Black Sabbath’s Farewell Show Is One of the Best Ever

For more than half a century now, it’s been unnecessary to point out that Black Sabbath paved the way for heavy metal. Musicians, listeners, and music scribes alike have long understood that the Birmingham, England quartet’s self-titled debut from 1970 represents the primordial source for virtually every metallic note that’s come in its wake. The seeds of metal may have been planted prior to Black Sabbath‘s arrival, but the genre’s godfathers undeniably played the most crucial role in its fruition. In particular, guitarist Tony Iommi crafted the blueprint for evil-sounding riffs that became the template for many—arguably all—permutations of heavy music. 

In case there were any lingering doubts, however, there should be no question now that “Back to the Beginning” is in the books. A combination tribute/dual-farewell concert that took place on 5th July at the Aston Villa football stadium—down the street from where original Sabbath members Geezer Butler and Ozzy Osbourne grew up—”Back to the Beginning” could best be described as a wall-to-wall outpouring of reverence. Of the 70-plus musicians who performed over the concert’s ten-hour run time, the overwhelming majority of them acknowledged that their careers—indeed, their lives as they know them—simply wouldn’t exist without Black Sabbath. 

Right from the start, Mastodon bassist/frontman Troy Sanders set the tone when he announced to the sold-out crowd that “This is the greatest honor of our lives to be here.” One after another, members of marquee acts like Anthrax, Lamb of God, Gojira, Pantera, and Metallica—not to mention host Jason Momoa—followed suit. Although the bill was stacked with musicians who’ve commanded their own fanbases for decades, the sheer exuberance beaming off the stage was palpable, even on the pay-per-view live stream. 

Between sets, viewers were treated to 15-second testimonials from fans, as well as video greetings from other artists, including AC/DC, Judas Priest, Def Leppard, Marilyn Manson, and even unexpected supporters such as Cyndi Lauper, Dolly Parton, and Elton John. One of the most impressive aspects of the event was just how completely the line between performer and fan seemed to dissolve. As Black Sabbath lovers from around the globe gushed into their phone cameras, the pitch and fervor of their praise was indistinguishable from the gushing onstage. 

Major concerts can all too often suffer from a sense that artists are going through the motions by rote, saying scripted things to the crowd and trying their best to appear thrilled to be there. That kind of disengagement was definitely not an issue at Aston Villa. Even the notoriously disengaged Tool, who looked every bit their usual dour-faced selves as they took the stage late in the afternoon, managed to invest their version of Sabbath’s Paranoid-era classic “Hand of Doom” with more life and creativity than they’ve shown in ages. 

In what appeared to be a disastrous misstep, it wasn’t announced until after the show was sold out that co-headliners Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath would only play a handful of songs apiece. That was, understandably, concerning to fans who paid for travel expenses on top of shelling out £150-£275 ($200-$370 USD) for standing-room general admission tickets, let alone those who paid much more for assigned seating, VIP packages, and resale tickets.

Alas, the brevity of all the sets proved to be a masterstroke. From start to finish, “Back to the Beginning” crackled with a sense of urgency, with the music proceeding at a brisk pace towards the inexorable final bow for Osbourne and his one-time bandmates. 

A few days beforehand, Tom Morello—who’d been hand-picked by Ozzy manager Sharon Osbourne to curate the bands and organize the program—told Canadian talk show host George Stroumboulopoulos that “the goal is a simple one: to make this the greatest day in heavy metal”. Did “Back to the Beginning” live up to Morello’s billing?

There were many imperfections one could harp on: Mastodon drummer Brann Dailor’s lead vocal mic cutting out for half a song, Sammy Hagar and Anthrax vocalist Joey Belladonna clearly not knowing the words to the songs they covered, Billy Corgan singing way off-key, and Black Sabbath’s set getting cut short by two songs due to curfew. 

Arguably, only one or two of the drummers who appeared—Dailor and Tool’s Danny Carey—came close to approaching the depth of Bill Ward’s artistry. To be fair, even Ward played like a shadow of his old self (though that’s understandable, seeing as Ward is 77 and hasn’t been very active behind the kit since his health struggles began in 1980). Worse: none of the bassists on the program captured the nuances of Geezer Butler’s playing, especially puzzling since three of them had learned a repertoire of classic Sabbath material during their respective stints in Osbourne’s band. 

On the other hand, the standout performances—Lzzy Hale, Nuno Bettencourt, Steven Tyler, Yungblud, Marina Viotti, etc—will be remembered forever. Aficionados were also treated to surprise deep cuts like “Changes”, “Johnny Blade”, “Junior’s Eyes”, and “It’s Alright”. Moreover, what promised to be a logistical trainwreck ran more or less like clockwork. The livestream quality, for example, exceeded what anyone could reasonably have expected (especially at a mere $30 for US viewers). Finally, the event raised a total of nearly £200 million for the charities Acorn Children’s Hospice, Birmingham Children’s Hospital, and Cure Parkinson’s. 

All that aside, “Back to the Beginning” was buoyed by a spirit we rarely get to witness, even at other tribute shows where emotions have run just as high. Early in the broadcast, a fan named Mikey Lynn from San Pedro, California, used his allotted 15 seconds to say, “I just wanted to thank you for my entire life.” He may as well have been speaking for the people onstage. When Morello enthused to Stroumboulopoulos about Black Sabbath, he essentially echoed Lynn’s sentiment: “Heavy metal,” Morello said, “is the music that made me love music—and Black Sabbath invented heavy metal.” 

It may seem a bit hyperbolic to chalk “Back to the Beginning” up as the greatest day in the history of an entire genre, but could it go down as the greatest, most heartfelt tribute show of all time? Based on the participants, the answer is a resounding “yes”. Taking to Instagram the day after, Lamb of God frontman Randy Blythe offered the following: “I have been in my band for 30 years now, and I have played many, many shows in that time. But the overwhelming energy at this show—in the audience, in the backstage area, and onstage (because I was in all three areas at different times)—was something I have never felt before, and I know I never will again.”

Hopefully, this won’t be the last time we see an iconic group get this kind of send-off. Time will tell, but we can already say one thing for sure: “Back to the Beginning” set a new bar for how we say goodbye to our favorite artists. Let’s hope more shows of its kind—across a multitude of genres—follow its example.