Black Sabbath, Ozzy Osbourne Reveal Farewell Show Featuring Metallica, Slayer
Black Sabbath will officially take the stage for the final time.
The original members of Black Sabbath — Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Lommi, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward — will take over Birmingham, England’s Villa Park for an all-day concert on July 5. Throughout the day, Ozzy will also perform a solo set, while Metalliza, Slayer, Pantera, Alice in Chains, Gojira, and more metal icons will take the stage, as well as acts like Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan, David Draiman of Disturbed, Duff McKagan of Guns N’ Roses, and Limp Bizkit’s Fred Durst. More performing artists will be announced in the coming weeks.
“It’s my time to go ‘Back To The Beginning’… time for me to give back to the place where I was born,” Ozzy said in a statement. “How blessed am I to do it with the help of people whom I love. Birmingham is the true home of metal. Birmingham Forever.”
Tickets head on sale Friday, February 14 at 10 a.m. GMT. Profits from the show will benefit the following charities: Cure Parkinson’s, Birmingham Children’s Hospital and Acorn Children’s Hospice, and a Children’s Hospice supported by Villa Park and Aston Villa.
This will mark the final performances for both Black Sabbath and Ozzy, specifically because Ozzy has experienced a number of health setbacks in recent years. The 76-year-old had originally launched a solo farewell tour in 2018, however, he was unable to complete the trek. He also had a serious fall in 2019, leading to major surgeries, and talked of his ongoing battle with Parkinson’s disease.
While Sharon Osbourne said that Ozzy is “doing really great” and he’s excited about the show, she said, “For Ozzy right now, it’s definitely: ‘I love you and good night.”
The “Godfather of Heavy Metal” has not performed a full-length concert since the end of 2018, though he performed a couple of songs at the Commonwealth Games in 2022, followed by a short set at the NFL kickoff at SoFi Stadium. He has continued to release albums, however, dropping Ordinary Man in 2020 and Patient Number 9 in 2022.
Find the show poster below:
