Sharon Osbourne has shot down reports that Black Sabbath’s “Back To The Beginning” farewell show in Birmingham last month generated a staggering $190 million for charity, calling the figures “just ridiculous.”
The massive July 5 event at Villa Park — hailed by many as the greatest heavy metal concert ever — marked Ozzy Osbourne’s final performance and featured a stacked lineup including Metallica, Slayer, Guns N’ Roses, Tool, and more. The night was also streamed worldwide, with proceeds promised to Acorns Children’s Hospice, Birmingham Children’s Hospital, and Cure Parkinson’s.
Speculation about the charity total exploded after musical director Tom Morello shared an Instagram photo of Ozzy with the caption, “More than 190 million will be donated to houses and hospitals for children.” Billboard reported the event raised $190 million, while The Guardian claimed the pay-per-view brought in $150 million from over five million viewers.
Speaking to Pollstar, Sharon was quick to set the record straight. “One of the things that’s frightening me is all this false press about how we’ve made $140 million and all of this,” she said. “God, I wish we could have — for one gig. It’s just ridiculous… Where does this stuff come from?”
Sharon explained that the final figure won’t be known for at least six weeks, as expenses from all the participating bands still need to be tallied. “Everybody thinks they’re going to cure everything with this much money, but it’s not the real world,” she added.
Despite the exaggerated numbers, Sharon called the night “phenomenal” and “the perfect way” for Ozzy to close his career. “I never wanted Ozzy to just disappear without some big event,” she said.
Sadly, just weeks after the historic hometown send-off, Ozzy Osbourne passed away on July 22 at the age of 76.
