Alex Skolnick (Testament), Nuno Bettencourt (Extreme), Marty Friedman (ex-Megadeth), and Brad Gillis (Night Ranger) were among the many talented musicians who came together for the Randy Rhoads Remembered concert held on Saturday, January 25, 2014 at The Observatory in Santa Ana, CA, as tribute to the late Ozzy Osbourne guitarist.

Along with the aforementioned guitarists were many other players, each of whom performed their favorite favorite Ozzy/Randy song played through a replica Rhoads rig accompanied by a house band dubbed “The Madmen,” featuring, among others, Rudy Sarzo – Rhoad’s friend and bandmate in both Quiet Riot and Ozzy — on bass, and co-organizer of the event, Brian Tichy (Whitesnake, Ozzy, Foreigner), on drums. There were also special guest appearances by Randy’s brother Kelle Rhoads on vocals; Phil Soussan (Ozzy) on bass, and Neil Turbin (Anthrax) on vocals.

A highlight of the night came when most of the guitarists assembled on stage with acoustic guitars in hand to perform Randy’s classical piece “Dee” (from the first Ozzy solo album, Blizzard Of Ozz). You can watch video of the all-star finale here below.

Also included below are videos of some of the other standout performances of the night, including Brad Gillis of Night Ranger — who was the interim guitar in Ozzy’s live band after Randy died (he can be heard on the live album Speak Of The Devil), on “Suicide Solution”; Machine Head’s Phil Demmel on “I Don’t Know”; and Testament’s Alex Skolnick on “Believer.”

Here’s a list of some of the guitarists who participated in the Randy Rhoads Remembered: A Celebration Of A Legend concert, which was organized by the same people who put on the annual Bonzo Bash tribute to late Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham.

Nuno Bettencourt (Extreme)
Phil Demmel (Machine Head)
Gus G. (Ozzy Osbourne / Firewind)
Brad Gillis (Night Ranger)
Tracii Guns (LA Guns)
Marty Friedman (ex-Megadeth)
Kiko Loureiro (Angra)
Mitch Perry (Lita Ford / Edgar Winter)
Rowan Robertson (Dio / DC4)
Janet Robin (Precious Metal / Lindsey Buckingham / Air Supply)
Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal (Guns N’ Roses)
Brent Woods (The Moby Dicks / Vince Neil)
Phil X (The Drills / Bon Jovi)
Alex Skolnick (Testament)

Randy Rhoads found worldwide success in 1980 as lead guitarist for former Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne’s newly created solo band. His background in classical guitar combined with his frenetic riffs and solos made him a standout among the hard rock and heavy metal community. Sadly, on March 19, 1982, while on tour for Ozzy’s second album, Diary Of A Madman, the 25-year-old guitar virtuoso was killed in a plane crash, putting an end to his very promising career. Since his death, Rhoads has attained guitar god status (and rightfully so) and his work is still influencing musicians over 30 years later. His legacy lives on forever, as evidenced by this all-star tribute with contributors who were influenced by Rhoads themselves.

Randy Rhoads: December 6, 1956 – March 19, 1982

Video

[Source: Randy Rhoads Remembered via Blabbermouth]

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