Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan has shared the story of a sacred, private, and deeply emotional moment he shared with Black Sabbath just two days before their historic farewell concert, revealing that he was one of only two musicians to witness the band’s final soundcheck in an empty stadium.
In a new interview with Los Angeles radio station KROQ, Corgan described the “magical” and tearful experience, which was punctuated by a personal acknowledgment from Ozzy Osbourne. He also shared his belief that the concert itself may have “elongated” the rock icon’s life by giving him “something to fight for.”
The poignant moment took place on July 3, inside an otherwise empty Villa Park stadium in Birmingham. “There was literally nobody in the stadium except security and me and this person from another famous alternative band,” Corgan recounted (via Metal Hammer).
From the floor of the massive venue, the two watched the four original members of Black Sabbath run through their set for the last time. It was then that a personal moment of connection occurred.
“We were literally watching Black Sabbath soundcheck with Ozzy for the last time, and Ozzy saw us down there and did the famous Ozzy… peace sign to both of us down, and smiled,” Corgan shared. “That’s the moment I’ll always hold on to, because it was in that private moment where it was just us and the band.”
The weight of the moment, and the realization that a lifetime of inspiration was coming to a close, was overwhelming for the two onlookers. “Both me and the other person… we both started crying because we couldn’t believe this magical dream of this band in our lives was coming to an end,” he said. For Corgan, that dream began when he was eight years old and first heard his uncle’s copy of the band’s third album, Master Of Reality, a record that he says “profoundly changed him.”
Reflecting on Osbourne‘s passing just weeks after the triumphant show, Corgan shared a theory that he and other musicians had discussed backstage. While Ozzy was “obviously not at 100 per cent,” he “saw nothing in his spirit that told me that he was anywhere near the end of his life.” He believes the concert gave the frontman a vital goal.
“We were almost thinking that maybe this concert was the thing that kept him going,” Corgan mused. “Maybe the idea that there was this rainbow at the end of this particular road, maybe that kept his spirits up… maybe the concert actually elongated his life because he had something to fight for, something to strive for.”
Corgan, who performed at the “Back To The Beginning” show, called it “the greatest musical event I think I’ve ever been a part of.” His behind-the-scenes story now adds a touching and intimate perspective on the final chapter of Black Sabbath, revealing a sacred moment of shared history just before the world said its final, public goodbye to the legendary Ozzy Osbourne.
