MARK TREMONTI Recalls Working As A Local Crew Member At OZZY OSBOURNE's Arena Show In Clemson, South Carolina

In a new interview with Neil Jones of TotalRock, ALTER BRIDGE and CREED guitarist Mark Tremonti was asked if he had an Ozzy Osbourne story to share with the listeners. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I did local crew for Ozzy back when I was in college. Yeah, back in — it was 1993. I was a freshman in college at Clemson University in South Carolina, and I was walking to the cafeteria and there was a big signup sheet: 'Ozzy Osbourne tour. Local crew needed.' And there must have been 350 signatures on there. And it was, like, '$40 for the day.' So everybody made 40 bucks working all day, but it was worth all the work. But anyways, I go up to sign on the sheet, and just the timing was so perfect — it's almost like they knew my future was gonna be in the business. That's what made me want to do this so much more. This guy comes to take down the sign and he says, 'Hey, just so you know, one of these top people on this list said they couldn't do it, so if you wanna fill in their spot.' 'Cause he saw how excited I was. I said, 'Absolutely.' So I got the job."

Mark continued: "I volunteered for everything, 'cause you'd have a group of maybe 20, 30 people in there. They'd say, 'Who wants to do this?' 'Who wants to do that?' I'm, like, 'Me, me, me, me.' So after I volunteered to work for pretty much free for the second half of the day, 'cause there was a pre-show, a post-show crew. I did both crews for the same 40 bucks. And I stayed there. I got to go on Ozzy's tour bus and look at footage of a DVD they were shooting, or maybe it would have been a tape back then. And then I got to touch [then-Ozzy Osbourne guitarist] Zakk Wylde's guitars. I didn't get to meet Zakk. I kept on telling 'em, like, 'I would love to meet Zakk.' And Zakk, it just didn't happen. But ALICE IN CHAINS was opening. SEPULTURA was the first band. So, as you can imagine, I'm just backstage backing up gear and lighting and all this stuff going, 'I need to do this with my life.'

Asked if he has had a chance to tell that story to Zakk since then, Mark said: "Of all the musicians that I haven't been able to spend quality time with, it's Zakk, for some. We just haven't crossed paths too much. I've met him him once or twice, and he's a gentleman, but it's always been around, like, 20 other [people]. Last time I met him, it was at a NAMM [show], and it was me and Zakk and Kerry King and Jerry Cantrell and Vinnie Paul and all this line of — you know, a lot of my heroes. So it wasn't really conducive to sitting down and having a deep conversation."

On July 23, 2025 — just one day after Ozzy's death — Mark took to his social media to write: "Still can't believe we lost this legend! RIP Ozzy Osbourne. I'll never forget the time I worked as a local crew member of your arena show in Clemson South Carolina. It was back in 1993, the time of my life, and I told myself that this was the dream I wanted to chase. I've always been a huge fan, thanks for the inspiration, Godspeed!"

Over the course of his career, Tremonti has cemented his position as both a world-class guitarist and a nuanced songwriter. His savage-yet-polished style has left a lasting impression on the sonic architecture of heavy music. As a founding member of the Grammy Award-winning rock band CREED, Mark saw a swift and powerful rise to fame in the 1990s. His playing continues to awe and inspire in his more recent projects, ALTER BRIDGE and his solo group TREMONTI. Mark is well known for his work ethic, a willingness to push himself out of his comfort zone, and his never-ending pursuit of growth as an artist.

ALTER BRIDGE's self-titled eighth studio album will arrive on January 9, 2026 via Napalm Records.

"Alter Bridge" was once again helmed by the band's longtime collaborator and producer Michael "Elvis" Baskette and was recorded over two months last spring at the legendary 5150 studio in California and Elvis's recording studio in Florida.

ALTER BRIDGE will embark on the "What Lies Within" tour later this month. The 31-date European leg of the trek will kick off on January 15 in Germany and will wrap on March 5 in Nottingham, U.K. Support on the tour will come from DAUGHTRY and SEVENDUST. The band also announced a headline U.S. tour featuring FILTER or SEVENDUST and Tim Montana as support in select markets. The tour kicks off on April 25 in Orlando, Florida and runs through May 24 where it wraps in Tampa, Florida.