The music world is gearing up for “Back To The Beginning,” a highly anticipated charity event on July 5 at Villa Park in Birmingham, United Kingdom, which will mark a historic double farewell. The concert is set to feature the final-ever performance by the original lineup of Black Sabbath, and will also serve as Ozzy Osbourne‘s last appearance as a solo artist. The event is already sold out.
In a recent interview with Music Business Worldwide, Ozzy’s wife and manager Sharon Osbourne shed light on how this monumental idea came to fruition. She explained that after battling illness for six years, Ozzy expressed his deepest regret: “Since Ozzy‘s illness, which has been six years, he’s said his one regret is that he never got the chance to say goodbye to his fans and everybody that he’s ever worked with.” This sentiment sparked the desire for a farewell event.
The challenge, according to Sharon, was figuring out how to achieve this given Ozzy‘s current physical limitations. She stated: “And then it was, like, ‘Okay, how do we do this without Ozzy just performing for two and a half hours?’, because Ozzy can’t perform for two and a half hours anymore. So then I thought of having all the bands he’s ever had relationships with perform and maybe do Sabbath songs and Ozzy songs. I started to ask really close friends, and they were, like, ‘Sure, yeah.'”
The concept quickly evolved into a grand celebration of music. Sharon emphasized the generational aspect: “It became a celebration of the music. All the generations are going to be there that Sabbath and Ozzy have passed the torch down to.” The choice of venue was also deeply personal and significant, as she noted, “The only place that we could do it would have been Aston, because that’s where Ozzy was born and grew up, which is right where the Villa ground is.”
While the lineup is packed with metal titans, Sharon did reveal two acts they had hoped to include but couldn’t due to scheduling conflicts: “There are two bands that we would have loved to have been there, but they couldn’t because they’re working that day,” she said, naming “Judas Priest, a local band, and Angus [Young] from AC/DC, because he’s always been a huge supporter of Ozzy‘s.”
For “Back To The Beginning,” the original Black Sabbath lineup—Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward—will reunite for the first time in 20 years to headline the event. They will be joined by an incredible roster of iconic and influential metal acts, including Metallica, Guns N’ Roses, Tool, Slayer, Pantera, Gojira, Halestorm, Alice In Chains, Lamb Of God, Anthrax, Mastodon, and Rival Sons. This collective gathering promises a truly monumental and unforgettable moment in heavy music history.
Due to incredible demand, the “Back To The Beginning” concert—which sold out in 16 minutes—will now be available via a worldwide livestream. Fans can tune in live on July 5th at 3:00 p.m. and will also have 48 hours of exclusive replay access.
