Black Sabbath's hometown gig to be streamed worldwide
Ozzy Osbourne's final 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 Birmingham band have said.
Osbourne, who revealed in 2020 that he has Parkinson's disease, will join guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Terry 'Geezer' Butler, and drummer Bill Ward for the all-day Back to the Beginning show in Birmingham, where the heavy metal giants formed in 1968.
The 5 July gig at Aston Villa Football Club's Villa Park stadium will also feature sets by 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.
Fans were able to buy live-stream tickets from 3:00pm on Friday for £24.99, 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.
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 Osbourne told the BBC the Villa Park gig would be his last. "This is his full stop," she was quoted as saying.
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RTÉ News
3 days ago
- RTÉ News
Black Sabbath's hometown gig to be streamed worldwide
Ozzy Osbourne's final 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 Birmingham band have said. Osbourne, who revealed in 2020 that he has Parkinson's disease, will join guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Terry 'Geezer' Butler, and drummer Bill Ward for the all-day Back to the Beginning show in Birmingham, where the heavy metal giants formed in 1968. The 5 July gig at Aston Villa Football Club's Villa Park stadium will also feature sets by 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. Fans were able to buy live-stream tickets from 3:00pm on Friday for £24.99, 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. 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 Osbourne told the BBC the Villa Park gig would be his last. "This is his full stop," she was quoted as saying.
Sunday World
7 days ago
- Sunday World
Join us backstage with Metallica as our man Eddie Rowley gets a taste of what's coming to Dublin's Aviva
Our showbiz reporter meets metal icons as Irish fans clamour for tickets to double date It once belonged to former Skid Row and Thin Lizzy guitarist, the late Gary Moore, who was forced to sell it when he was down on his luck financially. Gary had bought it from its first famous owner, British musician Peter Green, who used it during his time in John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers and Fleetwood Mac. 'Greeny', a 1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard named after Green, is now one of the most recognisable guitars on the face of the earth. The band will play two different sets over two nights with different support acts too . . When I joined Metallica's M72 World Tour in Philadelphia last weekend, guitar god Hammett told us at a sideline event: 'It's funny, I had nothing to do with the fanbase this guitar has and it's a huge fanbase. 'When I acquired this guitar the fanbase even swelled exponentially because people learned about the other players who owned this guitar, so I feel like I'm furthering a legacy. 'A lot of the time people come up to me who are not Metallica fans but who love Greeny and they want to take a picture with her. It's the first time I owned a guitar that already had a fan club before I had it.' I watched Kirk in action with 'Greeny' over two nights at 'The Linc' stadium, home of the Philadelphia Eagles, where Metallica thrilled their own fans with incendiary performances in spectacular shows that will play Dublin's Aviva Stadium next June. Eddie with Metallica tour chief Jon-Michael Marino Tickets cover two concerts, with the world's greatest heavy metal band playing a completely different set list each night and with two new support acts on the second bill. As Metallica tour chief Jon-Michael Marino took the Sunday World inside the world of the legendary band hours before the show, I got the thrill of stepping up on to the stage where they'd perform to 67,000 fans that night. The sprawling, breath-taking stage is 'in the round' with eight gigantic towers hosting video screens and a colossal sound system that ensures even fans sitting in the gods have the best possible experience. Earlier, on my way in, I had strolled past 87 monster trucks that ferry in the stage and production. 'We have a crew of 350 people, so it's a travelling village. The production is incredible, but the live energy in the Metallica concert is really second to none,' Jon pointed out. 'It doesn't matter if you're seeing the band for the first time or if you are some of the die-hard fans I know personally who have seen 250 shows, it's the energy and the sense of community you have when you have 40,000 to 80,000 Metallica fans gathered in one space that's pretty special… the goosebumps that you get don't really go away. Eddie Rowley with one of the Metallica guitars 'The shows have only got better somehow over 44 years. They're not getting slower, they're not getting softer, it's not a greatest hits lap around the world. They are still creating new music and I expect that they'll continue to do so.' Over the two nights in Philadelphia, Metallica unleashed a barrage of their most celebrated and revered songs from their impressive arsenal with manic drumming from skinsman Lars driving the full-on, power-packed performance. James Hetfield's voice is a force of nature and he looks like he's in the best shape of his life these days — having struggled with alcohol abuse in the past — as he prowls the stage mesmerising us with his guitar work and vocal delivery. 'Music saves my life every day, I hope you feel the same,' Hetfield told us at the first show. On the second night he addressed the issue of suicide, urging people to seek help. 'I know darkness, I know everyone here knows darkness, and we don't know how hard it needs to get to go there [suicide],' James says. 'But that permanent solution to a temporary problem is not worth it. I say talk, talk that sh*t out, get that sh*t out… that's not why you're here. You are here to be loved and cherished, so talk to your friends.' Eddie Rowley with the Metallica drum kit Superfan Brian Thomas from Raleigh, North Carolina, has been to 46 Metallica shows. 'It's going to hit 50 in Tampa in a couple of weeks and I'm really looking hard at coming to Dublin,' he tells me. 'You can't go to a sporting event in the United States without hearing a Metallica song because it's high energy, excellent music, amps the crowd up and everybody's feeling good when they hear it.' Metallica's M72 World Tour will play Dublin's Aviva Stadium on June 19 and 21, 2026. Two-night tickets are now on sale. For further information, enhanced experiences, travel packages and more, go to James Hetfield and Metallica will bring their explosive show to the Aviva next year News in 90 Seconds - 3rd June 2025
Irish Examiner
31-05-2025
- Irish Examiner
Colin Sheridan: Bloom is the crowning jewel of our capital city
Ah, Bloom! That annual horticultural hootenanny where the scent of freshly turned soil mingles with the aroma of artisan sausage rolls, and where the only thing more abundant than the flora is the flurry of floppy hats. This year, Bord Bia Bloom 2025 blossomed once again in Dublin's Phoenix Park, transforming 70 acres into a veritable Eden of eco-consciousness, culinary delights, and enough garden gnomes to march on the Aras and stage a coup. The earth laughs in flowers, so said Ralph Waldo Emerson, yesterday, it was in stitches. First, an admission of guilt. As a novice, the name of this festival confused me. Bloomsday falls on June 16 each year. That celebration of Joycean pomp is no relation to Bord Bia Bloom, but the timing and title caught me a little off guard. Were there enough Ulysses nuts to warrant a five-day celebration in the largest public park in any capital city in Europe? No, it turns out, there isn't. Which is a relief. This is something else entirely. It's reductive to compare festivals — each lives and dies on its own merits — but given the scale and logistical footprint of Bloom, the National Ploughing Festival is an obvious and worthy inspiration for Irelands premier gardening and horticultural festival. Beginning on Thursday and running throughout the Bank Holiday weekend, Bloom will have attracted over 120,000 punters through its gates by the time the last tent is collapsed on Monday. If the ploughing is Glastonbury, Bloom is Electric Picnic. The setting is majestic and the mood more than a little mischievous. The variety on display from the moment you enter is so rich it'd make a willow weep. Puns aside, Bloom means business. I'm no sooner in the gate but I'm watching the Ballymaloe crew do a cooking demo on the Dunnes Stores stage. Chef Neven Maguire is hanging in the wings signing autographs like he's a member of Metallica. Maisie Carton, aged 15, from Dundrum, was prepared for moody weather in the Phoenix Park. Picture: Moya Nolan If there are politicians about, they are keeping a low profile. The weather, too, is appropriate; wet on Thursday, Friday brings dark clouds broken up by brilliant sunshine. Good gardening weather, right? Weather so rich you can feel the grass grow beneath your feet. Excited school kids follow patient teachers like mini climbers trailing their sherpa. Grownups who should know better sip Aperol spritz from recyclable plastic cups. With a taste of summer already lingering in the back of our throats, the timing of Bloom could not be more apposite. The heart of the festival lies in its show gardens — 21 verdant visions ranging from the sublime to the surreal. Take, for instance, the 'Make A Wish Foundation Garden' by Linda McKeown, a space so enchanting it could make a grown man weep into his compost. Then there's the 'GRÁ' garden by Kathryn Feeley for Dogs Trust, a canine-centric paradise where even the shrubs seem to wag their leaves in approval. Not to be outdone, the 'Tusla Fostering Garden' by Pip Probert offers a vibrant tapestry of colours and textures, symbolising the diverse journeys of foster families. Bloom, though, is not just about seasoned green thumbs; it's also a fertile ground for budding gardening superstars. The 'Cultivating Talent' initiative, now in its third year, continues to nurture and showcase the next generation of garden designers. This year's standout is Dr Sarah Cotterill — an assistant professor at UCD — whose 'Into the Woods' garden pays homage to Ireland's Atlantic rainforests, proving that even civil engineers can have a soft spot for ferns. Billy Alexander of Kells Bay House and Gardens in Kerry brought his Chelsea Flower Show-winning fern garden to Bloom. Picture: Moya Nolan For those of us whose idea of gardening involves little more ingenuity than picking herbs for a G&T, the Food Village offers enough distraction to fill a day. I unwittingly followed one chap who easily reached his daily calorie quota by exclusively eating free samples. It was an admirably frugal tactic, if a tad unnecessary. Unlike other festivals, the food was ample and reasonably priced. The village — which features nearly 100 Irish producers — is a smorgasbord of local delights. I'd eaten two gourmet burgers and a hot dog before lunchtime. Not every day in the trenches is like this, and this one-man army marches on its stomach. The food stages are accessible and unfussy — culinary luminaries like Neven, Darina Allen, and Fiona Uyema are on hand to whip up some dishes that would make an intermittent faster reconsider their life choices. The atmosphere is collegiate, the food divine. Sure, there are plenty of healthy options on display, too, but Bloom is not the space to suddenly become precious. There is lots of cream and butter, and the fun and food police are conspicuous in their absence. A key theme running throughout the festival is sustainability, with the Sustainable Living Stage hosting 40 talks on topics ranging from food waste to natural skincare hacks. The festival walked the walk — quite literally — by offering free shuttle buses, ample bicycle parking, and ensuring all food and drink packaging was compostable or recyclable. There were even volunteers on hand at each bin to advise you on what goes where. Keen not to take itself too seriously, Bloom isn't just for the horticulturally inclined; it's a family affair. The Budding Bloomers area offered a range of activities for the young and the young at heart, from bug workshops to interactive performances. Chef Tricia Lewis giving a cookery demonstration to a crew of hungry festivalgoers. Picture: Moya Nolan For those looking to bring a piece of Bloom home, the Grand Pavilion and Plant Emporium offered everything from handcrafted garden sculptures to rare plant species. It's the kind of place where you go in for a packet of seeds and come out with a bonsai tree and a newfound appreciation for macrame rope. In its 19th year, Bord Bia Bloom continues to be a testament to Ireland's love affair with all things green and growing. It's a safe, creative space where gardeners, foodies, and families converge to celebrate the simple joys of nature, nourishment, and community. In a time when the deforestation of the island is a hot topic, Bloom offers an antidote to the doom and gloom that can sometimes suffocate green-adjacent conversations. The jewel of the crown of this festival, however, is not any one of the celebrity gardeners, chefs or even Juniperus Communis on display. It's not even the extra-mature cheeses, of which I consumed quite a few. No, it is unquestionably the venue. The Phoenix Park frames this event and makes it a masterpiece, a celebration of nature its creators and organisers can absolutely be proud of. Verdant and resplendent, the vastness of the park itself makes access and egress easy. The walled gardens within the festival compound act as a spine for a sprawl that is beautifully organised, but never contrived. Great oak trees provide shelter from the infrequent showers. The grass acts as a quilt to lie on and bask in the brilliant sunshine. Just outside the fence, a herd of fallow deer skip by, as if curious about the din inside. There is a lot wrong with our capital city, and, understandably, we spend plenty of time talking about it. Bloom is an example of something done incredibly right. A festival of nature, food, colour, and life, hosted in a public park at an incredibly reasonable price. Accessible to everybody, and not a Joycean scholar in sight.
