Ozzy Osbourne @ Oxford O2 Academy (From Oxford Mail)

Ozzy Osbourne @ Oxford O2 Academy

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A SURVIVOR,an icon, or just plain insane?

Many people will think Ozzy Osbourne is a legend or just a bumbling geriatric grasping to the last thread of fame that his reality show has given him.

Even though he's been at the top of the metal pyramid for nearly 40 years, that didn't stop a sell-out crowd packing the Oxford Academy for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see one of metal's most colourful figures.

For me, he is a rock star who has influenced my musical taste since the tender age of five years, since he appeared on Top of the Pops dressed as a wolf.

From that moment, I knew he was someone who would shape my musical tastes.

As you enter a gig, some people have an anticipation of what they are about to witness. Personally, I thought that entering to 'Bark at the Moon' was the perfect introduction, as it was all those years ago.

A psyched crowd greeted the veteran performer with the obligatory arm-waving and fist-pumping before he embarked on a show which belied his coffin-dodging credentials.

When you see Ozzy Osbourne it is not just a performance of his current hits, even though he has just released a new album, 'Scream', but also a taste of his back catalogue of solo numbers and tracks from his past life, in the seminal metal band Black Sabbath.

'War Pigs', 'Rat Salad' and 'Paranoid' featured from his early career as the frontman of Sabbath, while 'Mr Crowley', 'Suicide Solution' and 'Shot in the Dark' appeared from a slightly hit-and-miss solo career that has, in itself, spanned nearly 30 years.

Even though he still pleased the crowd, occasionally treating the front row of the Academy sweatbox to a bucket of much-needed water, there must be thoughts as to how much long he can keep such a high energy performance going, as his seriously abused body slides past the 60 year mark.

If he does give up gigging, fans will miss a true character from a genre-defining period.

He's not ready to pass on his 'Prince of Darkness' crown yet.

And, no, there was not a bat in sight!