Rock legend Ozzy Osbourne gave a farewell concert at the Villa Park football stadium in Birmingham as part of a large-scale charity show, The Independent reported.
Together with Osbourne, for the first time in 20 years, the original members and creators of the rock band Black Sabbath took the stage: guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler and drummer Bill Ward.
First, the 76-year-old Osbourne, sitting on a makeshift throne due to his inability to walk due to a spinal injury, performed five of his most popular songs from his solo repertoire - I Don't Know, Mr Crowley, Suicide Solution, Crazy Train and Mama, I'm Coming Home. Then came classic Black Sabbath hits - War Pigs, N.I.B., Iron Man and Paranoid.
At the end of the performance, Ozzy was given a cake and fireworks flew into the sky.
In honor of Osbourne's farewell concert, a grandiose Back to the Beginning show was held in his native Birmingham, which lasted about 10 hours. The organizer of the event was the guitarist of the rock band Rage Against the Machine, Tom Morello. According to him, this is the “greatest metal show“ in history. The concert featured Metallica, Slayer, Guns N' Roses, Anthrax, Alice in Chains, Pantera, Halestorm, Lamb of God, Mastodon, Rival Sons, Tool and Gojira.
Two supergroups were created especially for the event. The first of them included Extreme guitarist Nuno Bettencourt, Megadeth bassist David Ellefson, Faith No More drummer Mike Bordin, Halestorm vocalist Lizzie Hale, guitarist Jake E. Lee, keyboardist Adam Wakeman, Disturbed vocalist David Draiman, Ugly Kid Joe vocalist Whitfield Crane, rock musician and Anthrax rhythm guitarist Scott Ian, and Anthrax bassist Frank Bello.
They played popular Ozzy and Black Sabbath songs such as The Ultimate Sin, Shot in the Dark, Sweet Leaf, Believer, and Changes.
The second supergroup included Morello, The Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan, former Judas Priest guitarist Kenneth Downing, bassist Rudy Sarzo, former Van Halen vocalist Sammy Hagar, Living Colour founder Vernon Reed, Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith, Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker, Swedish Ghost vocalist Tobias Forge, Aerosmith vocalist Steven Tyler, The Rolling Stones member Ronnie Wood, Tool drummer Danny Carey and the band's guitarist Adam Jones.
They performed the iconic rock songs Breaking the Law by Judas Priest, Snowblind (Black Sabbath), Flying High Again and Bark at the Moon (Ozzy), Rock Candy (Montrose), Train Kept A-Rollin' (Tini Bradshaw), Walk This Way (Aerosmith) and Whole Lotta Love (Led Zeppelin).
The event was hosted by American actor Jason Momoa. The concert also featured video messages from world celebrities, including singer Elton John, rocker Marilyn Manson and comedian Ricky Gervais, who said that Osbourne and his career were an inspiration to them.
The Independent estimates that the show, which was attended by Osbourne fans from all over the world, will bring Birmingham about 20 million pounds ($ 27.3 million). The musician himself, immediately after the announcement of the concert, emphasized that it was important for him to take the stage for the last time in his hometown. It is noteworthy that the final performance took place at the 40,000-seat stadium of his favorite football club Aston Villa, which is located about 500 meters from the house where Osbourne grew up.
Tickets for “Back to the Beginning“ were sold out in less than half an hour. The organizers decided to organize an online broadcast of the concert, which was delayed by two hours. The cost of the broadcast was 25 pounds ($ 34) excluding service fees. According to The Independent, over 250,000 people used this option in the first few hours of the show alone.
The proceeds will go to support charities that help people with Parkinson's disease and seriously ill children. In 2020, Osbourne spoke publicly for the first time about his battle with Parkinson's disease.
Black Sabbath was formed in Birmingham in 1968. The three-time Grammy Award-winning band has sold over 75 million albums worldwide. In 2006, Black Sabbath was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
In 1980, Osbourne began his solo career and definitively cemented his status as a rock legend. His albums Blizzard of Ozz and No More Tears have been certified quadruple platinum in the US. The musician, nicknamed the “Prince of Darkness”, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist in 2024. His latest album, Patient 9, was released in 2022 and won a Grammy Award for Best Rock Album.
In 2023 Osbourne announced that he was retiring from touring due to ill health following a spinal injury he suffered in 2019. In total, Osbourne has performed over 2,500 concerts during his more than half-century career.