British singer-songwriter Rod Stewart caused a stir at his concert on Aug. 1, when he projected AI images of the late Ozzy Osbourne posing next to deceased musicians in heaven.
Ever since Osbourne’s death on July 22, Stewart has been dedicating his hit song “Forever Young” to the Black Sabbath frontman at shows along his “One Last Time” tour. Conventionally, Stewart would sing the sentimental ballad with images of Osbourne projected behind him in an affectionate tribute.
According to NME, Stewart’s Aug. 1 concert at the Ameris Bank Amphitheater outside Atlanta, Ga. took the tribute in a different direction. While the song’s accompanying images started as standard shots of Osbourne, they eventually evolved into AI generated visuals of the rocker posing with the likes of Prince, Tina Turner, Bob Marley, Freddie Mercury, Kurt Cobain, George Michael and Amy Winehouse, all standing on cloudy and celestial backdrops to suggest a heavenly afterlife.
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The show also featured AI videos of Osbourne next to late controversial figures such as Michael Jackson and XXXTentacion. According to Rolling Stone, at a show in Charlotte, N.C. a few days prior, Stewart ended the song, saying, “Very sad. A lot of those people died ’cause of drugs… I’m still here, though!”
Stewart’s audience appeared understandably puzzled at the performance, with several of the concertgoers sharing their baffled reactions on social media.
Reps for Stewart and the Osbourne family did not immediately respond to Variety‘s requests for comment.
On the day of Osbourne’s death, Stewart posted on Instagram, stating, “Bye, bye Ozzy. I’ll see you up there— later rather than sooner.” The singer is yet to make a statement regarding the controversial images, as his tour continues across the United States through early October and then heads to Europe.
From Variety US