- Because of all that, I was a little out of tune – but it was worth it. To have that introduction and reaction was good for my soul.”
The_Phoenician
Jake E. Lee explained why his guitar was “a little out of tune” at the final Black Sabbath & Ozzy show, and reflected on the overwhelmingly positive reception he got from the audience and his peers.
“Back to the Beginning” — which saw Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath sing their swan song weeks before The Prince of Darkness departed this earth — is already guaranteed to enter rock music history. Among the many historic moments the world got to see on July 5 at Birmingham’s Villa Park stadium was the triumphant return of Jake E. Lee to the Ozzy Osbourne sphere, as the beloved guitarists performed “The Ultimate Sin” alongside Nuno Bettencourt, Mike Bordin, David Ellefson, Lzzy Hale, and Adam Wakeman, as well as “Shot in the Dark” with David Draiman on vocals.
The moment was heartwarming not only because fans got to see Lee perform the songs he once made famous 38 years after leaving Ozzy’s band, but also because he was apparently playing as well as ever after literally getting shot in the dark last October.
At the same time, some fans noticed that Lee’s guitar sounded out of tune, while others suggested that Lee could be seen reacting to the realization after he started playing.
Speaking to Guitar World in a recent interview, Lee explained how he found himself in that situation (via Guitar):
“I was backstage, and I knew my guitar needed tuning. And I kept saying, ‘Where’s the rest of the band? Shouldn’t I be out there?’ But they said, ‘No, we’re not ready for you?’ I was like, ‘Okay… can I go out now?’ They said, ‘Okay, you can go.’ Then they led me to stage right, and I said, ‘Shouldn’t I be stage left? I’m playing over there…’ But they said, ‘No, you’ve got to go this way…'”
“So I came out, and I hadn’t heard anything, but Nuno [Bettencourt] had the crowd chanting my name. And I walked out, and Lzzy [Hale] and Nuno are doing little bows to me. [Laughs] Then Nuno grabbed me and gave me a kiss on the cheek!”
He added:
“The crowd was chanting my name. It was overwhelming. I’m surprised I didn’t trip and fall down! But because of all that, I was a little out of tune – but it was worth it. To have that introduction and reaction was good for my soul.”
“And then, with ‘Shot in the Dark’, we rehearsed it a certain way, but I think David got a little excited and jumped ahead. So I didn’t get to do my cool harmony at the beginning, but that’s okay! Did I play my best? Maybe not. Was I in tune? Maybe not. Was it fantastic and amazing? Absolutely.”
