
Back to the beginning — and the end: Ozzy's last ride with Black Sabbath to stream worldwide
LONDON, June 7 — Ozzy Osbourne's final ever gig as Black Sabbath's frontman will be streamed worldwide after fans snapped up tickets for the hometown show, starring the original line-up, in just 16 minutes, the band said yesterday.
Osbourne, who revealed in 2020 that he has Parkinson's disease, will join Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward for the all-day Back To The Beginning show in Birmingham, central England, where the heavy metal giants formed in 1968.
The July 5 gig at Aston Villa Football Club's Villa Park stadium will also feature sets by US rockers Metallica, Guns N'Roses, Tool and Slayer among others, as well as a short solo set by Osbourne.
It will be the original line-up's first show together in 20 years and Osbourne's swansong.
'With the concert ... selling out in under 16 minutes, those who missed out on being there in person can immerse themselves in what is set to be the greatest heavy metal show ever,' the band said Friday.
Fans were able to buy live-stream tickets from 3pm (1400 GMT) on Friday for £24.99 (RM142), allowing them to watch the concert 'live', although with a two-hour delay from the start in the arena, and continue to view it for another 48 hours.
'We had such an overwhelming demand from fans from around the globe, who couldn't get tickets to the show, and they took to social media, pleading with us to broadcast a live-stream of the show,' said Osbourne's wife Sharon.
'Being this is such a historic event, we just couldn't let them down.'
Black Sabbath have sold over 75 million albums worldwide and are widely recognised as one of the pioneers of heavy metal music.
All profits from the show will go to charities including Cure Parkinson's and Birmingham Children's Hospital.
Osbourne's diagnosis led to him pausing touring. But Sharon told the BBC the Villa Park gig would be his last. 'This is his full stop,' she was quoted as saying. — AFP
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Malay Mail
14 hours ago
- Malay Mail
Back to the beginning — and the end: Ozzy's last ride with Black Sabbath to stream worldwide
LONDON, June 7 — Ozzy Osbourne's final ever gig as Black Sabbath's frontman will be streamed worldwide after fans snapped up tickets for the hometown show, starring the original line-up, in just 16 minutes, the band said yesterday. Osbourne, who revealed in 2020 that he has Parkinson's disease, will join Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward for the all-day Back To The Beginning show in Birmingham, central England, where the heavy metal giants formed in 1968. The July 5 gig at Aston Villa Football Club's Villa Park stadium will also feature sets by US rockers Metallica, Guns N'Roses, Tool and Slayer among others, as well as a short solo set by Osbourne. It will be the original line-up's first show together in 20 years and Osbourne's swansong. 'With the concert ... selling out in under 16 minutes, those who missed out on being there in person can immerse themselves in what is set to be the greatest heavy metal show ever,' the band said Friday. Fans were able to buy live-stream tickets from 3pm (1400 GMT) on Friday for £24.99 (RM142), allowing them to watch the concert 'live', although with a two-hour delay from the start in the arena, and continue to view it for another 48 hours. 'We had such an overwhelming demand from fans from around the globe, who couldn't get tickets to the show, and they took to social media, pleading with us to broadcast a live-stream of the show,' said Osbourne's wife Sharon. 'Being this is such a historic event, we just couldn't let them down.' Black Sabbath have sold over 75 million albums worldwide and are widely recognised as one of the pioneers of heavy metal music. All profits from the show will go to charities including Cure Parkinson's and Birmingham Children's Hospital. Osbourne's diagnosis led to him pausing touring. But Sharon told the BBC the Villa Park gig would be his last. 'This is his full stop,' she was quoted as saying. — AFP

Malay Mail
a day ago
- Malay Mail
Of DJs and checkmates: London's Knight Club redefines chess for a new generation
LONDON, June 6 — Combining dance music, some social media buzz and one of the world's oldest pastimes, London chess group Knight Club draws dozens of players each week, creating a social space its organisers say is much-needed by the city's younger generations. The club has quickly grown into a cultural hub since launching last year, drawing over 100 players to its weekly Tuesday sessions where live DJ sets compete with the clatter of chess pieces on boards. In a world dominated by digital communication, the club – run largely by volunteers under the age of 25 – wants to offer a physical alternative to scrolling on screens. 'Having a game, or having something to bond over, or to start a conversation, enables really deep connections to be made from the get-go,' said 21-year-old organiser Lucia Ene-Lesikar. 'There's a lot of creative people, but there's also people who work in finance or work in tech or work in healthcare – so there's a whole range of people.' The club's appeal lies not just in the game itself, but in how it provides something modern life is often missing, founder Yusuf Ntahilaja told Reuters. 'Knight Club, first and foremost, is a space for people to connect and gather – chess being the medium and the most important way to connect – but more than anything, just providing ... a basic, or societal, human need,' he said. — Reuters


Free Malaysia Today
2 days ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Cunha could spark Devils to ‘attack, attack, attack'
'My centre is giving way, my right is retreating, situation excellent, I am attacking.' The famous words of France's WW1 general Ferdinand Foch seem to have resonated with Manchester United. A week ago, they were giving way to a scratch Asean XI and retreating from a shambolic post-season trip. The situation was anything but excellent, and could have worsened with fears that skipper Bruno Fernandes was about to desert. But, as in politics, a week is a long time in football, especially in the transfer window, and United are making the most of it: they are attacking. Or, at least, they've been quick out of the blocks and are signing attackers, having held on to Fernandes. There has also been a significant move off the field among the so-called politburo, with the 'marginal gains' guru himself being marginalised. For owner Jim Ratcliffe to sideline trusted sidekick David Brailsford suggests that the penny might at last be dropping. The former cycling boss, who was director of football operations, has no credentials in the sport, and it showed. He will now get back on his bike as head of the INEOS cycling team. Jason Wilcox, United's technical director, will become director of football. A lively winger, Wilcox has enjoyed a long career in the game and won the EPL title in 1995 with Blackburn Rovers. On the field, too, there seems to be method in their latest manoeuvres. Among the team's many faults, a chronic lack of firepower was probably the biggest. So the signing of Matheus Cunha and the pursuit of Bryan Mbuemo are moves in the right direction. Wolves' Brazilian Cunha bagged 15 goals in the EPL last season, which was more than double the combined total of Rasmus Hojland and Joshua Zirkzee. Cunha comes at a release clause price of £62.5 million, which is less than half the combined cost of the above duo. At long last, the scattergun has been discarded, and there appear to be clear targets for the spending. Players will have to be sold to finance it, but the wantaways are banging on the exit door. Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho have fallen out with Ruben Amorim and are unlikely to play for United again. As homegrown players, both will command sizable fees. And if the Cameroonian Mbuemo arrives, at least one of the aforementioned flops could be offloaded. Hojland, who was preferred to Harry Kane two years ago, is the more likely. A lightweight over a legend, the not-so-great Dane was seen as the future as he's almost 10 years younger and was cheaper, but… Kane continues to bang in almost a goal a game for Bayern Munich and he could have been the talisman that United has been missing. This type of muddled thinking has dogged the club in recent seasons. The most significant difference between Cunha and Mbuemo and the Dane and the Dutchman is that the former have been regular scorers in the EPL. And the ex-Wolves man has a spark about him that could wow the Stretford End. It can get him into trouble, too, but United are no strangers to mavericks. There is no other shortcut to the top echelons of football now that the Europa League has been lost, but strikers can cover cracks elsewhere in the team. Goals are what it's all about, after all, and having at least one hitman of this calibre should enable the club to contend for a place in Europe. Cunha's temper may be a risk – he got himself sent off unforgivably to miss three crucial Wolves games – but if he can stay on the field, there won't be any more bore fests like the last Manchester derby. If Cunha gets off to a decent start and plays mainly on his favoured left side, there are the makings of an Amorim-shaped attack with Fernandes and Diallo as his partners in a front three. For his part, Mbuemo will bring a strong physical presence and the confidence that 20 goals for a mid-table side brings. Deciding on where these two fit in is going to be a nice problem to have. Perhaps the only negative this week has been the return of Jadon Sancho, Chelsea preferring to take a £5m penalty rather than fork out a hefty fee for the player. Now United are burdened with all of his £300,000 a week wages with little hope of getting back even half the £73m they paid for him. With Mason Mount another England international yet to justify a big fee, Amorim has a lot of square pegs that don't fit his round holes. Casemiro is another high-maintenance fading star who won't have much resale value, while there are question marks about almost everyone who came in under Erik ten Hag. It didn't seem like it at the time, but the Ajax boss was a catastrophic appointment when the signings are totted up. Ironically, Antony, the worst of them, may have clawed back a bit of value with his unrecognisable form on loan at Real Betis. After the anti-climax of the Asian tour, there is now a glimmer of hope for long-suffering Devils' fans. Indeed, if things continue to brighten, they may come to see the moment that was the historic low point. A relatively small private matter, but one big on hope and disappointment, it could be a metaphor for United's season. It was when Garnacho donned sunglasses and walked straight past his compatriot, Sergio Aguero, to whom he'd promised his shirt. The quick-thinking kitman found it in the laundry basket and handed it over. They say the darkest hour is just before dawn. The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.