Tickets for Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath's blockbuster final show, which is being curated by Tom Morello and features a veritable feast of the heavy metal elite, sold out in just 16 minutes. That's a speed equivalent of the first four tracks of Master of Reality. Those who blinked unfortunately missed out.
Thankfully, fans whose fingers (and internet speeds) weren't fast enough to get a ticket the live show amid the rush will still be available to stream the show from the comfort of their homes.
For those who can’t attend in person, a pay-per-view live stream will be available, produced by Mercury Studios – the team behind Metallica Saved My Life and One to One: John & Yoko. Tickets are priced at $29.99, and there’s also a premium package which, for $64.98, throws a special tour shirt into the mix.
The stream starts at 3:00 pm BST (10:00 am EDT, 7:00 am PDT) on July 5th, and the night’s shenanigans and frivolities will be available to rewatch for another 48 hours.
“Mercury Studios [is] incredibly proud to be involved in capturing this monumental milestone at Villa Park,” says managing director Kelly Sweeney. “Back To The Beginning will be an unforgettable experience, and our aim is to deliver this moment to fans worldwide, wherever they are, so they don’t miss out on seeing music history being made.”
Morello’s task for the show is simple: “To curate the greatest day in the history of heavy metal for the greatest band in the history of heavy metal.” It’s only fair then that such a historic day will be televised – and that's now become a reality.
Sabbath's classic line-up – Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward – will make their final bow at Villa Park in Birmingham, England, next month alongside a cast of metal royalty that transcends generations. Bands such as Metallica, Alice In Chains, and Gojira, while individual names, including Wolfgang Van Halen, and Halestorm's Lzzy Hale, will also star.
As for what to expect from the event, Ozzy has already revealed he will only play a bit–part role, and Sammy Hagar has revealed the song he’ll be performing during Ozzy’s solo set.
It is also expected that some of the assembled guest stars will fill-in at various points during Sabbath’s set – WVH, Hale, and Sleep Token drummer II, and Ghost’s enigmatic frontman, Papa V Perpetua, are all seemingly on the bill for that reason.
There will also be a supergroup comprising members of Tool, Rage Against the Machine, and Smashing Pumpkins, with Slash and Duff McKagan joining them for the ride, too.
Scott Ian, meanwhile, has joked about how Anthrax were added to the bill because he got a severe case of FOMO after seeing the gig poster without his band's name on it.
Tickets for the Black Sabbath Back to the Beginning live stream can be purchased from Back to the Beginning.
