Reuniting onstage for the first time in two decades, Black Sabbath performed to a sold-out crowd of 40,000 with its all-star, one-day-only charity festival Back to the Beginning, held in Ozzy Osbourne‘s hometown of Birmingham on July 5 and serving as a farewell concert to and celebration of the longtime rocker.
Held at Villa Park, the lineup billed heavy metal music royalty like Metallica, Alice in Chains, Guns N’ Roses, Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler, The Smashing Pumpkin’s Billy Corgan, Korn’s Jonathan Davis, Wolfgang Van Halen, Yungblud and many others. Jason Momoa was in attendance as the fete’s host alongside Adria Arjona, with the Aquaman star hyping up the audience on stage and even starting a circle pit in the crowd.
“I’m more than just a fan, man. I’m obsessed with Black Sabbath and the bands that are here tonight,” the Game of Thrones alum said. “Man, all of this is in our DNA. Every character that I’ve ever played has been inspired by this music and built by this music.”
Osbourne, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2019, first sang solo, performing hits “Mr. Crowley” and “Crazy Train” while sitting on a bat throne adorned with skull designs. Then, the original members of the pioneering hard-rock band took to the stage — including guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Terence “Geezer” Butler and drummer Bill Ward — to croon “War Pigs” and “Paranoid.”
“Let the madness begin!” he yelled to attendees, per the Associated Press. “I don’t know what to say, man, I’ve been laid up for like six years. You have no idea how I feel — thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
Per Rolling Stone U.K., the birthplace of heavy metal has been looking forward to the last Sabbath and return of the Prince of Darkness for weeks, with murals and decor galore dotting the pride-filled city. The who’s who rock event included pre-recorded tributes from famous fans as well, including Dolly Parton and Elton John, per the New York Times, as well as Jack Black, who paid homage to Osbourne via a recreation of his iconic performance of “Mr. Crowley.”
Organized by wife Sharon Osbourne and Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello, the riotous affair was streamed worldwide with a two-hour delay and touted as final hurrahs for the seminal group and hometown hero himself.
Osbourne last appeared at the 2024 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony, where he did not perform, and had to cancel his previously scheduled show at the Power Trip festival in 2023. The year prior, he reunited with Iommi, and before that, the group’s final showing was The End Tour’s Birmingham concert in 2017 sans Ward.
Founded in 1968 by Osbourne in Birmingham, which eventually became the inception point for British metal, Black Sabbath’s demonic imagery and raucous sound made them a lasting influence within the genre. In the early 2000s, Osbourne’s fame grew into the TV sphere with the four-season MTV reality show The Osbournes.
All profits from Back to the Beginning will be donated to Cure Parkinson’s, Birmingham Children’s Hospital and Acorns Children’s Hospice.
Later this year, Paramount+ is set to release Ozzy Osbourne: No Escape From Now, a documentary that will explore the Black Sabbath frontman’s public persona to reveal the setbacks he has faced in recent years amid a series of medical issues.
