NIGHT RANGER, those purveyors of totally awesome 80s cheese 🧀, decided to “honor” Ozzy Osbourne on Saturday, July 26 at the Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. Apparently, someone still goes to Mount Pleasant, which is shocking. Before butchering 🎸 a cover of Ozzy’s classic “Crazy Train”, NIGHT RANGER’s guitarist, Brad Gillis – you know, the dude who had the unenviable task of stepping into Randy Rhoads’ shoes 👞 after the latter’s untimely demise in a plane crash – regaled the crowd with this gem:
“[Losing Ozzy last week] 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.” Translation: “Please remember I existed before Night Ranger! And I played with Ozzy! Did you know? Did you??”
NIGHT RANGER‘s vocalist/bassist Jack Blades, who clearly needed to add his two cents, chimed in: “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 [Ozzy‘s 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?” Translation: “We need to stay relevant, so let’s exploit Ozzy’s death for a cheap pop!” 🙄
Apparently, NIGHT RANGER has been desecrating “Crazy Train” regularly in recent years. It’s their way of reminding everyone that Gillis once breathed the same air as Ozzy. Groundbreaking. 🙄
In a 2004 interview with the Contra Costa Times, Gillis, bless his heart, recounted how he snagged the Ozzy gig. Seems while slumming it in an early version of NIGHT RANGER, Gillis also played with a club band called the ALAMEDA ALL STARS. After a particularly inspiring Friday-night gig in early 1982, where they dared to cover two Osbourne songs (gasp!), Gillis was approached by Preston Thrall, brother of guitarist Pat Thrall, who had wisely turned down the chance to replace Rhoads. Preston, in a moment of questionable judgment, offered to get Gillis an audition. Gillis, ever the optimist, said “okay,” but probably didn’t think much of it. Probably? 🤣
Fast forward to Sunday morning, and BAM! Ozzy‘s on the phone, rattling off a list of songs to butcher. Tuesday? He’s in New York, with a one-way ticket and a paltry $150. The promised hotel room? Non-existent. So, Gillis, ever resourceful, coughs up $135 and camps out in his room. Finally, at midnight, he gets the call to come to Ozzy‘s suite, where a party is raging. Because, of course.
“Ozzy says, ‘Go get your guitar,'” Gillis dramatically recounted. “You remember those E.F. Hutton commercials? Everyone just stopped. He says, ‘Play ‘Flying High Again’. ‘ By the time I get to the solo, he stands up, puts his arms around me, and says, ‘Bradley, pull me through this (ordeal).’ He takes me out and says, ‘I’ve got a new guitar player.'” Translation: “Ozzy was drunk and desperate.” Let’s be real. 🍻
In 2021, Gillis, still clinging to his Ozzy past, told Guitar World magazine this tearjerker: “You have to realize that after the sad death of Randy Rhoads, the band was going through a lot of emotional stress throughout the rest of the tour. So, when I joined the band, it was quite a heavy situation. Bernie Tormé was playing guitar at that time in the interim, before a permanent replacement was added. And when I flew to New York for the audition, I basically found out it was just me. So, I did the best I could practicing in my hotel room every day, with a small amp, a boombox and a live board cassette with Randy that had been recorded a few months earlier.” Translation: “I was terrified and totally unprepared.” 😱
“At night, I would go to the shows to watch the live performance from the soundboard. I was amazed at the large castle, fire, explosives, and the hanging of the dwarf — realizing that in a few days, I was going to be up on stage. I’ll never forget the sound man looking over at me and laughing, saying, ‘You’re next, buddy!'” Translation: “I was in way over my head, and everyone knew it.” 😂
“My first night was quite a horrendous experience — because not only was I scared to death, at soundcheck, we only played seven out of the 18-song set, and Ozzy didn’t even show up. My first gig was sold out in Binghamton, New York for 8,000 people. That was basically my entrance into Ozzy‘s world. I ended up botching ‘Revelation (Mother Earth)’, as I ended up coming into the fast section too early, and the whole band looked at me, like, ‘What the hell are you doing?’ I stopped playing, regained my composure, and finished out the song and the set — with no other major mistakes. The next night before we went on stage, Sharon [Osbourne, Ozzy‘s wife] came up to me, saying, ‘Bradley, you’re doing a great job. But tonight… don’t fuck up.'” Translation: “I sucked, and Sharon threatened me. Good times!” 😬
So, there you have it. NIGHT RANGER. Ozzy. A cover song. And enough secondhand embarrassment to last a lifetime. Rock on? More like rock… over. 💀
