Black Sabbath 's highly anticipated farewell show took place last Saturday, July 5th, at Villa Park in Birmingham, United Kingdom.
Titled "Back To The Beginning ," the final show by the greatest heavy metal band reunited the four original members. Vocalist Ozzy Osbourne , bassist Geezer Butler , guitarist Tony Iommi , and drummer Bill Ward played together for the first and last time in 20 years.
The band made history by performing with its original lineup, and the festival also featured other big names like Guns N' Roses , Metallica , Tool , Slayer , and many more. Check out here what each guest played at the festival .
Wikimetal has selected the highlights of this historic performance .
Ozzy sings 5 songs while seated on his throne.
Seated at the front of the stage in an ornate black armchair, Ozzy Osbourne explained [via Billboard ]: “I’ve been bedridden for six damn years, you have no idea how much this means to me.” The eternal Madman sang his best-known tracks, bringing the audience to tears as he sang “Mama, I’m Coming Home.” It was moving to see Ozzy sitting and struggling for his final performance, yet he sang better than many of the artists who performed that day. Definitely the most emotional farewell.
The end of the greatest heavy metal band.
As previously mentioned, vocalist Ozzy Osbourne, bassist Geezer Butler, guitarist Tony Iommi, and drummer Bill Ward played together for the first and last time in 20 years. The famous riffs of "War Pigs," "NIB," "Iron Man," and "Paranoid" were played for the last time by the Heavy Metal icons. The band was tight and truly back to their roots, with a youthful spirit – even Bill Ward played shirtless, like a teenager. The live broadcast was poorly edited and cut out the genuine final moments of the show. Contrary to what we saw, Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler returned to the stage, shook Ozzy's hand, and briefly stepped away. Soon after, Geezer returned with a cake for Ozzy, offering the Prince of Darkness one last moment to appreciate the crowd. Emotional.
Yungblud presents an emotional version of “Changes”
British singer-songwriter Yungblud moved the audience with his cover of "Changes," a track from Black Sabbath's classic Vol. 4. The young alternative rock singer, just 27 years old, performed with Nuno Bettencourt on guitar and drummer II from Sleep Token . They dedicated the performance to Diogo Jota , the Liverpool who died at age 28 in a car accident. Yungblud led the audience, getting everyone to sing along to the famous song by the Birmingham quartet, delivering an engaging performance that was one of the best of the day. In an interview with Rolling Stone UK , Sharon Osbourne said: "Seeing Yungblud sing 'Changes' deeply moved me. He's a friend of Kelly's, she introduced us, and he's become a great friend of the family."
Three drummers playing “Symptom of the Universe”
Special mention goes to the drummers: Travis Barker of Blink-182 , Danny Carey of Tool , and Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chili Peppers . The trio joined Tom Morello, bassist Rudy Sarzo ( Quiet Riot, Ozzy Osbourne ), and guitarist Nuno Bettencourt ( Extreme ) in a deconstructed version of Black Sabbath's "Symptom of the Universe." The battle brought together drummers of distinct musical styles, united for an unusual take on a classic.
David Draiman, from Disturbed, is booed.
Disturbed 's vocalist was part of Tom Morello 's All Stars at Back To The Beginning , to sing "Shot In The Dark" (an Ozzy Osbourne cover) and "Sweet Leaf" (a Black Sabbath cover). However, he was met with a significant amount of booing as soon as he appeared on stage . The vocalist performed alongside Scott Ian ( Anthrax ), Nuno Bettencourt ( Extreme ), David Ellefson (ex- Megadeth ), Mike Bordin ( Faith No More , ex- Ozzy Osbourne ), and Adam Wakeman ( Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath ). David Draiman was surprised by the audience's reaction. However, the booing is likely attributed to the fact that David Draiman autographed bombs that were sent to Israel last year. The Disturbed vocalist, who is Jewish, has been an outspoken supporter of Israel.
Sid Wilson proposes to Kelly Osbourne.
Behind the scenes of this historic event, Slipknot 's Sid Wilson proposed to Kelly Osbourne , daughter of Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne . After gathering family and close friends, Sid made sure to record the proposal on video, which quickly went viral on social media. At the height of the celebration for Black Sabbath's final show, he declared: "Kelly, you know I love you more than anything." However, before he could finish the sentence, Ozzy Osbourne humorously interrupted the scene: "Get out of here! You're not marrying my daughter!" Amidst laughter and applause, Sid didn't miss a beat, officially proposed, and Kelly gave him an emotional "yes," followed by many hugs and celebrations with Sharon, Jack Osbourne, and everyone present.
Eloy Casagrande represented Brazil at the event.
Eloy Casagrande , from Slipknot , not only participated in Black Sabbath 's farewell show , but also met his idol Bill Ward in person. The Brazilian drummer made a special appearance at Mastodon during their performance of the Sabbath cover "Supernaut," which also featured drummers Mario Duplantier ( Gojira ) and Danny Carey ( Tool ). Backstage, Eloy was moved to tears upon meeting Bill Ward, the founding drummer of Black Sabbath. Eloy couldn't hold back his tears and shared the encounter on his social media .
READ ALSO: Poll: Which band gave the best performance at Black Sabbath's farewell concert?
