This past Saturday, July 26, Night Ranger played the outdoor stage at The Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort in Mount Pleasant, Michigan.
Just prior to launching into a cover of the classic Ozzy Osbourne song “Crazy Train”, Night Ranger guitarist Brad Gillis — who replaced Randy Rhoads in 1982 after the brilliant, young guitarist died in a plane crash — addressed the audience about the recent passing of Ozzy: “That was a kick in the gut for me. I don’t know how many people know, but I played with Ozzy back in ’82 after the tragic death of Randy Rhoads. And I finished that tour and did the Speak Of The Devil record. And Night Ranger came out and had our record going, so I left Ozzy, and here I am with Night Ranger 43 years later. But Ozzy Osbourne, man, he gave me my start. So, thank you very much.”
Night Ranger vocalist/bassist Jack Blades added: “Tommy Shaw (Styx) and I wrote some songs with (Ozzy) on the Ozzmosis record, and he was a good friend of ours and he was a good friend of the Night Ranger family. And (his death) really hit hard — it really hit hard at home. So, we thought we’d play an Ozzy song tonight. What do you guys say?”
Fan-filmed video of Night Ranger paying tribute to Ozzy Osbourne, by playing “Crazy Train” live, can be enjoyed below:
Ozzy’s family – wife Sharon, and children Jack, Kelly, Aimee and Louis, shared the following brief message announcing Osbourne’s passing on July 22, 2025:
“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.”
Make sure you are subscribed to the BraveWords YouTube channel.
Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/user/Bravewords666?sub_confirmation=1
