Photo: Hana Gustafson

On Tuesday, July 22, the Prince of Darkness, Ozzy Osbourne, passed away at age 76. In recognition of the musician’s momentous and genre-crossing impact, bands have paid tribute to him by covering select songs from his personal archive, one of which, “Crazy Train,” received special treatment from Yonder Mountain String Band, who stripped back the heavy metal composition and delivered an acoustic adaptation of the 1980-released favorite. 

Yonder Mountain String Band’s bluegrass version of the song that originally appeared on Osbourne’s debut solo album, Blizzard of Ozz, has long been a part of their live repertoire, going back to a series of 1999 performances. The song was also played as recently as 2023, according to Setlist.FM, therefore, indicates a dust-off. A sample of the band’s latest delivery of the Osbourne-original was shared on their official Instagram page. Watch below. 

Beyond the band’s tribute, they are on the road this week for their final touring stint with Railroad Earth, Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country, and special guest, fiddler Jason Carter, who recently began focusing on his solo career after his 33-year tenure supporting the Del McCoury Band. 

After Yonder, Railroad Earth and Donato performed at Salt Lake City’s The Complex on July 23, and in Reno, Nev., on July 24, the amalgamated bill will pull into Oregon for two nights of music slated for the weekend, and beginning tonight, Friday, July 25, in Bend, Ore., followed by the last of their joint dates, July 25 in Eugene. Tickets remain on sale.