Black Sabbath, pioneers of heavy metal, brought their journey as a band to a close with their farewell concert ‘Back To The Beginning’ yesterday, 5 July. Held in their hometown of Birmingham, the concert marked the end of over five decades of genre-defining music. The final performance took place at Villa Park Stadium, packed with 40,000 fans, with 5.8 million live-streaming the event, and a host of rock icons.

The farewell concert featured the band’s classic line-up: Bill Ward, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and frontman Ozzy Osbourne, who led the band through a setlist of their most iconic tracks. This concert marked the first time the quartet had performed together since 2005. Although Black Sabbath had hosted several ‘final shows’ before, in 1992, 1999 and 2017, due to the progression of Osbourne’s Parkinson’s disease, it is likely that ‘Back To The Beginning’ will truly be the last time the original Black Sabbath line-up perform together.

Osbourne hadn’t played a full show since 2018 before last night, due to undergoing multiple surgeries and health complications. In preparation for the show, Ozzy Osbourne had ‘heavy training’. In an interview with Loudwire, Osbourne said: “I haven’t done anything for, jeez, it’s gonna be seven years,” Ozzy explained. “I’ve been through all these surgeries. It really is like starting from scratch.”

The city of Birmingham has embraced the band’s homecoming with pride and anticipation, dubbing this summer the ‘Summer Of Sabbath’. Birmingham City Council awarded the band members the Freedom of the City Award, an honour given to highly respected members of the community. As well as this, there’s a 120ft Black Sabbath mural being painted on Navigation Street, an Ozzy Osbourne exhibition at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, and a ballet set to Black Sabbath’s music, which will run from 18-27 September.

Ozzy Osbourne was seated in a bat-themed throne during his performances, having recently lost his ability to walk. He performed his songs ‘I Don’t Know’, ‘Mr. Crowley’, ‘Suicide Solution’, ‘Mama, I’m Coming Home’ and ‘Crazy Train’ to a roaring reception.

The 11-hour concert was packed with massive names in rock and heavy metal, including Halestorm, Metallica, Alice In Chains, Guns N’ Roses, as well as members of Rage Against The Machine, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Rolling Stones and many more. The event was hosted by Aquaman actor Jason Momoa, and featured a special performance by Jack Black singing his rendition of Ozzy’s song ‘Mr. Crowley’. Many of the bands featured covered Black Sabbath’s songs, such as Tool sharing their rendition of ‘Hand Of Doom’, and Metallica taking on ‘Hole In The Sky’ and ‘Johnny Blade’. Guns N’ Roses also performed their song ‘It’s Alright’, the first time they’d done so since 1992.

For the first time since 1992, @gunsnroses played It’s Alright at Back to the Beginning in ode to Black Sabbath.

I love Sabbath and the night is about them and Ozzy, but for us GN’R fans specifically, it’s really special to hear this again in 2025. pic.twitter.com/N5A4CFox9W

— Jen (@TheGNRGiirl) July 5, 2025

Black Sabbath closed the show, with their classic hits ‘War Pigs’, ‘N.I.B.’, ‘Iron Man’ and ‘Paranoid’. The day ended with cake for Ozzy, and fireworks lighting up the stadium. Osbourne closed the show by saying “It’s the last song ever. Your support has enabled us to live an amazing lifestyle… thank you from the bottom of our hearts.”

Overall, the concert raised £140 million for charity, and the proceeds will be shared equally between Acorns Children’s Hospice, Birmingham Children’s Hospital, and Cure Parkinson’s.

For more MXDWN coverage on Ozzy Osbourne, click here.