Black Sabbath Reunite for Ozzy Osbourne’s Final Gig
The four original members are coming together for a charity concert in Birmingham this July.
The original Black Sabbath lineup of Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward are reuniting for the first time in two decades for one final concert this July.
Coming together for what’s being dubbed the Back to the Beginning show, the charity gig celebrates Ozzy’s final live appearance, with all proceeds from ticket sales going to Cure Parkinson’s, Birmingham Children’s Hospital and Acorn Children’s Hospice.
“It’s my time to go Back to the Beginning….time for me to give back to the place where I was born,” Ozzy Osbourne said in a statement. “How blessed am I to do it with the help of people whom I love. Birmingham is the true home of metal. Birmingham Forever.”
Held at Villa Park in Birmingham on Saturday, July 5, Sabbath will be joined by a monster lineup of heavy metal acts, with Metallica, Slayer and Pantera all performing. The bill also includes Gojira, Halestorm, Alice in Chains, Lamb of God, Anthrax and Mastodon.
If that’s not enough to make you want to sell a kidney to score a ticket, the lineup also features a supergroup that includes Billy Corgan (The Smashing Pumpkins), Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine), Fred Durst (Limp Bizkit), Jonathan Davis (Korn) and Wolfgang Van Halen.
Guns N’ Roses’ Duff McKagan and Slash, Sammy Hager, Ghost’s Papa V Perpetua and many more artists are also part of the bumper lineup curated by musical director Tom Morello.
“This will be the greatest heavy metal show ever,” says Morello.
Tickets go on sale next Friday, February 14 at 10:00am UK time, which is 8:30pm local time here, via Live Nation.
“Our admiration for Black Sabbath runs deep, and we can’t wait to join them in Birmingham, England, on July 5 for Back to the Beginning: The Final Show!” Metallica commented via Instagram.
Ozzy’s wife, Sharon, was interviewed by BBC News and confirmed this would be his one final dance. “He's doing great. He's doing really great,” she said. “He's so excited about this, about being with the guys again and all his friends. It's exciting for everyone.”
She added, “Ozzy didn't have a chance to say goodbye to his friends, to his fans, and he feels there's no been no full stop. This is his full stop.”
Catch the original members of Black Sabbath performing at Back to the Beginning at Villa Park in Birmingham on Saturday, July 5. For full ticketing information visit livenation.co.uk.
