Black Sabbath’s long-anticipated farewell concert, ‘Back To The Beginning’, raised nearly £200 million for charity during a historic night of music at Birmingham’s Villa Park this Saturday, July 5. The event marked the final live appearance of Ozzy Osbourne and served as a major fundraising effort, with all proceeds donated equally to Cure Parkinson’s, Birmingham Children’s Hospital, and Acorns Children’s Hospice.
The show’s music director, Rage Against The Machine guitarist Tom Morello, confirmed the staggering total raised through ticket sales and global pay-per-view livestreams. Posting to Instagram, Morello wrote: “more than $190 million will be donated to houses and hospitals for children. We raised a ton of money for a great cause and so many great musicians and bands and fans all over the world paid tribute to the all time greats”.
A report at the BBC interviewed the charities receiving the proceeds from the farewell concert. One of the concert’s key beneficiaries is Cure Parkinson’s, a cause deeply personal to Osbourne, who was diagnosed with the disease in 2020. The charity’s director of marketing and fundraising said the team was “over the moon” with the donation. He added that Cure Parkinsons “are increasingly wanting to make sure people with Parkinson’s all over the country… have some access to trials, and that includes Birmingham and the West Midlands, so any donations or funds raised from this will help us do that”.
Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity – a longstanding cause supported by Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne – will also benefit. Sheeba Ali, a fundraising manager at the hospital, said the donation will go towards improving the hospital environment for patients and families: “That can be anything in terms of improving the environment, there’s a lot of development happening at the children’s hospital at the moment… to make it a less scary space for kids”.
The final beneficiary, Acorns Children’s Hospice, provides specialist care to around 900 children and families across Birmingham. CEO Trevor Johnson said the donation will be transformative and will “enable us to be there for more children and families” after the demand for the charity’s services had doubled in the past two years. The hospice attempts to create a home-like environment for the children with activities and daytrips.
The concert itself was a monumental send-off. Ozzy Osbourne took the stage for a final solo appearance, performing atop a giant winged throne, while Black Sabbath delivered a powerful stream-lined set focused on tracks from their first two albums such as ‘War Pigs’ and ‘Iron Man’. The night ended with a performance of ‘Paranoid’, which Osbourne declared to be “the last song ever.” The evening also featured tribute sets from Metallica, Guns N’ Roses, Korn, Slayer, Alice in Chains, and many more. MXDWN’s original coverage of the highlights of the farewell show can be read here.
