On July 5, Ozzy Osbourne, the Prince of Darkness himself, gathered with his Black Sabbath bandmates, guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler, and drummer Bill Ward for one final show in the United Kingdom. Ozzy, who has suffered from Parkinson’s disease since 2019, sat on stage and sang for the very last time live. Some 40,000 fans packed Birmingham’s Villa Park for the show, and an additional 5.8 million live-streamed the performance. Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath reunited for fans and to raise money for charity, but no one could have imagined just how much money one show could generate.
Videos by InspireMore
Ozzy Osbourne And Black Sabbath Brought In Nearly $200 Million
Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello served as musical director for the event. He shared his thanks to Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath for making the event such a success.
“We set out to not just create the greatest day in the history of heavy metal,” he shared on Instagram. “THANKYOU @ozzyosbourne for trusting me to be the Musical Director of the ‘Back To The Beginning’ show. It was over a year of hard work but heavy metal was the music that made me love music and it was a labor of love. We raised a ton of money for a great cause and so many great musicians & bands & fans all over the world paid tribute to the ALL TIME greats.”
Fans shared photos and video from the epic concert including one particularly moving performance. Ozzy Osbourne sang Mama, I’m Coming Home one last time and both the Prince of Darkness and his fans became emotional.
“They should release this version, this is how it was meant to be heard, with the weight of a life lived full behind it,” a fan suggested.
Some felt like Ozzy’s voice sounded different, but true fans didn’t care.
“Some may say Ozzy sounds horrible but this song is supposed to sound personal, from the heart… he got it again,” a fan wrote.
This person put it perfectly. “He sounds so tired, but he doesn’t want to quit. Thats what makes Ozzy the Legend he is,” they wrote.
This story’s featured image is by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
This story’s featured image is by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Want to be happier in just 5 minutes a day? Sign up for Morning Smile and join over 455,000+ people who start each day with good news.
