Mac Sabbath Brings Its Weird Tribute To Black Sabbath & McDonald’s To Cheyenne

I’ve been a Black Sabbath fan from moment when, as a scrawny 14-year-old holed up in my room with a cheap tape deck, I first heard the thunderous opening riffs of “War Pigs.”

Sadly, I never got a chance to see Sabbath in concert. It’s one of the few genuine regrets I have.

But I got a taste of the Sabbath experience, so to speak, on Wednesday when I went to see Mac Sabbath in concert at The Lincoln in downtown Cheyenne.

Doom Metal Meets McDonaldland

How does one even describe Mac Sabbath?

Well, imagine four guys dressed up as McDonaldland characters playing classic Black Sabbath songs riff-for-riff — except the song titles and lyrics are about fast food.

It’s every bit as bizarre and absurd as it sounds. It also was the most damn fun I’ve had in a long time.

The original Black Sabbath lineup from Birmingham, England, consisted of singer Ozzy Osbourne, guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler and drummer Bill Ward.

Mac Sabbath is vocalist Ronald Osbourne (dressed to resemble Ronald McDonald), guitarist Slayer MacCheeze (Mayor McCheese), bassist Grimalice (Grimace) and Catburglar (sort of a cross between the Hamburglar and KISS drummer Peter Criss).

As Mac Sabbath took the stage, Ronald Osbourne announced that they are from “Birminghamburger,” wherever that is.

‘Drive-Thru Metal’

The members of Mac Sabbath are Americans. The band was formed in Los Angels in 2014. But while onstage and in character, Ronald Osbourne sings and speaks in an exaggerated English accent, mimicking Ozzy’s punch-drunk style.

He also lurches and hops across the stage, awkwardly claps his hands, laughs manically and randomly shouts out, “Let’s go crazy!” and “We Love you!” just like Ozzy back in the day.

So, very much like a Black Sabbath show.

Except, the aforementioned “War Pigs” in Mac Sabbath style is “More Ribs.” Likewise, “Iron Man” is morphed into “Frying Pan,” “Paranoid” is “Par-a-Buns” and “Sweet Leaf” becomes “Sweet Beef.”

The lyrics are similarly warped.

For instance, the first line of “Iron Man” is: “Has he lost his mind, can he see or is he blind?”

But when Ronald Osbourne belts out “Frying Pan,” he sings: “Cows we’re going to grind, hope your stomach is well-lined.”

In interviews, the band has described its music genre as “drive-thru metal.”

Ronald Osbourne has stated that they’re not really praising fast food, but are rather trying to warn the world about its evils.

Not Sure What To Expect

Over the past few years, I’ve watched some Mac Sabbath videos on YouTube. I gained an appreciation for their ability to replicate the classic Black Sabbath sound, as well as the weirdness of the act.

I walked into the Lincoln on Wednesday evening not sure what to expect. Who else had even heard of this band? What sort of people would show up for something so strange?

I was surprised to find a varied gathering of pleasant folks representing a wide range of ages.

There were grizzled old metalheads who I guessed had probably started listening to Black Sabbath way back during the band’s heyday in the 1970s.

There were also folks my age, Gen Xers who likely got hooked on Black Sabbath in the ’80s when Ronnie James Dio was the singer. There were also millennials and Gen Z, and even some young kids who had come with their parents or grandparents.

Band Has Social Media Presence

Back in the days of my youth, we discovered bands primarily through word-of-mouth, or perhaps videos on MTV.

More with current times, Mac Sabbath seems to draw much of its audience through social media.

One younger fan, Lola Ringrose of Cheyenne, had really gone all-out for the show, dressing up as Ronald McDonald.

She told me that she was a fan of Black Sabbath and became interested in Mac Sabbath after seeing some of their postings on Instagram.

What she appreciates most is “the humor” and “the general weirdness of it.”

Next, I visited with Jeremy Nell and Drew Hamel, also of Cheyenne.

Nell – likewise a longtime Black Sabbath fan – first encountered Mac Sabbath on Facebook and was drawn in by “the overall craziness of it.”

One of their songs in particular impressed him.

“When I heard ‘Sweet Beef,’ that had me sold outright,” and he knew he’d have to come see the show.

Hamel didn’t really know much about Mac Sabbath, but came at Nell’s behest.

“He said, ‘Hey, do you want to come see a concert?’” Hamel said. “And I was like, ‘Sure, how often can you go see a concert in Cheyenne on a Wednesday night? F**k it. Why not?’”

Thunderous Chords And Flying Hamburgers

There were two opening acts.

Spaceman Bob, a strange, nerdy rapper accompanied by background tracts and a live drummer, was surprisingly good.

Then the Tejon Street Corner Thieves performed some loud, bluegrass-influenced songs mostly about drinking and bad luck.

Finally, the moment came for Mac Sabbath to take the stage.

The band roared to life with an authentic Black Sabbath sound that was glorious and mighty.

Ronald Osbourne performed in front a grill set up on center stage, frequently pretending to cook chicken, beef patties and other greasy entrees.

The crowed howled, yelled and head-banged in enthusiastic approval.

I was right up front, near center stage, having the time of my life. Toward the end of the set, my neck was getting sore from head-banging and my voice had gone hoarse from yelling and screaming.

I appreciated each and every song. In a way, it really was like finally getting to see Black Sabbath, if only vicariously.

The band even gave a nod to another of my favorite heavy metal icons, Iron Maiden, playing the Maiden classic “The Trooper,” but changed it to be “The Grouper,” about fast food fish patties.

But my favorite had to be “Frying Pan.”

About halfway through the song, the band and their stage hand (dressed up in a McDonald’s uniform as “Employee of the Month”) tossed giant inflatable hamburgers into the audience. The fans dutifully kept the burgers aloft, volleying them back and forth.

Then the singer cooked a fake bat on the grill and bit its head off — a tribute to the time that Ozzy Osbourne is said to have bitten the head off a live bat.

I’d give Mac Sabbath a rating of four out of five stars (or maybe four out of five undercooked burger patties).

My only disappointment is that they didn’t delve into any of Black Sabbath’s Dio-era material. I mean, maybe “Children of the Sea” could be changed to “Children of the Cheese,” perhaps?

Then again, I’m not sure Ronald Osbourne quite has the vocal prowess to match Dio’s soaring voice.

At any rate, I walked out of the Lincoln with my ears ringing, a huge grin on my face and a hankering for some fries.

Contact Mark Heinz at mark@cowboystatedaily.com

Mark Heinz can be reached at mark@cowboystatedaily.com.