One-Hit Wonder Band Disses YUNGBLUD & Aerosmith's Ozzy Osbourne Tribute

At the 2025 VMAs this past weekend, YUNGBLUD joined Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, and Nuno Bettencourt to honor Ozzy Osbourne—The Prince of Darkness—through the thing he loved most: music. Introduced by Ozzy’s son Jack alongside his children, the tribute ripped through “Crazy Train” (complete with the iconic “All aboard!”), Black Sabbath’s “Changes” (the same song YUNGBLUD performed during Ozzy’s final show, Back To The Beginning), and “Mama, I’m Coming Home.”

The performance left the audience—including Ariana Grande—in awe, but not everyone shared the sentiment. The Darkness, best remembered for their fleeting 2003 hit “I Believe In A Thing Called Love,” took a cheap shot. Guitarist Dan Hawkins posted a video of the performance on Instagram with “What a bunch of bellends” scrawled over it. In his caption, he sneered:

“Another nail in the coffin of rock n roll. Cynical, nauseating and more importantly; shit. Makes me sick how people jump on this shit to further their own careers.”

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A post shared by Dan Hawkins (@danhawkinsofthedarkness)

Let’s be blunt: Hawkins has no fucking idea what he’s talking about. YUNGBLUD has been part of the Osbournes’ circle for years, working closely with Ozzy and even joining him at his farewell show in July—an event that also featured Tyler—just weeks before Ozzy’s passing. This wasn’t opportunism; it was family honoring family.

Read more: YUNGBLUD Offers Dazzling Ozzy Osbourne Tribute At VMAs

And even if Hawkins were somehow talking about the VMAs themselves—he’s not, but just for argument’s sake—what’s the crime? Rock music is often ignored, sidelined, or flat-out absent from mainstream award shows. To see a global stage spotlighting a rock ’n’ roll tribute that bridges generations is a victory lap for the genre as a whole. The old guard and the new came together to salute one of the greatest artists of our time. That’s not the death of rock ’n’ roll. That’s the proof it’s still alive.

Overall, this is an extremely lazy take on the VMAs’ well-thought-out tribute to The Prince Of Darkness. Dare I say that Hawkins himself is the one jumping on a moment?

YUNGBLUD is currently on his North American headline tour before heading back to the UK and Europe next month. Check out his full tour schedule below and purchase tickets here.

Tour Dates:

Sept. 9, 2025—Milwaukee, WI @ The Rave/Eagles Club
Sept. 10, 2025—Detroit, MI @ The Fillmore Detroit
Sept. 12, 2025—Chicago, IL @ Riviera Theatre
Sept. 13, 2025—Windsor, ON @ The Colosseum at Caesars Windsor
Sept. 15, 2025—Brooklyn, NY @ National Sawdust
Sept. 16, 2025—Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Paramount
Sept. 18, 2025—Philadelphia, PA @ The Fillmore
Sept. 19, 2025—Boston, MA @ Roadrunner-Boston
Sept. 21, 2025—Toronto, ON @ The Danforth Music Hall
Sept. 22, 2025—Ottawa, ON @ Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Ottawa
Sept. 23, 2025—Niagara Falls, ON @ OLG Stage at Fallsview Casino
Oct. 4, 2025—Amsterdam, Netherlands @ AFAS Live
Oct. 5, 2025—Forest, Belgium @ Forest National
Oct. 7, 2025—Düsseldorf, Germany @ Mitsubishi Electric Halle
Oct. 8, 2025—Paris, France @ adidas arena
Oct. 9, 2025—St Herblain, France @ ZENITH NANTES METROPOLE
Oct. 11, 2025—Madrid, Spain @ Palacio Vistalegre
Oct. 14, 2025—München, Germany @ Zenit
Oct. 17, 2025—Prague, Czech Republic @ Tipsport arena
Oct. 18, 2025—Warsaw, Poland @ COS Torwar
Oct. 20, 2025—Berlin, Germany @ Uber Eats Music Hall
Oct. 22, 2025—Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg @ Rockhal
Oct. 24, 2025—Frederiksberg, Denmark @ K.B. Hallen
Oct. 25, 2025—Johanneshov, Sweden @ Annexet
Oct. 27, 2025—Hamburg, Germany @ Sporthalle Hamburg
Oct. 29, 2025—Vienna, Austria @ Wiener Stadthalle
Oct. 31, 2025—Bergamo, Italy @ Radisson Blu Hotel, Bergamo ChorusLife

One-Hit Wonder Band Disses YUNGBLUD & Aerosmith’s Ozzy Osbourne Tribute

Read more: YUNGBLUD Offers Dazzling Ozzy Osbourne Tribute At VMAs

Tour Dates:

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