In a momentous occasion at Birmingham’s ‘Back to the Beginning‘ concert on Saturday, Ozzy Osbourne and Axl Rose finally met for the first time, despite both being legends in the rock world for decades.

The Prince of Darkness shared his excitement about the encounter on Monday, 7th July, posting on Instagram alongside a photo of the pair shaking hands backstage: “My first time meeting Axl Rose, at my age you don’t get to meet many legends, seriously an utter gentleman.”

The Guns N’ Roses frontman had already expressed his feelings about the meeting a day earlier on X, writing: “Wow!! What an EVENT!! Extremely overwhelming!! Really great crowd!! Was very emotional for everyone!! MET OZZY!! (Crazy we’d never met b4!!) He was really great!! Was great to meet Sabbath!!”

Rose continued his heartfelt message: “Was hard as I imagine for anyone to watch Ozzy’s struggles while at the same time everyone was rooting for him n’ massively respecting the challenges he took on n’ HE DID IT!!!! Was great to meet Ozzy’s family n’ see friends n’ peeps in all bands n’ the business. A HUGE THANK YOU again to Ozzy, Sharon, Black Sabbath n’ all the fans for having us!!”

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The historic Birmingham concert marked a significant moment for both artists. Guns N’ Roses paid tribute with four Black Sabbath covers, opening with Technical Ecstasy’s “It’s Alright” before launching into “Never Say Die.” They also performed “Junior’s Eyes” and the title track from 1973’s Sabbath Bloody Sabbath.

For Osbourne, the night held even greater significance as it represented his final performances both as a solo artist and as the frontman of Black Sabbath. The emotional event brought together generations of rock fans to witness this pivotal moment in music history.

The mutual respect between these two rock icons was evident in their warm exchange, with both sharing photos of their meeting across social media platforms, including another image featuring Osbourne, Rose, and Slash.

That these two legends had never crossed paths before Saturday’s concert comes as a surprise to many fans, considering their parallel careers and significant influence on rock music over the past several decades.

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