Black Sabbath’s original lineup will reunite for the first time in 20 years for a concert billed as Ozzy Osbourne’s last ever show. The Back to the Beginning charity concert, taking place July 5 at Villa Park, in the band’s Birmingham hometown, will feature a gargantuan rock lineup including Metallica, Pantera, Slayer, and a supergroup of Billy Corgan, Slash, Fred Durst, Wolfgang Van Halen, and Tom Morello, who serves as the event’s musical director.
Filling out the main bill are Gojira, Anthrax, Alice in Chains, Mastodon, Lamb of God, and Halestorm. Guns n’ Roses’ Duff McKagan and Slash are also on the lineup. Osbourne will play a brief solo set before being joined by the band, and some of the supporting artists will play Sabbath and Ozzy solo songs, according to Sharon Osbourne. More artists are still to be announced.
Ozzy Osbourne said in a press release, “It’s my time to go Back to the Beginning…. time for me to give back to the place where I was born. How blessed am I to do it with the help of people whom I love. Birmingham is the true home of metal. Birmingham Forever.” Morello added, “This will be the greatest heavy metal show ever.”
Speaking to BBC News, Sharon Osbourne said her husband is “doing really great. He’s so excited about this, about being with the guys again and all his friends…. Ozzy didn’t have a chance to say goodbye to his friends, to his fans, and he feels there’s no been no full stop. This is his full stop.”
All profits will go to Cure Parkinson’s, Birmingham Children’s Hospital, and Acorn Children’s Hospice, according to the press release.
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