When Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath announced their final performance together, fans expected a legendary farewell but no one anticipated they’d witness the highest-grossing charity concert in music history. The “Back to the Beginning” show at Birmingham’s Villa Park on July 5th raised an extraordinary $190 million for three charitable causes, surpassing iconic benefit concerts like Live Aid and FireAid combined. The 76-year-old Prince of Darkness, performing seated on a throne due to his Parkinson’s disease, delivered one last powerful performance alongside the original Black Sabbath lineup for the first time in two decades.
The 10-hour metal extravaganza featured an all-star lineup including Metallica, Guns N’ Roses, and Slayer, with 40,000 fans in attendance and 5.8 million streaming worldwide. All proceeds will be split equally between Cure Parkinson’s, Birmingham Children’s Hospital, and Acorn Children’s Hospice, which are causes deeply personal to Osbourne and his Birmingham roots. Tom Morello, who served as musical director, declared they had created “the greatest day in the history of heavy metal” while simultaneously achieving something far more meaningful. This remarkable farewell proves that even in retirement, rock legends can create legacies that extend far beyond music, transforming their final bow into a gift that will help countless lives for years to come.