For the first time in two decades, Anthrax will share the stage with Black Sabbath — and it won't be just any stage. Anthrax will participate in the farewell performance of the original Black Sabbath lineup at the Back To The Beginning , which takes place on July 5th at Villa Park in Birmingham, England.
Drummer Charlie Benante described the emotion of reuniting with Sabbath [transcription via Blabbermouth ]: “They shaped the Anthrax sound. In 1986, we played Sabbath Bloody Sabbath as a B-side and it was a milestone for us,” he said.
Scott Ian fondly recalled hearing the band for the first time at age eight. “That marked me. Tony Iommi practically taught me how to play guitar,” he stated. “As soon as I saw the names involved, I spoke to Tom Morello and asked to include us in the event.” Within minutes, he replied: ‘You’re in.’”
Vocalist Joey Belladonna praised the energy of the tour they did with Sabbath in 1986 and said he was honored to participate in the farewell. Bassist Frank Bello revealed that Geezer Butler has always been one of his biggest influences and today he can call him a friend.
Jon Donais , guitarist, revealed that he grew up listening to Ozzy Osbourne and highlighted Sabotage as his favorite Sabbath album.
The farewell show
The Back To The Beginning concert sold out in less than 10 minutes. Besides Anthrax and Sabbath themselves, the event features names like Metallica , Guns N' Roses , Pantera , Tool , Mastodon , Gojira , among others. Ozzy, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward will reunite on stage for the last time, and this will also be Ozzy's farewell as a solo artist.
The event organizers will donate the profits to institutions such as Cure Parkinson's, Birmingham Children's Hospital, and Acorn Children's Hospice.
Doctors diagnosed Ozzy with a rare form of Parkinson's disease. In recent years, he has faced several health problems, including a fall that aggravated old injuries and complications caused by COVID-19.
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