Ozzy Osbourne has announced that the original members of Black Sabbath will play a concert together for the first time in 20 years.
In a post on X, Osbourne revealed that he would reunite with Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward to play one final show at Villa Park in Birmingham, England on July 5.
“It’s my time to go Back to the Beginning… time for me to give back to the place where I was born,” said Osbourne. “How blessed am I to do it with the help of people whom I love. Birmingham is the true home of metal. Birmingham Forever.”
Osbourne will play his own short set in the multi-artist show before joining with the band for his “final bow,” the announcement said. Other musicians performing at “Back to the Beginning” include Metallica, Slayer, Lamb of God, Alice in Chains and Anthrax.
“This will be the greatest heavy metal show ever,” the post quoted the concert’s music director, Tom Morello, as saying.
Formed in Birmingham in 1968, Black Sabbath went on to become one of the most successful metal bands of all time, selling more than 75 million albums worldwide, according to Osbourne’s post.
Back in 2022, he surprised attendees at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games with a mini Black Sabbath reunion, rocking out on stage with Iommi.
Though Osbourne had a farewell tour set to begin in 2023, he was forced to cancel the shows due to poor health.
“My singing voice is fine. However, after three operations, stem cell treatments, endless physical therapy, and most recently groundbreaking Cybernics (HAL) Treatment, my body is still physically weak,” he said in a statement at the time.
Osbourne, 76, later told Rolling Stone that he would “die a happy man” if he could perform in one more show to express his gratitude to fans from the stage.
His wife, Sharon Osbourne, hinted at the upcoming concert in an interview with Rolling Stone last year, telling the magazine that Osbourne was ready to give his fans a sendoff in his hometown.
Tickets for the concert go on sale February 14, with profits going to various charities.
Source: CNN
--Agencies
