Why Jason Momoa Was 'Terrified' to Host Black Sabbath + Ozzy Osbourne's Farewell Concert

You might remember that actor and avid metal enthusiast Jason Momoa emceed the historic Back to the Beginning show last July. While he surely had a great time, Momoa recently revealed why he was also “terrified” to host the event commemorating Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne’s farewell concert.

Why Was Momoa Nervous About Hosting Back to the Beginning?

This past Thursday (Jan. 15), Momoa was a guest on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, and in addition to promoting his new film (The Wrecking Crew, which arrives on Amazon Prime Video on Jan. 28), he reflected on what it was like to be at Back to the Beginning.

Early into their chat, Fallon brought up the event and the pair reflected on Ozzy’s career, influence and personality. Fallon subsequently asked Momoa how he got the job of hosting Back to the Beginning.

“He’s like a god to me,” Momoa said while looking at a photo of himself, Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne at the show.

He then explained:

So, the show got announced, and I just called everyone I knew. I called Metallica and Anthrax just to get tickets so I could be there. It’s gonna come out and it’s like there’s only limited amounts of tickets. I’m like, “Dude, I just need – me and my kids,” so I was just begging to get scraps. Then, [rock photographer] Ross Halfin called and goes, “Sharon Osbourne wants you to host it,” and I helped them out – I did a music video for [Ozzy] when he couldn’t do it [for “Scary Little Green Men”], and I did a music video for the album before it. I was like, “Anything Ozzy needs, I’ll do it,” and so they probably just remembered that and she’s like, “I want Jason to host it.”

“I’m like terrified. Terrified,” Momoa said, adding:

This [the 'Tonight Show' audience] is terrifying. Imagine a stadium and it’s everybody you love, and it’s all my music [heroes]. Everyone. Metallica. Guns N’ Roses. You can’t believe all the people that are there and you’re – dude, I’m on the poster. So, when [Ozzy] actually went up, I was with Ross and I’m right at Ozzy’s feet. I’m the closest to him – Geezer [Butler] isn’t even as close to him as I am. And I watch him with my kids, just quietly, and it was just the most – it was unbelievable, yeah.

Momoa concluded: “I loved [Ozzy] with everything."

READ MORE: Meet the Man Who Went Viral Shredding Metal Songs on His Man Boobs

What Else Did Momoa Say About Back to the Beginning?

After discussing what it was like hosting Back to the Beginning, Momoa reflected on famously moshing during Pantera’s set:

I grabbed my son and I was like, “We’re going!” My security [Liam McKiernan], my buddy who was helping me, was like, “No, you’re not.” And Liam went in there, too, and I grabbed my son. He’d never been in a mosh pit and I said, “You’re going with me, boy,” and [we] jumped over and went in there for Pantera. It was great.

You can watch the full clip below:

Jason Momoa Talks Back to the Beginning Concert on ‘The Tonight Show’ 

Other Momoa + Ozzy + Black Sabbath News

In addition to The Wrecking Crew, Momoa is working on a number of other enticing projects, including the sequel to A Minecraft Movie, Supergirl and perhaps most interestingly, Street Fighter (as green behemoth Blanka).

As for Ozzy and Black Sabbath, Loudwire recently included several songs from them in our list of the Best Metal Song of Each Year Since 1970. For example, “Black Sabbath” took the 1970 spot and “Crazy Train” dominated in 1980.

Plus, Black Label Society will honor Ozzy on their upcoming 12th studio LP – Engines of Demolition – which arrives on March 27. How? By dedicating an entire song (aptly titled “Ozzy’s Song”) to our beloved Prince of Darkness!

You can preorder Engines of Demolition here.

So, did you think Jason Momoa did a good job hosting Back to the Beginning?  Let us know!