Ex-Megadeth bassist David Ellefson was one of over 1,000 musicians who joined together for a version of Paranoid a week or so back in Mexico City as Latin America’s rock and metal community paid tribute to the late Ozzy Osbourne.
The happening took place at the Rockland festival at the CDMX Arena. It was the brainchild of the organiser Rodrigo Renovales, who brought together 200 bassists, 200 singers, 200 drummers and so on to create a wall of noise unlike no other.
That enormous ensemble played 26 songs throughout the evening, celebrating the legacy of Latin American rock and playing tracks by Caifanes, Fobia and La Cuca. But there was also time to pay tribute to those icons we have lost this year, including Ace Frehley of Kiss and, of course, Ozzy.
Ellefson was effusive about the event afterwards on Instagram, saying: “Performing Paranoid at Rockland in front of 12,000 excited fans alongside 1,000 musicians as we honoured the late, great Ozzy Osbourne at the Arena CDMX was an experience unlike anything else. The energy, the passion, the unity - absolutely unparalleled. Only in Mexico do you find a concept this bold and this powerful. That was truly one of the most fun things I've ever done.”
"With performers ranging from age 5 to 83, I fit comfortably somewhere in the middle — and the energy from every corner of that stage was absolutely electric. Grateful to have been part of something so massive, so joyful, and so truly rock 'n' roll. I'm truly honoured and incredibly appreciative of the invitation to perform with all of you.”
The bassist played at the Back To The Beginning show in July and, appearing on the Logan Show podcast a few weeks after Ozzy’s passing, reflected on that day. "I think there's a few things that we can all agree on," he said. "It's so much better to celebrate someone's life… 'Cause look, Ozzy knew he was dying. We all knew the day was coming here. I think we all thought it was going to be some time off in the distance — not so soon. That was, of course, shocking.”
“But to celebrate with him rather than just this heavy mourning after the fact. The fact that we got to celebrate with him - all of us, not just those of us who are at the show, but everybody around the world - it just showed the significance of what he meant to all of us.”
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