The 2025 MTV Video Music Awards proved that sometimes, even in our hyper-produced entertainment landscape, raw emotion can still cut through the noise. On a night typically dominated by carefully choreographed spectacles and viral moments, it was an unvarnished tribute to the recently departed Ozzy Osbourne that left an indelible mark on everyone at New York’s UBS Arena.
Let’s be real — award show tributes can often feel forced, even hollow. But this wasn’t that. Not even close.
The unlikely alliance of Aerosmith veterans Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, alongside guitar wizard Nuno Bettencourt and British punk provocateur Yungblud, delivered something that felt more like a séance than a performance. Coming just weeks after Osbourne’s passing in July at 76, the air crackled with an electricity that no production team could manufacture.
Before the first power chord even rang out, something felt different. Yungblud stalked the red carpet wearing Ozzy’s own gold cross — a gift from their 2022 collaboration that spoke volumes about their connection. The necklace wasn’t just jewelry; it was a torch passed between generations. His Instagram tribute after Ozzy’s death said it all: “Your cross around my neck is the most precious thing I own.” No PR team could script that kind of genuine devotion.
Bettencourt brought his own emotional baggage to the stage. Fresh from what turned out to be Ozzy’s final Black Sabbath show in Birmingham, he’d described it as “heavy metal summer camp” — his voice catching slightly during pre-show interviews. “Ozzy was like our dad, our grandfather… it was like a community coming together.”
The tribute kicked off with Jack Osbourne’s recorded introduction — equal parts son’s farewell and rock historian’s tribute. Then came that moment. When Yungblud belted out that iconic “All aboard!” to launch into “Crazy Train,” something electric happened. It wasn’t imitation; it was channeling. Bettencourt’s fingers danced through Randy Rhoads’ legendary solo while the generational mix on stage embodied everything great about rock’s ability to reinvent itself.
And yeah, there were tears. Just like Bettencourt predicted.
The whole thing wrapped with Ozzy’s final recorded statement playing through the arena: “I’m a very lucky man. After all is said and done, I wouldn’t change a thing.” In an age where even our grief seems curated for social media, this hit different. This was real.
Maybe that’s what made this tribute stand apart from the usual awards show fare. In an industry that often feels like it’s running on autopilot, here was something that reminded everyone why rock and roll grabbed us by the throat in the first place. Raw. Real. Unfiltered. Just like Ozzy himself.
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