatte’s guitar. Screaming out the chorus as Rod thrust the mic into the crowd, Crazy Babies brought not only the sound but the feel of an Ozzy concert to The Phoenix.
Continuing with the hits, the band, along with Clarke and Malatte, included Nick Mav on drums, Jesse Winn on bass, did note for note covers spanning a good portion of Ozzy’s solo career including "Mr. Crowley", "I Don’t Wanna Stop", "Desire", "Bark at the Moon" and of course show closer "Crazy Train". A beautiful rendition of “Mamma I’m Coming Home” brought the audience to tears remembering their fallen hero all while Rod nailed Ozzy's voice and was pretty damn close to Ozzy’s mannerisms and stage presences.
Sons of Sabbath
After a brief intermission, the lights once again dimmed and Sons of Sabbath were ready to take the stage. With a close look-alike Nick “Tony Iommi” Pops (the dead give away was playing the guitar right handed), and the drummer Nick Mav pulling double duty (this time with shirt off ala Bill Ward). “Ozzy” once again took the stage and to my surprise, was once again Rod Clark. This time adorned in crosses, the Sons of Sabbath singer went straight for the jugular starting the set with "Wicked World" and going right into "Wall of Sleep". While Phony Iommi took most of the spotlight with his incredible playing, it was the bass player, Luke Vasilakos (aka Lukey Vee), who really stole the show. Not moving much around the stage, he hit the groove and tone of Geezer Butler with incredible accuracy. His bass solo into "NIB" was absolutely killer. Mav, much like Bill Ward, carried the swing that provided the backbone for hits like "Black Sabbath", "Fairies Wear Boots" and of course "Iron Man".
A mind blowing cover of "Into the Void" showcased Rod’s uncanny ability to cover even the most technically difficult songs from Ozzy’s long catalog. Finishing with "Paranoid" but coaxed into one more song, Sons of Sabbath ended the night with an incredible version of "Children of the Grave".
The music world and fans around the world will be mourning Ozzy’s passing for a long time to come, but it is comforting to know that bands like Crazy Babies and Sons of Sabbath will be around to continue Ozzy’s legacy and give headbangers a reason to gather, to celebrate and to "Never Say Die".
Concert Photo Gallery (all photos by: Michael Drukarsh)
show date: August 9, 2025
I saw a double header at the Rockpile last Friday. A rubber chicken flew onto the stage and Ozzy in all his glory bit the head off of the chicken! A classic moment!