Ozzy Osbourne is to reunite with all his original Black Sabbath bandmates for his final performance.
The Back To The Beginning show on July 5 will see the 76-year-old singer deliver his own short set before Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward play together for the first time in 20 years.
The all-day event at Villa Park in Birmingham, the city where the heavy rock pioneers formed in 1968, will also feature sets by a host of major metal bands including Metallica, Slayer and Alice In Chains.
“It’s my time to go back to the beginning… time for me to give back to the place where I was born,” Osbourne said.
“How blessed am I to do it with the help of people whom I love. Birmingham is the true home of metal. Birmingham forever.”
The band played its “last” gig in 2017 in Birmingham with Osborne, guitarist Iommi and bassist Butler but without Ward on drums.
Osbourne’s wife Sharon and Iommi announced the news on Wednesday at Villa Park, the home of Aston Villa FC, of whom the Sabbath frontman has been a fan of for many years.
In 2020, Osbourne revealed he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and he paused touring “for now” in 2023 after extensive spinal surgery.
He had a fall at home in 2019 which aggravated injuries from a near-fatal quad bike crash in 2003, stopping his No More Tours 2 shows from going ahead in Europe and the UK.
The tour had previously been rescheduled several times because of illness, the Covid pandemic and logistical issues.
The show in July will also see performances by Pantera, Gojira, Halestorm, Lamb Of God, Anthrax and Mastodon.
Other musicians on the line-up include Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan, Guns N’ Roses’ Duff McKagan and Slash, Limp Bizkit singer Fred Durst, Halestorm’s Lzzy Hale and Rage Against The Machine guitarist Tom Morello.
Anthrax’s Frank Bello and Scott Ian, Disturbed’s David Draiman, Korn’s Jonathan Davis, Faith No More’s Mike Bordin, Ghost’s Papa V Perpetua, guitarist Jake E Lee, Judas Priest’s KK Downing, bassist Rudy Sarzo, guitarist Sammy Hagar, Wolfgang Van Halen, Zakk Wylde and Sleep Token have also been confirmed for the day.
Music director Tom Morello said: “This will be the greatest heavy metal show ever.”
Black Sabbath’s story began in Birmingham where Osbourne, Iommi, Butler and Ward were looking to escape a life of factory work.
Their eponymous debut album in 1970 made the UK top 10 and paved the way for a string of hit records.
They went on to become one of the most influential and successful metal bands of all time, selling more than 75 million albums worldwide.
The group were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2006, and Osbourne was added for a second time last year.
He previously celebrated his home city in 2022 when he helped close the Commonwealth Games.
He rose to further fame alongside his wife Sharon – who he married in 1982 and with whom he has three children, Aimee, Jack and Kelly – through their reality TV series The Osbournes.
All profits from the July 5 show will go to charities including Cure Parkinson’s, Birmingham Children’s Hospital and Acorn Children’s Hospice, which is supported by Aston Villa.
Tickets go on sale at 10am on Friday February 14 at LiveNation.co.uk, and more names will be announced shortly.
Published: by Radio NewsHub
