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[Chuck Berry]

Sharon Osbourne announces Ozzy’s final show: ‘This is his full stop’

The band will reunite to play a charity show with metal legends Metallica, Anthrax and Slayer.

www.bbc.com

The heavy metal pioneers will headline a spectacular one-day festival at Villa Park, featuring dozens of bands they inspired, including Metallica, Pantera, Slayer, Gojira and Anthrax.

The concert will mark the first time that Black Sabbath's original line-up - Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward - have played together in 20 years.

Osbourne, who has largely been forced to stop touring due to a combination of Parkinson's and spinal injuries, will play a short solo set before joining his bandmates.

His wife, Sharon, told BBC News he was determined to put on one final show.

"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."

However, she said the concert would definitively be the 76-year-old's final show.

"Ozzy didn't have a chance to say goodbye to his friends, to his fans, and he feels there's no been no full stop.

"This is his full stop."

The concert, dubbed Back To The Beginning, was announced at Villa Park on Wednesday by Sharon, and Black Sabbath's Tony Iommi.

Rage Against The Machine guitarist Tom Morello, who is serving as the event's musical director, said it would be "the greatest heavy metal show ever".

Proceeds from the show will support Cure Parkinson's, the Birmingham Children's Hospital and Acorn Children's Hospice, a Children's Hospice supported by Aston Villa.

Other acts on the line-up include Alice In Chains, Halestorm, Lamb Of God and Mastodon.

In addition, the concert will feature a "supergroup", with stars like Billy Corgan, Slash, Fred Durst, Wolfgang Van Halen and Tom Morello.

 

[John Marston]

Ozzy looked like my mom 3 years into her dementia at the rock n' roll Hall of Fame presentation.
Just pump him full of drugs and let him explode onstage

 

[Hookshot]

I'm sure it will be a fun event but he was getting bad when I last saw him near 20 years ago.

 

[Bumblebeetuna]

In addition, the concert will feature a "supergroup", with stars like Billy Corgan, Slash, Fred Durst, Wolfgang Van Halen and Tom Morello.

haha

I’ve seen Ozzy like six times, twice with Black Sabbath. He was good in two of the shows. I hope his last one is good.

 

[RagnarokIV]

His wife, Sharon, told BBC News she was determined for him to put on one final show.

"He's doing great. He's doing really great, greater than ever and ready to make some dollar" she said. "He's so excited about this, about being with the guys again and all his friends. This time I won’t shag any of them and nobody will die. It's exciting for making money."

 

[Mr Reasonable]

I'm going to try and get a couple of tickets for this if the price isn't totally insane (spoiler: it will be) I'm not an Ozzy/Sabbath fan (but I've seen both live) but it seems like it'll be a pretty interesting event to have gone to and I can see a bunch of bands I used to listen to.

I was actually toying with going to see Pantera in a couple of weeks, but I'm not sure I can overcome my distaste for paying to see Phil "White Power" Anselmo. Because the proceeds from this Sabbath show are all going to charity, it'd be a good way around that.

 

[Chuck Berry]

Is this something that will sell out super quick or in record time?

Im assuming nothing will top that Oasis reunion shitstorm

 

[Mr Reasonable]

Is this something that will sell out super quick or in record time?

Im assuming nothing will top that Oasis reunion shitstorm

I would expect it to be in high demand, it won't be on the scale of Oasis though, Oasis have the kind of mainstream appeal that basically nobody has. On the other hand, Oasis were selling a tour, and this is one day. So, though there are fewer people likely to want to go, there are fewer tickets on sale too.

 

[Hookshot]

I don't live that far from Birmingham and used to go to gigs and festivals a lot but none of my mates have shown any interest in this.

 

[EverydayBeast]

Ozzy and Black Sabbath are exciting they want to keep rocking.

 

[Bert Big Balls]

The lineup is mad but I can't believe Sleep Token are on it. Horrid.

 

[poodaddy]

Sharon Osbourne announces Ozzy’s final show: ‘This is his full stop’

The band will reunite to play a charity show with metal legends Metallica, Anthrax and Slayer.

www.bbc.com

Holy fuck....dude that lineup is fucking ridiculous. That's three out of the big four for thrash as well.

Fuck.....think I gotta work out my passport, might be heading to Birmingham this summer lads.

 

[jason10mm]

I just hope they record the entire concert in high def 360 degree video and awesome sound, I'd pay decent money to have it on VR. Even better if they can get some girls to do topless crowd surfing nearby

I don't know if my body could handle that show, to be honest. Stellar line-up.

 

[Wildebeest]

Seems like it is an achievement for Ozzy just to walk on stage and mime, but the show looks stacked anyway.

 

[Judge Death]

I would give an entire bollock for a ticket to this.

 

[Mr Reasonable]

Seems like it is an achievement for Ozzy just to walk on stage

Sadly, yes.

 

[Chuck Berry]

Sadly, yes.

Man that was fucking WEIRD to see Maynard attempt to sing "Crazy Train." It just....didn't work at all to me. His voice just isnt cut out for it. And I say that as someone that deeply loves the man.

 

[Rival]

I saw them in 1999 when they were only about ten years past their prime.

 

[Mr Reasonable]

Man that was fucking WEIRD to see Maynard attempt to sing "Crazy Train." It just....didn't work at all to me. His voice just isnt cut out for it. And I say that as someone that deeply loves the man.

I agree, Ozzy has such a distinctive voice, and some things just don't work when you substitute something so identifiable. Maynard standing next to Wolfgang during the solo trying to enthuse was super awkward, whether intended to be funny or not, too.

It's probably quite easy to question Ozzy's skills as a singer and performer, but a 55 year career (!) and enduring popularity is a robust rebuttal.

 

[Mr Reasonable]

I saw them in 1999 when they were only about ten years past their prime.

I saw them around the same time. Pantera played too, weirdly what stands out to me most in my memory was Phil Anselmo sitting side of stage obviously absolutely loving watching them play.

 

[Rival]

I saw them around the same time. Pantera played too, weirdly what stands out to me most in my memory was Phil Anselmo sitting side of stage obviously absolutely loving watching them play.

Mine was at Ozzfest 99. Sabbath was actually pretty good and Ozzy still had it. The highlight of the day was a relatively unknown group that was one of the first bands of the day on the B Stage called Slipknot. I swear there were maybe only 100 people watching them. It was awesome.

 

[Sardaukarama]

Sharon keeps dragging the corpse out, I imagine in a few his skeleton glued to that stupid black sabbath bench they placed in Broad St ,Birmingham

 

[rkofan87]

is ozzy even really singing the songs any more the guy can not really talk good any more.

 

[jason10mm]

Mine was at Ozzfest 99. Sabbath was actually pretty good and Ozzy still had it. The highlight of the day was a relatively unknown group that was one of the first bands of the day on the B Stage called Slipknot. I swear there were maybe only 100 people watching them. It was awesome.

I think I saw that tour.

Damn I miss the big moving festival shows. Seems like it's all annual fests now and I don't live near any. Wacken is on my bucket list though.

 

[Comfortgel]

Didn't Sharon just announce today that Ozzy is wheelchair-bound, and can't walk because of his Parkinson's?