Ozzy Osbourne announces UK leg of 'farewell' tour - how to get tickets

Former Black Sabbath frontman says he still has no plans to retire

(Rex Features)

Ozzy Osbourne has announced dates and venues for the UK leg of what he is calling his "last ever" tour.

The former Black Sabbath frontman will perform at arenas in Nottingham, Manchester, Newcastle, Glasgow, Birmingham and London in February next year, where he will be joined by special guests Judas Priest.

"I've been extremely blessed to have had two successful music careers," the 69-year-old said. "I'm looking at this final tour as being a huge celebration for my fans and anyone who has enjoyed my music over the past five decades."

See the full list of UK dates below:

1 February 2019 – Nottingham, Motorpoint Arena

3 February – Manchester Arena

5 February – Newcastle, Metro Radio Arena

7 February – Glasgow, The SSE Hydro

9 February – Birmingham Genting Arena

11 February – London, The O2, Arena

"People keep asking me when I'm retiring," Osbourne continued. "This will be my final world tour, but I can't say I won't do some shows here and there.

"People around my age go, 'I'm 65 now, I'm retired'. Then they f***ing die. My father got a bit of cash from the job he had, did the garden and died. And I'm going, 'That's a bit of an anticlimax after working so many years in a factory'. I ain't retiring. People still want to see me, so what's there to retire from?"

Got sweaty palms already? Check out our handy tips for dealing with the demand:

1) Make sure you are ready and waiting with the web page up at least five minutes before 9am.

2) Do not let your computer, phone or whatever device holds the key to your happiness run out of battery.

3) Register your details with the website you are booking from in advance, if you can, but don’t panic if you haven’t left enough time as your tickets will be held while you fill out your information

4) Check how many tickets you are allowed to buy in one purchase. If you try to buy more than the limited number, your booking may be cancelled without notice, meaning no-one gets to go.

5) Get your friends to try too, but stay in contact in case you all succeed and end up with a bunch of tickets you didn’t want. If you do need to sell any on, do so at face value. No-one likes a tout.

6) Be patient and avoid refreshing or switching between browsers. Stick with one tab and have some faith! Be prepared to wait for an hour to get tickets.