“This will be the greatest heavy metal show ever.” - Tom Morello, Music Director.
And holy hell, he isn’t wrong.
Metalheads everywhere - have you seen this??
This mental poster just dropped, and it makes every other festival/gig look like…well, no big deal. Seriously, this lineup is so stacked it feels like I’m dreaming.
But guess what? It’s not a dream and we haven’t jumped timelines, this is real life. I never thought I’d be lucky enough to see the day Ozzy Osbourne teams up with Black Sabbath for one last ride. But that’s exactly what’s happening. On July 5th, at Villa Park in Birmingham, UK, the gods of metal will unite once more - raising funds for Cure Parkinson's, Birmingham Children's Hospital, and Acorn Children's Hospice. And oh, by the way, this is the first time in 20 years that the original Black Sabbath lineup - Ozzy, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward - will hit the stage together.
It’s seriously mad. I’ve been thinking about it since I first saw the poster, and I’m still not over it. I mean, Black Sabbath, Metallica, Slayer, Anthrax, Gojira, Lamb of God, Alice in Chains and so many more of the biggest names in metal all in one place. This won’t just be a show; it’ll be a headbanging, horn raising, never-ending mosh pit - the kind of thing that might just bring tears to the eyes of even the toughest metalheads.
So, what’s it all about? Why have we been given this gift now?
Well, in Ozzy’s words: “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 I love. Birmingham is the true home of metal. Birmingham Forever.”
Basically, this show is a monumental way for him to sign off on his rock ‘n’ roll legacy.
You wanna know what sucks? I literally just moved to Australia and I won’t be able to be there. I can’t believe it. The one show I have to be at...and I’m on the other side of the world. This is the kind of event you want to be part of for history's sake, and my little black heart is breaking knowing I won’t be there to see it live. I know I’m not alone in feeling this way, either.
So, how much is this insanity going to cost? £200? More? Less? I’m betting this beast of a show could rival something like Download, but who knows what the ticket price will land at for such a metal-packed experience.
Anyway, I’ll leave you with some words from Sharon Osbourne talking to the BBC: “He’s doing great. He’s doing really great,” she said. “He’s so excited about this, about being with the guys again and all his friends. It’s exciting for everyone.”
But she also gave us the brutal truth: "This is going to be Ozzy’s final show. No more. He didn’t get the chance to say goodbye to his fans. This is his full stop."
Now that’s heavy.
So, here's to Ozzy, the Black Sabbath legacy, and one hell of a final chapter - let’s go Back to the Beginning.
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