Black Sabbath highly anticipated farewell show took place last Saturday, July 5th, at Villa Park in Birmingham, United Kingdom. Approximately 40,000 people attended the event, with 5.8 million people watching the show online.
However, the audience watching the online stream was intrigued by the abrupt and cold way the show ended. There were no emotional speeches, no farewells, no interaction, just Ozzy Osbourne alone on stage, seemingly somewhat unhappy before the broadcast ended.
Titled "Back To The Beginning ," the final show of 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. And contrary to what viewers might think, the show didn't end in that cold, cold way.
The live stream was poorly edited and cut out the genuine final moments of the show. As initially pointed out by The Rock Experience with Mike Brunn on Facebook, footage recorded by fans revealed what really happened after the final act [via Metal Injection ]:
"To all the fans who said how 'cold' the end of the Black Sabbath show was, with the band leaving the stage and leaving Ozzy alone. Note that you probably feel that way because of very poor editing in the 'live' broadcast.".
The end of Black Sabbath's farewell show
Right after the show ended, Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler returned to the stage, shook hands with Ozzy, and stepped away only for Geezer to return with a cake for Ozzy.
The Rock Experience with Mike Brunn continued: “I saw a fan-recorded clip that showed Tony and Geezer approaching Ozzy at the end and shaking his hand. Then they left the stage and Geezer came back with a cake for him. They were giving Ozzy that last moment to appreciate the audience one last time. It’s a shame the live stream ruined it, but that’s how it happened. You can see a bit of it in the video I’ve attached in the comments.”
Later, bassist Geezer Butler posted a screenshot of the post saying : “I keep hearing that people who watched the stream thought our show ended abruptly… With us just walking away. Sorry if it seemed that way. I went to get this cake for Ozzy. Cheers to the fan who captured the perfect ending.”
The true ending shows an emotional and celebratory moment that truly reflects the respect and admiration shared for the original Black Sabbath lineup. The broadcast left something to be desired, and what viewers saw, unfortunately, did not do justice to the historic farewell the band deserves.
READ ALSO: Poll: Which band gave the best performance at Black Sabbath's farewell concert?
