Black Sabbath’s original line-up reunited on Saturday for what they said will be their final performance, closing the ten-hour “Back to the Beginning” festival at Villa Park in their hometown of Birmingham. About 42,000 fans—plus an estimated 1.5 million paying livestream viewers—watched Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward share a stage for the first time in two decades.
Osbourne, 76, who revealed he had Parkinson’s disease in 2020 and has undergone multiple spinal surgeries, opened the evening’s finale seated on a winged black throne. Backed by longtime guitarist Zakk Wylde, he delivered a five-song solo set capped by “Crazy Train” before welcoming his bandmates for a concise four-song run through “War Pigs,” “N.I.B.,” “Iron Man” and “Paranoid.” Fireworks lit the stadium as the singer told the crowd, “Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
Curated by Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello, the day doubled as a heavy-metal summit, with Metallica, Guns N’ Roses, Slayer, Tool, Pantera, Alice in Chains and dozens of guest musicians each performing at least one Sabbath song. Actor Jason Momoa served as on-stage host for the charity event, which organisers billed as “the greatest day in the history of heavy metal.”
Proceeds from ticket and streaming sales are earmarked for Cure Parkinson’s, Birmingham Children’s Hospital and the local Acorn Children’s Hospice. The show marks the first time the four founding members have played together since 2005 and follows a 2017 Sabbath farewell tour that did not include Ward. Saturday’s concert, organisers said, closes the book on the group that helped invent heavy metal nearly 57 years ago.
Black Sabbath Reunites for Ozzy Osbourne’s Final Performance, Joined by Metallica, GNR, Steven Tyler and Other Hard Rock All-Stars: The Complete Setlists via @variety
