bandmates — guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler, and drummer Bill Ward — closing the show with a four-song set, including their 1970 classic Paranoid.
The historic gig, titled Back to the Beginning, took place just a stone’s throw from Osbourne’s childhood home in Birmingham. Metallica, Guns N’ Roses, Slayer, Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler, and the Rolling Stones’ Ronnie Wood all performed, along with newer stars like Yungblud and a rotating cast of supergroup musicians.“Without Sabbath there would be no Metallica,” said frontman James Hetfield during Metallica’s set. “Thank you for giving us a purpose in life.” Guns N’ Roses paid their respects with a powerful rendition of Sabbath’s Never Say Die, with Axl Rose shouting, “Birmingham! Ozzy! Sabbath! Thank you!”
Steven Tyler, who recently faced serious vocal issues, returned in top form, sharing the stage with Wood, Travis Barker (Blink-182), and Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine). Another supergroup performance featured Billy Corgan of Smashing Pumpkins and Judas Priest’s KK Downing — another metal icon from the West Midlands.
Hollywood actor Jason Momoa, who served as the event’s master of ceremonies, introduced acts and even jumped into the moshpit himself. “Make some space for me, I’m coming in,” he told fans before joining the crowd.
“The history of Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne is to look back at the best who’ve ever done it,” Momoa told the crowd. “We have some of the greatest rock and metal musicians ever here today on this stage.”
The concert also featured a three-way “drum-off” between Travis Barker, Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers), and Danny Carey (Tool), while Yungblud delivered a stirring version of Sabbath’s Changes — originally released in 1972 and later made a hit as a duet between Ozzy and his daughter Kelly in 2003.
Backstage, tributes flowed. “Black Sabbath really kind of started all this, the metal era,” Sammy Hagar told BBC News. “Everyone looks at them like the kings, and if the kings are going to go out then we’re going to go honour them. Everyone that was asked to do this, shoot, you drop everything and do this. This is going to go down in history as the greatest metal event of all time.”
Profits from the concert — with ticket prices ranging from £200 to £2,000 — will go to Cure Parkinson’s, Birmingham Children’s Hospital, and Acorn Children’s Hospice.
For Ozzy, the moment was as personal as it was monumental. “This is a goodbye as far as my live performances go, and what a way to go out,” he said in an interview provided by the organisers. “I am forever in their debt for showing up for me and the fans. I can’t quite put it into words, but I feel very emotional and blessed.”
