Black Sabbath are going out with a bang—and you don’t even need to be in Birmingham to witness it.
The band’s final show, dubbed Back to the Beginning, is set for July 5 at Villa Park, and now, it’s been confirmed: the whole thing will be livestreamed globally. That’s right – Ozzy, Iommi, Butler, and Ward, back together for the first (and last) time in two decades, beamed straight to your screen.
And they’re not doing it alone. This isn’t just a victory lap, it’s an all-out celebration of heavy music’s wildest legacy. Metallica, Slayer, Pantera, Gojira, Billy Corgan, Slash, Duff, Alice In Chains, members of Korn, Limp Bizkit, Disturbed, Tool, and Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello (who’s also acting as musical director) are all joining the chaos. Basically, if you’ve ever owned a black T-shirt, someone you love is probably on the bill.
Livestream access will be pay-per-view via the Back to the Beginning website, with footage available for 48 hours after the show. It kicks off at 3pm BST, and promises to be less a “gig” and more a generational torch-passing.
Don’t expect full Sabbath or Ozzy sets, though. In typical unfiltered Ozzy fashion, he’s been honest about his health limitations: “I may be sitting down,” he told The Guardian. “We’re only playing a couple of songs each… I don’t want people thinking they’re getting ripped off.” But the legend’s showing up one last time, and that counts for everything.
His reason for bowing out is simple: “I’ve lived on the road for 50-odd years… I want to spend the rest of my life with my family. I don’t want to die in a hotel room somewhere.”
Fair. But before he hangs up the mic, he’s giving fans one final, massive “thank you” with some of the biggest names in heavy music.
Is it a final goodbye? Maybe. But like Sharon Osbourne said—this isn’t really the end. With a catalogue that changed everything, Sabbath’s shadow isn’t fading anytime soon.
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