Ozzy Osbourne and the other original members of Black Sabbath, the band credited with creating heavy metal, have played their final show at a massive event held in their hometown of Birmingham.
Some of the biggest acts of metal, from Metallica to Lamb of God, joined the band for the farewell concert at Villa Park on Saturday for 10 solid hours of music.
Legendary guitarist Tom Morello, best known for his association with the bands Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave, served as musical director, while Hollywood actor Jason Momoa hosted proceedings.
During the show, fans saw performances from bands including Slayer, Tool, Gojira, Metallica and Guns N Roses, while Ozzy himself performed some of his biggest solo hits from a black winged throne.
In the final segment, the original four members of Black Sabbath, Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward, performed a selection of their signature songs: “War Pigs”, “NIB”, “Iron Man” and “Paranoid”.
Osbourne, who had performed from a black winged throne, was then presented with a cake, while fireworks lit up the stadium from overhead.
“It's so good to be on this f***ing stage, you have no idea,” he told fans.
Follow live updates below:
Black Sabbath's Back to the Beginning show - key points
- Guns N Roses, and a message from Ricky Gervais
- Disturbed's David Draiman booed during band appearance
- Sharon Osbourne says 'we're done' after tonight
- Controversy as Marilyn Manson delivers statement via video
- Ozzy Osbourne's emotional statement ahead of Black Sabbath show
Sharon Osbourne says she's finally 'done' with music industry after final Black Sabbath gig
11:25 , Katie RosseinskySharon Osbourne has revealed that she is “done” with the music industry after husband Ozzy performed a final farewell gig with his band Black Sabbath.
Sharon, who first met Ozzy when her father was managing Black Sabbath and later took over as his manager when he became a solo artist, said that she was now finally ready to step back from the industry following the triumphant farewell show.
“I’ve been doing this since I was 15, and I’m done,” the 72-year-old told Billboard. “We just want to live our life and do what we want to do and not have to follow an itinerary anymore.”
Sharon Osbourne says she’s finally ‘done’ with music industry after Ozzy’s last Black Sabbath gig
Ozzy Osbourne's emotional statement ahead of Black Sabbath farewell show
06:02 , Roisin O'ConnorIn a Q&A with communications agency Premier Comms, Osbourne, 76, said the show, titled Back to the Beginning, was a chance to “say thank you to my fans for always supporting me and being there for me”.
“I couldn't have done my final show anywhere else,” he said of playing the gig in his hometown of Birmingham. “I had to go back to the beginning.”
Osbourne also said that he was surprised by how many people had contacted him about livestreaming the concert, which had not been in the original plan.
“It seemed a great chance for people who didn't have the opportunity to get a ticket to be able to see the show,” he said.
The livestream of Back to the Beginning will be delayed by two hours from the in-arena start time, and will begin at 3pm BST. The stream will open 30 minutes prior to launching. Tickets are available to purchase here.
Playing at Villa Park is particularly significant for him, Osbourne said, as he used to go to the venue with his friends on Saturdays when a football match was being hosted and ask people “for a shilling to watch their car”.
Asked about what the formidable lineup meant to him, the musician remarked: “It means everything, I am forever in their debt for showing up for me and the fans. I can’t quite put it into words, but I feel very emotional and blessed.”
Ozzy Osbourne makes emotional statement ahead of Black Sabbath farewell show
Is this really the last Black Sabbath show?
05:01 , Roisin O'ConnorApparently Geezer Butler couldn’t hide his amusement at being asked if this will truly be the final stage appearance by the original members of Black Sabbath.
“With this band, I have given up trying to predict a ‘last ever’ performance,” he told Billboard. “Every time I have stated ‘never again,’ something comes up, like this Villa Park gig.”
Sharon Osbourne claims band was ‘disinvited’ from Black Sabbath show: ‘People will be shocked’
04:02 , Roisin O'Connor
Sharon Osbourne claims band was ‘disinvited’ from Black Sabbath show
VIDEO: Sharon Osbourne claims Ozzy Osbourne was asked to read for Pirates of the Caribbean
03:01 , Roisin O'ConnorTribute from Yungblud
02:01 , Roisin O'ConnorBorn in Doncaster, Yungblud – Dominic Richard Harrison – rose to fame with the release of his debut album, 21st Century Liability. He has since released a further three albums, all of which have topped the UK charts, including his 2025 record Idols. Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne made a cameo in his 2022 music video for “The Funeral”.
Since I can remember, Ozzy has always been a part of my life. I grew up around rock music, and he was a character to me before I even knew anything about him. I remember his hair, I remember his massive mouth, I remember his glasses from when I was three years old.
If you know me and my family, we’re truly f***ing loud– they used to call us The Osbournes. So, I kind of found solace in being similar to them. Growing up watching The Osbournes and the madness, I was always like that. I was always out there and “crazy”. To see someone being so loved and accepted with all their madness… I really found solace in a figure like Ozzy.
We’re very similar. Even though we don’t necessarily make the same kind of music, we kind of represent the same thing. Being out there and thinking outside the box is what we’re both known for.
To now be a close personal friend to them all – basically family – it’s been amazing. Sharon has been so helpful to me in terms of my festival and my business, and Ozzy has been an inspiration. It’s wild when you meet your heroes, let alone become their family.
Tribute to Ozzy from Rob Trujillo
01:00 , Roisin O'ConnorRob Trujillo rose to prominence as the bassist for the California thrash band Suicidal Tendencies – as well as their side project, Infectious Grooves – before successfully auditioning for Osbourne’s band in the late Nineties. He joined Metallica in 2003, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with the band – including the late Cliff Burton and former bassist Jason Newsted – in 2009.
When I was younger, I had a really great friend who had older brothers who were obsessed with Black Sabbath. Back then it was all about the record player and vinyls, so we would sit there and play the first album, and listen to the song “Black Sabbath”, and actually really scare ourselves with it. We’d imagine what they were like, because coming from southern California… to us they were like sorcerers or something. We were afraid of them, but we also looked up to them as heroes, and there was a weird, creative energy that went along with the actual experience of hearing their music.
Then, in high school, a friend turned me on to them as a musician and I started learning their songs, working out why Geezer Butler was so great. So I started covering Sabbath songs when I was around 16, 17, and Ozzy’s solo stuff as well.
I was recording the first Infectious Grooves album around the time Ozzy was doing No More Tears – we were both at a studio called Devonshire Studios in LA, it was a compound and so we were all there together like one big happy family. And Ozzy, back then he was kind of wild and he would go missing, and he’d end up in our studio hanging out with us in the control room, so we featured him on a song called “Therapy” – he loved it. And later on when the band were gearing up to do their Theatre of Madness tour, he insisted Infectious Grooves open for him. We weren’t even a physical band then, so he helped that happen. And we had a great time! Opening for Ozzy was a dream come true; I even remember the Metallica guys coming to see us, I think in Atlanta.
Being asked to join [Ozzy’s band] was crazy. I’d been thinking about Ozzy – it’d been two or three years since the tour with Infectious Grooves – and I was missing albums like Diary of a Madman, so I got the CD and put the outgoing message on my answering machine. Then out of nowhere I got a call from Sharon’s office about auditioning, and they were blown away because the first thing they heard was the intro to “Over the Mountain”!
Obviously I went to the audition. It was a bit of a cattle call, I remember – there were a lot of great players there. But you go in, you have fun, you play. And if you don’t get the gig, at least you get to say you jammed with Ozzy, right? I had the same attitude when I auditioned for Metallica: “I got to play three songs with my heroes.” I’ve stayed friendly with Ozzy since then and played in the band for his induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. And I’m so excited to be part of this, to be able to show my love and respect for Black Sabbath – because it’s safe to say a lot of us wouldn’t be playing the music that we play if it wasn’t for that band. To be sharing this stage with Ozzy, thinking back to the days when I played backyard parties and barbecues, and to still be friends with them, it’s a blessing. This is a huge, historical, monumental experience that we’re going to have on this day in Birmingham.
VIDEO: Sharon Osbourne claims Ozzy Osbourne was asked to read for Pirates of the Caribbean
00:02 , Roisin O'ConnorREVIEW: Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath’s historic farewell show was less Live Aid, more Loud Aid
23:29 , Roisin O'Connor
Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath’s farewell show was less Live Aid, more Loud Aid
Sharon Osbourne claims band was ‘disinvited’ from Black Sabbath show: ‘People will be shocked’
23:01 , Roisin O'ConnorSharon Osbourne has claimed that a band was disinvited from the Black Sabbath farewell show.
The all-day event, titled Back to the Beginning, was held on Saturday 5 July at Villa Park in Birmingham and served as a final performance from Ozzy Osbourne and the other original members of the legendary heavy metal band.
Among the many acts taking part are Metallica, Guns N’ Roses, Tool, Slayer, Pantera, Gojira, Halestorm, Alice in Chains, Lamb of God, Anthrax & Rival Sons, Andrew Watt, Billy Corgan (The Smashing Pumpkins), Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers), Dave Ellefson, and Fred Durst (Limp Bizkit).
Full story:
Sharon Osbourne claims band was ‘disinvited’ from Black Sabbath show
And that's it! Black Sabbath's final show is over
22:42 , Roisin O'ConnorFireworks, cake and a rendition of “Paranoid”.
What an absolutely mammoth show, wow. Mark is running off to finish writing up his review now, and I’ll be signing off soon. Thanks everyone for following along with us! Review to come shortly.
Some side of stage footage of Ozzy Osbourne's final show
22:37 , Roisin O'ConnorOzzy Osbourne live! Black Sabbath's Final Show!#BackToTheBeginning pic.twitter.com/NXuOhte4fp
— Mr.K (@KAMAL__09) July 5, 2025
"Powerful stuff from Sabbath"
22:26 , Roisin O'ConnorMarks say the band’s performance of “Iron Man” was particularly weighty.
We’ve only got about half an hour left before this absolute mammoth of a show concludes.
Black Sabbath are onto songs from their debut album
22:19 , Roisin O'ConnorThe album that changed music - one of the most influential of all time. Storms and bells!
Ozzy says he's been 'laid up for six years'
21:46 , Roisin O'Connor“Thank you for the bottom of my heart,” Ozzy says, ahead of a rendition of “I’m Coming Home”.
He fires off a water cannon.
More solo songs from Oz
21:29 , Roisin O'ConnorWe’ve had “Mr Crowley” from his 1980 solo debut Blizzard of Ozz, which Mark says is “bombastic and operatic to the max”, and “Suicide Solution”, from the same album.
If you're wondering where the pictures are...
21:22 , Roisin O'ConnorPromoter LiveNation aren’t sending over any pics until after the event concludes, so around 11.30pm.
Ozzy: 'It's so good to be on this f***ing stage, you have no idea'
21:13 , Roisin O'Connor‘Let the madness begin!’
It's Ozzy!
21:09 , Roisin O'ConnorThe Prince of Darkness himself rises from beneath the stage on a winged black throne.
Mark says he sounds “in great voice” as he leads the clapping and swaying to “I Don’t Know”.
Birmingham-born band Black Sabbath’s farewell show is set to help boost the city’s economy by up to £20m, as fans flock to say goodbye to the long-running rock group.
The West Midlands Growth Company, which invests in growth for the region, said that the West Midlands is expecting a boost of up to £20m in visitor economy, largely thanks to the sold-out Black Sabbath Back to the Beginning festival at Villa Park.
Full story:
Black Sabbath’s final show set to boost Birmingham economy by £20m
Elton John sends in a message for Ozzy Osbourne
20:55 , Roisin O'ConnorElton John tells Ozzy: You are one of the most remarkable singles of our time... You are the king, you are the legend.
“You’ve been through so much crap in the last few years. I hope this is the best day of your life so far.”
James Hetfield: 'Look at all this love for heavy metal!'
20:51 , Roisin O'Connor“Without Sabbath there would be no Metallica,” the frontman announces. “Thank you boys for giving us purpose in life.”
Metallica went big on the speed metal, obliterating “Master of Puppets” and pouring a lifetime of riffs into their cover of “Johnny Blade”, a track from Sabbath’s eighth studio album Never Say Die! (1978) - the last one featuring their original lineup and the last with Ozzy’s vocals until 13 (2013).
Ozzy's statement on Back to the Beginning
20:27 , Roisin O'ConnorBack when the gig was first announced, Ozzy explained what this show means to him:
“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 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.”
Guns N Roses, and a message from Ricky Gervais
20:07 , Roisin O'ConnorAt the live event, Guns N Roses have hammered out half a set of Sabbath covers before turning to “Welcome to the Jungle” and “Paradise City”.
Ricky Gervais sends Ozzy a video message from the bath: “Your humour and charisma has made you an everlasting treasure.”
And more AI videos: Now Ozzy’s a blue alien in Avatar, and onstage with The Beatles circa 1964 doing “Twist and Shout”.
VIDEO: 'My heart breaks for him': Emotional Sharon Osbourne discusses husband Ozzy's Parkinson's disease
20:02 , Roisin O'ConnorJason Momoa joined the pit for Pantera's set
19:51 , Roisin O'Connor> Jason Momoa joined the pit for Pantera’s set at #BackToTheBeginning @BlackSabbath pic.twitter.com/Wutfxoouwa
— Supet (@SupirPete2) July 5, 2025
Sharon Osbourne says 'we're done' after tonight
19:28 , Roisin O'ConnorSharon Osbourne — who is married to Ozzy, has managed his solo career since it started in 1979, and has also handled Sabbath — says “there’s no way on God’s Earth” there will be more shows.
“We’re done,” she told Billboard. “I’ve been doing this since I was 15, and I’m done. We just want to live our life and do what we want to do and not have to follow an itinerary anymore.”
Circle pits open up for Slayer...
19:10 , Roisin O'ConnorMark describes the circle pits opening up as Slayer’s performance gets underway as like a kind of “metal tornado season”. Brilliant!
Mike Inez's tribute to Ozzy and Black Sabbath
19:01 , Roisin O'ConnorMike Inez met Ozzy Osbourne in 1989 while auditioning for his band aged 23; a month later he was playing live with the Prince of Darkness at Wembley Stadium. He went on to join the metal band Alice in Chains, and has also played with bands including Slash’s Snakepit, Heart and Black Label Society.
Hearing Black Sabbath for the first time changed my life. I come from a really musical family, so we had a lot of records around the house, but there was just something different about that first Sabbath record. The opening chords, it was just like, ‘Oh, my God, what’s this all about?’ I was instantly drawn to it. And now they’re such a big part of the tapestry of my life. I can’t even tell you – I’ll be on vacation after a big tour like, ‘No music, I’m having a break.’ But for me, no music means solely listening to Black Sabbath.
It’s nice to be a small slice of the big history of Ozzy’s career, you know? I co-wrote “No More Tears” – it was so funny. The first time I saw Ozzy play in the flesh was in 1983, there was this big festival, the US Festival here in California. I went on the heavy metal day, tickets were 20 bucks and it was Van Halen, Scorpions, Judas Priest, Motley Crue and Ozzy. Seeing Ozzy, I had this epiphany – I was already playing guitar at that point, I think I was a junior in high school – but when I went to that concert and saw Ozzy, it was like this light bulb went off and I realised I was on the wrong side of the f***ing PA – I needed to be on the stage!
So how do I manifest that? What’s that going to take? Well, you just dive in – seven years later, I’m in the Ozzy band. It’s amazing that he was the one who made me realise I had to figure this out and literally, seven years later, I’m flying to Ireland and living in County Wicklow with them, doing rehearsals to play McGonagles. We did the two shows, then the Marquee club [in London], then Wembley. That’s how it all started for me, living in a house with Ozzy and the band.
My first impression of him, well… First of all, you’re starstruck. It’s just like, holy s***! This is the guy I’d been watching in videos and staring at his album covers my whole life, and suddenly there he is. The audition process was crazy – it was at Joe’s Garage, Frank Zappa’s place in Los Angeles. It was all surreal to me. I remember showing up – I was wearing a ratty LA Kings hockey jersey and jeans, and everyone else in there was in leather. So in my head I was thinking, “OK, I’m never getting this f***ing gig, so I’m just gonna have a good time with it, and be able to say I got to play ‘Crazy Train’ with Ozzy one time.” Little did I know I was going to get it, and then my whole life trajectory was going to change.
I owe everything to Ozzy Osbourne. Ozzy and Sharon [Osbourne, the Sabbath frontman’s wife and manager] changed my life – I didn’t have decent bass gear before then, I didn’t have health insurance, I didn’t have a passport. I wouldn’t have met Alice in Chains or anybody else I jam with. It all goes back to Ozzy, all the way back to the beginning. He’s like a father figure, or an older brother. One thing I do remember is just that we laughed – that’s my one solid thread of all the memories of every gig, every album. We were always laughing, because it’s impossible not to laugh in a room when you got Zakk Wylde and Ozzy Osbourne in there just cracking jokes.
Black Sabbath basically created heavy metal. There were a couple of other bands around – but with Sabbath it was the image of it, and there’s something about Birmingham, right? There’s something in the water there – it reminds me of Pittsburgh here in the States, a working-class town of hard-working people, so there wasn’t any pretentiousness. And there’s something to be said about their chemistry, too: the way Bill Ward played drums is completely different to how a modern metal drummer would play now. Ozzy’s voice is just so good – no one will ever sound like him, and I’ve never seen a crowd respond to one man like they do with him. Seeing the four original guys up there on that stage, man, I’m gonna cry like a baby!
More Ozzy AI
18:34 , Roisin O'ConnorMark tells me that Ozzy has since told Forrest Gump to “get the f*** out of her” and also enjoyed cameos in Pulp Fiction with a rubber pellet gun.
He also receives a message from Brian and Angus from AC/DC, who thank Ozzy for “putting the fun in rock n’ roll”.
Black Sabbath fans slam ‘disgraceful’ Marilyn Manson appearance during farewell show
18:25 , Roisin O'Connor
Black Sabbath fans slam Marilyn Manson appearance during farewell gig
Back to the Beginning: The family photo
18:02 , Roisin O'ConnorTop left to right: Rex Brown Pantera -Tobias -Ghost -David Draiman Disturbed -James Hetfield Metallica -Tony Iommi Black Sabbath -Robert T Metallica – Phil Anselmo Pantera – Geezer Butler Black Sabbath -Sammy Hagar -Kirk Hamnett Metallica, Steven Tyler Aerosmith – Ozzy Osbourne –Bottom Mike Inez -Alice In Chains – Zakk Wylde Ozzy/Pantera – Bill Ward Black Sabbath – Lars Ulrich Metallica Billy Corgan Smashing Pumpkins
Ozzy is being AI'd into famous film scenes
17:36 , Roisin O'ConnorThe Chad Smith x Tom Morello supergroup closes on 'Whole Lotta Love'.
Meanwhile, Ozzy is being AI’d into famous film scenes: biting the head off a Pirates of the Caribbean parrot, as Doug from The Hangover (“’ve got a bad case of the s***s”), and as the kid in The Sixth Sense.
VIDEO: Black Sabbath: Back to the Beginning trailer
17:31 , Roisin O'ConnorSupergroup performs "Walk This Way"
17:18 , Roisin O'ConnorAfter a cover of “Breaking the Law” between Billy Corgan and Tom Morello, along with members of Judas Priest and Tool, Sammy Hagar of Montrose and Van Halen fame comes out for a rendition of Ozzy’s “Flying High Again” (1981).
The band then morphs to include Ronnie Wood and Steven Tyler -- and Travis Barker on drums -- for a rousing racket of “Walk This Way”.
Tom Morello performs tribute to Diogo Jota in Portuguese
17:15 , Roisin O'ConnorA moving tribute from musical director Tom Morello to Liverpool star Diogo Jota.
The Portuguese footballer and father of three died in Spain alongside his brother, Andre Silva, after their Lamborghini burst into flames following a tyre blowout in the early hours of Thursday morning.
His distraught family, friends and teammates gathered for his funeral today.
500,000 viewers!
17:08 , Roisin O'ConnorMore than half a million people are now tuned into the livestream. Crazy!
Sharon Osbourne says 'we're done' after tonight
17:00 , Roisin O'ConnorSharon Osbourne — who is married to Ozzy, has managed his solo career since it started in 1979, and has also handled Sabbath — says “there’s no way on God’s Earth” there will be more shows.
“We’re done,” she told Billboard. “I’ve been doing this since I was 15, and I’m done. We just want to live our life and do what we want to do and not have to follow an itinerary anymore.”
It's a drum-off!
16:38 , Roisin O'ConnorJason Momoa introduces a drum-off between Chad Smith, Travis Barker and Tool's Danny Carey: “I was talking to Chad Smith back there and he was saying this is the heavy metal boot camp,” Momoa says.
Ozzy's statement on Back to the Beginning
16:31 , Roisin O'ConnorBack when the gig was first announced, Ozzy explained what this show means to him:
“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 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.”
Fans are upset over the Marilyn Manson appearance
16:29 , Roisin O'Connor“F*** Marilyn Manson, he’s a piece of s***,” one angry fan writes on X/Twitter after seeing Manson’s Ozzy tribute.
“Disgraceful that he is on this otherwise outstanding Black Sabbath show.”
“Marilyn Manson on the Black Sabbath stream f*** off,” another fan writes.
In a clip on social media of the statement in question, Manson describes Ozzy as a “friend” whom he grew up to share a stage with, along with Black Sabbath.
“I’d like to say congratulations and I love you very much Ozzy,” he said.
Controversy as Marilyn Manson delivers statement via video
16:23 , Roisin O'ConnorA statement on Black Sabbath and Ozzy from Marilyn Manson is aired to the arena, reportedly to cheers (although there has been some consternation in the livestream comments).
This comes around two weeks after the shock rocker’s first UK concert of his One Assassination Under God Tour was cancelled following pressure from campaign groups and an MP.
Manson, who was sued by four women accusing him of rape, sexual assault and bodily harm, was due to kick off the tour on Wednesday 29 October at the Brighton Centre.
Ticketmaster has informed customers that the event will no longer go ahead as planned and they will be refunded.
Manson has always vehemently denied allegations of rape, sexual assault and physical abuse. The case against him was dropped in January after a year-long investigation, as prosectors in California found that the statue of limitations had been exceeded.
Sharon Osbourne claims one band was 'disinvited' from the show
16:12 , Roisin O'ConnorOzzy’s wife and longtime manager claims one band was uninvited from the concert because they “wanted to make a profit, and it’s not the time to make a profit,” she told Billboard.
“After the show I’ll let everybody know who it was. I think people will be shocked”.
