About the live music fundraising event
Held on Friday 13 February 2026, the fundraiser marked the 56th anniversary of Black Sabbath’s (Osbourne’s heavy metal band) self-titled debut album, which was released on Friday 13 February 1970.
Jess received help from Matt Thorburn at Black Oceans Media and Tom Nugara at Black-Roos Entertainment, who helped to book the show, from organising the venue, advertising materials, and social media posts. Recognising the event as “a team effort”, Jess also organised the set lists, musicians, and operations of the night.
Running for approximately 4 hours, 16 musicians from various heavy metal original and cover bands across Melbourne played as a supergroup throughout the night. Each musician changed around every second song or so, starting with an Ozzy Osbourne set playing hits from his solo era, then started the second set of Black Sabbath classics following a quick break.
“The vibe of the night was electric,” said Jess, who also played on the night, “Every single person was enjoying themselves, singing along to each song with smiles on their faces, and for the sadder songs—tears.”
Recalling the success of the fundraiser, Jess said that one particular audience member, who had witnessed an original line up Black Sabbath show in the 70s, approached her at the end of the night.
“He came up and thanked me for such a great night and for doing justice to Ozzy Osbourne. He was up the front the whole night recording all the songs.”
Local musicians unite in memory
Jess mentioned that the comradery of all the musicians was amazing, especially because Osbourne, also known as ‘the Prince of Darkness’, had impacted many, if not all of them.
Musicians from the following bands played on the night:
- Alarum
- C_ntact
- Dreadnaught
- Elm Street
- Envenomed
- Escarion
- The Eternal
- Hematemesis
- OTS
- She Weaves Grotesqueries
- Wicked Smile
“Whether it was helping them discover their love of music or inspiring them to pick up an instrument, Ozzy Osbourne was a massive influence,” said Jess.
Osbourne’s health journey with Parkinson’s
Though Osbourne wasn’t always open about his health, he slowly began sharing some of his Parkinson’s symptoms in recent years, including both physical and mental challenges.
Some of his symptoms included motor issues—like walking, which he once explained in an interview as feeling like he was “walking around in lead boots.”
Depression is another Parkinson’s-related symptom that Osbourne experienced and lead him to begin taking medication. “You learn to live in the moment,” he once commented when discussing his mental health.
On his health journey with Parkinson’s, Osbourne’s wife, Sharon once commented, “It’s like you have a good day, and then a really bad day.”
Why Jess supports Fight Parkinson’s
Dedicated to Osbourne’s legacy and to support live music venues in Melbourne, as well as the wider community, Jess hopes to continue organising an annual charity show, stating that “He will forever be missed and will forever be in our hearts.”
Selling 134 tickets for the event and raising over $1,400 for Fight Parkinson’s, Jess said that it was the fact that Osbourne lived with Parkinson’s himself, that inspired her to organise the fundraiser.
“I thought it would be fitting to donate to a charity that is dedicated to assisting and providing resources to help improve the quality of life for people who live with Parkinson’s, including carers and loved ones.”
Fight Parkinson’s would like to thank Jess for all of her hard work and dedication to raising much-needed funds to help ensure that we can continue supporting members of the Parkinson’s community. We’d also like to express our gratitude to all who helped with the effort, the musicians who played, and all the individuals who paid for a ticket and attended the event.
We would also like to acknowledge Jason Vidic from Vidic Images for the outstanding live photos.
If you are interested in hosting your own fundraiser for Fight Parkinson’s, please visit Support Fight Parkinson’s Through Community Fundraising & Events or contact our friendly fundraising team on (03) 8809 0400 (Monday to Friday, 9am–5pm).
