Entertainment Swindon

Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath to reunite for one last time, to play a fund-raising concert in Birmingham on 5th July.

The heavy metal pioneers Black Sabbath will headline a one-day festival at Villa Park for the last time as its original line-up – Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward, supported by dozens of bands they inspired, including Metallica, Pantera, Slayer, Gojira, Anthrax, Alice in Chains and a supergroup featuring Guns N’ Roses’ Slash, Smashing Pumpkins’ Billy Corgan, Korn’s Jonathan Davis, Limp Bizkit’s Fred Durst, Wolfgang Van Halen and Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello, who will also act as musical director of the concert.

“It’s an endless amount of people,” said Sharon Osbourne. “They’re going to be doing some Sabbath songs, some Ozzy songs, and they’ll all mix together”.

The benefit titled ‘Back to the Beginning’ taking place at Villa Park in Birmingham is the perfect venue, with Birmingham being the bands hometown. This will be the first time in twenty years that Black Sabbath in its original line-up will perform together.

Due to Osbourne’s spinal injury and parkinson’s, the frontman known as Ozzy Osbourne ‘Prince of Darkness’ will play a short solo set before being joined by his bandmates one last time.

When speaking to the BBC recently, Sharon Osbourne said “he was determined to put on one final show. He’s doing great. He’s doing really great.”

Sharon went on to say “He’s so excited about this, about being with the guys again and all his friends. It’s exciting for everyone.”

However, she said the concert would definitively be the 76-year-old’s final show.

“Ozzy didn’t have a chance to say goodbye to his friends, to his fans, and he feels there’s no been no full stop, this is his full stop”.

The concert, dubbed Back To The Beginning, was announced at Villa Park on Wednesday by Sharon, and Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi.

Rage Against The Machine guitarist Tom Morello, who is serving as the event’s musical director, said it would be “the greatest heavy metal show ever!”.

Proceeds from the show will support Cure Parkinson’s, the Birmingham Children’s Hospital and Acorn Children’s Hospice, a Children’s Hospice supported by Aston Villa.

Black Sabbath formed in 1968, and held their first rehearsal at Newtown Community Centre, a stone’s throw from Villa Park.

They previously played a farewell show to a sold out audience of 16,000 people at the city’s NEC Arena in 2017.

The set consisted mainly of songs from their early days – including War Pigs, N.I.B and Black Sabbath – before finishing on their breakthrough hit and signature song, Paranoid.

The concert came at the end of an extensive, 81-date world tour, and Osbourne thanked the fans for their support over the band’s career.

“I’ve got to tell you something, what a journey we’ve all had,” he said.

“We started this in 1968 and now it’s 2017 – I don’t believe that, man. But you know what? We wouldn’t survive if it wasn’t for the fan base. So if you’re a veteran fan, great. If you’re new, welcome. But I can’t tell you enough how grateful we are for your support.”

Following that concert, Osbourne released two solo albums – Ordinary Man and Patient Number 9. However, he suffered a spinal injury in 2003 after a crash involving an ATV, exacerbated by a late-night fall in 2019, that required several rounds of extensive surgery.

In 2020 Osbourne revealed his parkinson’s diagnosis, and largely stepped back from touring after playing the closing ceremony of the Commonwealth Games in 2022.

Tickets go on sale at 10am GMT on Friday 14th February 2025 at LiveNation.co.uk

All profits will go to the following charities:

Cure Parkinson’s, Birmingham Children’s Hospital and Acorn Children’s Hospice, a Children’s Hospice supported by Aston Villa.