Ozzy Osbourne has officially announced that Black Sabbath’s participation in his upcoming “Back To The Beginning” concert will be the final time the band’s original lineup performs together — putting a definitive close to years of speculation about another reunion.
Scheduled for July 5, 2025, at Villa Park in Birmingham, the star-studded event is being promoted as both a send-off to Ozzy’s iconic solo career and the ultimate farewell performance for Black Sabbath’s founding members.
Although the group has held what were intended to be their final shows in the past — most notably during “The End Tour,” which wrapped up in Birmingham in 2017 — Ozzy insists that this time there will be no going back.
“It’s very important,” Osbourne told Classic Rock magazine. “The original Sabbath will never be on stage together again. From the late ’60s, we’re probably one of the only bands where the original members are still alive and speaking with one another.”
The reunion marks the first time the original four have shared a stage since 2005 and comes after months of careful planning and reconciliation. Ozzy Osbourne and drummer Bill Ward had reconnected, partly prompted by Osbourne‘s health challenges. Osbourne even joked that holding the gig at the home stadium of Aston Villa, the football club Butler avidly supports, helped seal the deal: “My first thought was: that’ll make Geezer f**king happier.”
Guitarist Tony Iommi admitted he initially had reservations about performing again after the band’s previous farewell tour. “I’m the one that said, ‘I don’t know if we should do it’, because we did a farewell tour and I didn’t want to get into that thing like all the other bands are doing, saying it’s the last tour and then reappearing again,” Iommi stated. “But I’ve been convinced, because we’re doing it for a reason. No one’s getting paid or anything,” Iommi admitted. The charitable aspect, combined with the opportunity to give fans a final moment with the original lineup, gave the event the genuine purpose he needed to back it.
Despite the charitable purpose and the members’ desire for closure, questions remain about the logistics, especially regarding Ozzy Osbourne‘s physical condition following his health struggles. “I think Ozzy might be on some kind of throne,” Iommi speculated about the stage setup. “But I’m in the dark as much as anybody else.”
Health issues on the side, Osbourne is totally sure about performing. “I’ll be there, and I’ll do the best I can. So all I can do is turn up,” he affirmed in a recent interview with The Guardian. He revealed the concert was conceived by his wife and manager, Sharon Osbourne, as “something to give me a reason to get up in the morning.”
