Retirement Was Never in the Cards: Ozzy Osbourne’s 1995 Mexico Stop
In 1995, Ozzy visited Mexico for the first time weeks before doing the same in Brazil, Chile and our country as part of his Retirement Sucks Tour. For fans across Latin America, it was more than a concert announcement — it was a once-in-a-lifetime chance to witness the Prince of Darkness in his prime, defying the very notion of stepping away from the stage.
By 1992, Ozzy had already made headlines with his so-called “farewell” tour, leading many to believe that the curtain had truly fallen on one of rock’s wildest careers. But as those who know him best would tell you, retirement never really suited Ozzy. By 1995, with the launch of the Retirement Sucks Tour, he was proving to the world that music was not just his profession but his lifeblood. Mexico, Brazil, and Chile became the proving grounds where thousands of fans gathered, eager to see if the legend still had the fire. Spoiler: he did.
The Mexico shows in particular were drenched in energy. Ozzy took the stage with the raw charisma that had first made him famous as the voice of Black Sabbath and later as a solo titan of heavy metal. His setlist blended classics like “Crazy Train” and “Mr. Crowley” with newer material, showing both his respect for the past and his refusal to stop evolving. The crowd, many of whom had never seen him live before, roared with the kind of passion that only comes from decades of waiting.
The Retirement Sucks Tour was more than a cheeky title. It was a statement of intent. Ozzy Osbourne was telling the world that no matter what the headlines said, no matter how many times he teased the idea of hanging it up, the stage was where he belonged. For fans in Mexico and beyond, those concerts were unforgettable proof that legends don’t fade quietly. They roar back, louder than ever.
Even today, nearly three decades later, the memory of Ozzy’s 1995 Latin American dates lives on as one of the defining chapters in his career. He may have toyed with the idea of retirement, but Mexico was where he proved — once again — that the Prince of Darkness was still very much alive, electric, and unstoppable.
These images were taken by the Mexican photographer Fernando Aceves in the archaeological zone of Teotihuacán (particularly in the Pyramid of the Moon) of the Aztec country:
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