Ozzy/Sabbath “Back To The Beginning” Farewell Concert
Bringing their concert career to a close Ozzy Osbourne and his fellow Black Sabbath bandmates led a farewell concert at Villa Park (on 7/5), in the band’s hometown of Birmingham, U.K. Over 40,000 were in attendance.
Proceeds will be donated to three charities – Birmingham Children’s Hospital, Cure Parkinson’s, and Midlands-based Acorns Children’s Hospice.
In addition to the headliners, the “Back To The Beginning” day-long concert featured Metallica, Guns N’ Roses, Slayer, Tool, Pantera, Gojira, Halestorm, Alice In Chains, Lamb of God, Anthrax, Mastodon and Rival Sons (with band’s playing Ozzy or Sabbath covers in addition to their own material).
One of numerous highlights was delivered by a ‘supergroup’ with Tobia Forge (Ghost – Papa V Perpetua) – vocals; Nuno Bettencourt (Extreme) – lead guitar; Vernon Reid (Living Colour) – guitar; Rudy Sarzo (Quiet Riot/Ozzy Osbourne) – bass; and Travis Barker (Blink-182) – drums, performed a cover or Sabbath’s “Bark At The Moon.”
Bark At The Moon
Guns N’ Roses – Sabbath Bloody Sabbath
Pantera – Full Set
Also, Gojira’s Joe Duplantier and Iggor Cavalera joined Mastodon for their set. Later, Lamb Of God’s Randy Blythe sang first and third verse of “Children of the Grave” clean. He finished the set tossing his shoes into the crowd.
“It has been overwhelmingly gratifying to have so many major bands showing their love for this band, and willingly doing it all for charity,” said Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler. “We were always hated by the music press, but the people that matter — the fans and other musicians — have been overwhelmingly supportive of Sabbath.”
Geezer Butler
Ozzy (sitting on a throne) took the stage and performed five songs: ‘I Don’t Know,” “Mr. Crowley,” “Suicide Solution,” “Mama I’m Coming Home” and “Crazy Train.”
Then Black Sabbath entered to close out the evening with “War Pigs,” “N.I.B.,” “Iron Man” and “Paranoid.”
Ozzy Osbourne – Crazy Train
Black Sabbath – Paranoid
Black Sabbath first reached the Top 10 on the Billboard 200 in 1971 with “Master Of Reality,” peaking at #8. The group last hit the chart with the reunion project “13.” Released in ’13 it marked the group’s second Top 10 and first #1.
Osbourne as a soloist has notched nine Top 10 sets on the Billboard 200, including at least one in every decade from the 1980s through the 2020s. He landed in the Top 10 in ’22, landing at #3 with “Patient Number 9.”
His ’89 duet with Lita Ford, “Close My Eyes Forever,” reached #8 on the Billboard Hot 100.
