The end is officially nigh for Black Sabbath. In just two months, the original architects of heavy metal will play their final-ever live performance—and fittingly, it’s happening in their hometown of Birmingham, England.
But while fans are bracing for the most emotional farewell in metal history, founding bassist Geezer Butler says the looming event has already crept into his subconscious.
“I’m already having palpitations,” Butler confessed in a recent interview with The Guardian. “I had a nightmare last night. I dreamed everything went wrong on stage and we all turned to dust.”
The gig, dubbed ‘Back to the Beginning’, takes place Saturday, July 5th, at Villa Park—the home ground of Ozzy Osbourne’s beloved Aston Villa FC. For the first time in 20 years, the classic Sabbath lineup—Ozzy, Butler, Tony Iommi and Bill Ward—will reunite on stage. And they won’t be alone.
Curated by musical director Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine, Audioslave), the stacked lineup features Metallica, Slayer, Pantera, Anthrax, Alice in Chains, Lamb of God, Halestorm, Mastodon, Gojira, Slash, Wolfgang Van Halen and more to be announced. It’s a who’s who of heavy music, paying tribute to the band that shaped the genre from the ground up.
“It’s been an incredible journey, but it’s only fitting that it ends here, where it all began in Aston,” wrote Iommi in a statement. “What we created together was bigger than any one of us, and I’ll always be grateful for that.”
Despite the star-studded nature of the event, fans shouldn’t expect a full Sabbath set. Ozzy Osbourne, who hasn’t performed a complete live show since 2018 and revealed his Parkinson’s diagnosis in 2020, has been carefully managing his expectations—along with everyone else’s.
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“I’m not doing a full set with Sabbath,” he said. “We’re only playing a couple of songs each. I don’t want people thinking, ‘We’re getting ripped off,’ because it’s just going to be… what’s the word? A sample. You’re going to get a few songs each by Ozzy and Sabbath.”
While Osbourne has been undergoing extensive physical training in preparation for the show, he admits things will look very different this time around.
“I’m used to doing two hours on stage, jumping and running around,” he said. “I don’t think I’ll be doing much jumping or running around this time. I may be sitting down, but the point is I’ll be there, and I’ll do the best I can.”
For Butler, that’s what makes this final performance so emotionally loaded. “It’s important that we leave a great impression, since it’s the final time that people will experience us live,” he said. “So it has to be great on the night.”
The concert is more than just a goodbye. It’s a love letter to the birthplace of heavy metal, with all proceeds benefiting Cure Parkinson’s, Birmingham Children’s Hospital, and Acorns Children’s Hospice. For Osbourne, it’s a full-circle moment.
“It’s my time to go Back to the Beginning… time for me to give back to the place where I was born,” he said. “How blessed am I to do it with the help of people whom I love. Birmingham is the true home of metal. Birmingham Forever.”
Black Sabbath last toured Australia in 2016 on their ‘The End’ tour. As Tone Deaf wrote in our review of their Rod Laver Arena show: “It’s a testament to the band’s timelessness that even they can’t put a full stop on their legend.”
