Heavy Metal Icon's, 61, Heartfelt Thank You to Black Sabbath for 'Giving Us Purpose' Will Give You All the Feels
Heavy metal just witnessed one of its most touching moments as James Hetfield delivered a tribute that had every metalhead reaching for tissues. The Metallica frontman's heartfelt acknowledgment of Black Sabbath's foundational influence created an emotional highlight at Birmingham's historic "Back to the Beginning" farewell concert.
The 61-year-old vocalist and rhythm guitarist addressed the crowd with genuine gratitude before Metallica's five-song set, declaring his band's eternal debt to the Birmingham legends. Hetfield's sincere appreciation captured what most every metal musician feels about Black Sabbath's genre-defining impact.
Standing before thousands at Villa Park, the American musician expressed Metallica's honor at celebrating the band that essentially created their career path. His acknowledgment that Black Sabbath gave them "purpose in life" resonated deeply with fans who understand how the 1968-formed pioneers opened doors for countless metal bands.
Metallica's tribute extended beyond words into their carefully curated setlist. The San Francisco-based band opened with "Hole in the Sky," a Black Sabbath cover they hadn't performed live since 2009, demonstrating their deep respect through musical homage. They also delivered "Johnny Blade" alongside their own classics including "Creeping Death," "For Whom the Bell Tolls," "Battery," and "Master of Puppets."
The performance showcased how Hetfield's distinctive raspy vocals and intricate rhythm playing have been influenced by Black Sabbath's groundbreaking sound. His emotional delivery proved that even after four decades in metal, the genre's biggest stars remain humble about their origins.
This moment exemplified the metal community's supportive nature, where established legends openly celebrate their influences. Hetfield's tribute reflected the genuine camaraderie that exists between generations of metal musicians, from Sabbath's 1968 formation to Metallica's 1981 Los Angeles beginnings.The Los Angeles-formed band's presence at Ozzy Osbourne's farewell celebration demonstrated their understanding of metal's lineage. Without Black Sabbath's occult themes, down-tuned guitars, and horror-inspired lyrics, the thrash metal movement that Metallica pioneered might never have existed.
Fan reactions to Hetfield's tribute have been overwhelmingly positive, with comments praising Metallica as "always a class act" and celebrating their respectful acknowledgment of metal's founding fathers.
🎬 SIGN UP for Parade's Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox 🎬
This emotional exchange between metal generations created a perfect moment highlighting how Black Sabbath's influence continues inspiring new artists decades after their revolutionary 1968 formation in Birmingham.
Heavy Metal Icon's, 61, Heartfelt Thank You to Black Sabbath for 'Giving Us Purpose' Will Give You All the Feels first appeared on Parade on Jul 6, 2025
This story was originally reported by Parade on Jul 6, 2025, where it first appeared.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fox News
14 minutes ago
- Fox News
Black Sabbath bassist remembers 'frail' Ozzy Osbourne in heartbreaking account of rock legend's final show
Ozzy Osbourne reunited with Black Sabbath for a final performance weeks before his death, a show that would mark the last time bassist Terence "Geezer" Butler would see his longtime friend. Butler reminisced about his time with Osbourne – nearly six decades after the band formed in 1968 – and the significance of their last show together near their hometowns. The Prince of Darkness died on Tuesday, July 22, after battling a number of health issues over the years. He was 76. The bassist noted that Ozzy was a "born entertainer" who would "do anything for a laugh." He coined his friend the "Prince of Laughter." Prior to the July 5 concert, Butler admitted he was aware the lead singer had health issues, but admitted he was shocked to see how "frail" Ozzy had become in his final days. "I knew he wasn't in good health, but I wasn't prepared to see how frail he was," Butler wrote in an essay published in The Sunday Times. "He was helped into the rehearsal room by two helpers and a nurse and was using a cane — being Ozzy, the cane was black and studded with gold and precious stones." Butler continued, "He didn't really say much beyond the usual greetings and when he sang, he sat in a chair. We ran through the songs but we could see it was exhausting him after six or seven songs. We had a bit of a chat, but he was really quiet compared with the Ozzy of old. After a couple more weeks we were ready for the show." The 10-hour show was hosted by Jason Momoa and featured performances from Metallica, Guns N' Roses, Jack Black, Steven Tyler and others. At one point during the show, which was livestreamed in the U.K., legendary drummers, including Tool's Danny Carey, Red Hot Chili Peppers' Chad Smith and Blink-182's Travis Barker, battled with their drumsticks while playing a cover of Sabbath's "Symptom of the Universe." For the closing set, the legendary rock star was lifted to the stage while sitting on a black throne accompanied by skulls and topped with a black bat. He sang hits like "Crazy Train" and "Mama I'm Coming Home" while remaining seated during the entire set. "You have no idea how I feel," Osbourne told the crowd. "Thank you from the bottom of my heart." Butler remembered the "strangest part of the show was the end." "Normally, we would all hug each other and take a bow to the audience," Butler wrote. "But Ozzy was on his throne and we hadn't thought that out. What do we do? Tony shook his hand, I presented him with a cake, but it was such a strange feeling to end our story like that. "I wish I'd had more time backstage with Ozzy, but wishes are redundant now. As Ozzy used to say: 'Wish in one hand and s--t in the other and see which comes first.'" Butler added, "Nobody knew he'd be gone from us little more than two weeks after the final show. But I am so grateful we got to play one last time together in front of his beloved fans. The love from the fans and all the bands, musicians, singers and solo artists that night was incredible. WATCH: Ozzy Osbourne during his final performance with Black Sabbath "Everyone had come to pay homage to the Prince. I am so privileged to have spent most of my life with him. Of course, there are millions of things I will think of that I should have written, but how can I sum up 57 incredible years of friendship in a few paragraphs? God bless, Oz, it has been one hell of a ride! Love you!" Born in Aston, West Midlands, U.K., Ozzy was drawn to the theater as a child, but he ultimately turned to music after listening to one particular song from The Beatles. "When I heard 'She Loves You,' my world went up like a shooting star," Osbourne once told Esquire. "It was a divine experience. The planets changed. I used to fantasize that Paul McCartney would marry my sister." After leaving school as a teenager, Osbourne spent six weeks in prison after being convicted of robbing a clothing store. It was in 1967 he was recruited by Butler to be a vocalist in a band that would become Black Sabbath. Years before his death, Osbourne reflected on the lasting legacy he wished to leave on the world as his Parkinson's disease progressed. "Survival is my legacy," he told People magazine. "I mean, I'm 73. People go, 'Well, you're 70 … why don't I throw the towel in?' Why should I? People still want to buy my records. People still want to see me, so why should I? It motivates me to get off my backside and do something. I mean, if my career had gone down the toilet and I knew it was the end, I'd be pretty miserable." Osbourne is survived by wife Sharon, daughters Kelly and Aimee, and son Jack, in addition to daughter Jessica, and sons Elliot and Louis from his first marriage to Thelma Riley.
Yahoo
32 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Dan Campbell references Metallica in interview with Tom Pelissero at Lions camp 'Back Together Weekend'
Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell references Metallica in interview with NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero at Lions camp.
Boston Globe
43 minutes ago
- Boston Globe
Joan Anderson, unsung heroine of hula hoop history, dies at 101
'Everyone was having such fun,' she added, 'I thought, 'I'd like to do that, too.'' Back in Los Angeles, Ms. Anderson asked her mother to mail her one of the rings from Australia, and it soon brought joy to the Anderson household. Her children played with it. Ms. Anderson swerved it around her hips for friends at dinner parties. When someone told her that it looked as if she was 'doing the hula,' the traditional Hawaiian dance, Ms. Anderson was struck with inspiration. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up She named the object the hula hoop. Advertisement What transpired next would place Ms. Anderson at the center of what she described as an American tale of shattered dreams and promises, a business deal made on a handshake, and, eventually, a lawsuit. Ms. Anderson died July 14 at a nursing facility in Carlsbad, Calif., north of San Diego. She was 101. Her daughter, Loralyn Willis, announced the death. The hubbub over the hoop started when her husband, Wayne, saw opportunity in the object and decided to pitch it to Wham-O, a toy company that soon became known for the Frisbee. As it happened, he was acquainted with one of Wham-O's founders, Arthur Melin, known as Spud, so he arranged a meeting. Advertisement The encounter, she recalled, occurred in a parking lot outside Wham-O's offices in San Gabriel, Calif. The Andersons opened up the trunk of their car and took out the hoop. 'There were no witnesses,' Ms. Anderson said in the documentary. 'Just Spud and my husband and myself.' 'We told him, 'We've called it the hula hoop,'' she continued. 'He said: 'Looks like it has some merit. If it makes money for us, it's going to make money for you.'' The deal was sealed with what Ms. Anderson characterized as a 'gentleman's handshake' and nothing more. Wham-O began experimenting with the hoop, developing a plastic version of it and trying it out on children at a Pasadena, Calif., elementary school. The company also started giving them away to generate buzz. By the time Wham-O was selling the hoop, lines were forming outside department stores. As the popularity of what Wham-O trademarked as the Hula Hoop grew, Ms. Anderson said, she and her husband heard less and less from Melin. 'We called Spud and asked him what was going on, and he kept putting us off,' she said. 'Then they just ignored us.' The hoop quickly became a national sensation. From Ms. Anderson's home in the suburbs of Monterey Park, Calif., she watched as newspapers landed on her porch with headlines like 'Hula-Hoop Sales Soar to $30 Million in 2 Months.' Over the years, stories about Wham-O's success sometimes spoke of a 'friend' visiting from Australia who first told the company about the hoop. 'I think that bugged me more than anything,' Ms. Anderson said. 'It was never reported correctly at all. I was not a 'friend.'' Advertisement In 1961, the Andersons filed a lawsuit against Wham-O. But the company presented records demonstrating its own woes. Just as quickly as the Hula Hoop sensation took off, it swiftly ended, entering the annals of American fads. Wham-O was left with heaps of unsold hoops and argued that it had not made a profit after production costs. The case concluded in a settlement, and the Andersons walked away with just a few thousand dollars. The couple moved on with their lives. Wham-O went on to release the SuperBall, the Slip 'N Slide ,and Silly String. Melin died in 2002. (Wham-O was sold in 1982 to the Kransco Group Cos. for $12 million. It was later sold to Mattel, which then sold it to a group of investors, and it has continued changing hands ever since.) 'We often talked about the money we could have made from it and maybe changed our life a little bit,' Ms. Anderson said in the documentary, 'but it didn't work out that way.' 'The world isn't fair. But life goes on.' Joan Constance Manning was born Dec. 28, 1923, in Sydney to Claude and Ethel (Hallandal) Manning. Her father was a real estate broker. As a young woman, Joan was a swimsuit model known as the 'Pocket Venus' because she was 5 feet 2 inches tall. In 1945, Wayne Anderson, a US Army pilot on leave from duty, approached Joan on Bondi Beach. They married a few months later and moved to California. Anderson, who went on to run a prosperous woodwork machine manufacturing business, died in 2007. Advertisement In addition to her daughter, Loralyn, Ms. Anderson is survived by two sons, Warren and Gary, and six grandchildren. Another son, Carl, died in 2023. Over the years, Ms. Anderson's brush with hula hoop history faded into family lore. When her children grew up, they sent letters about her story to Oprah Winfrey and Ellen DeGeneres, but nothing came of it. Fate intervened in 2016, when Ms. Anderson's daughter was recounting the story to coworkers while dining at a restaurant in La Mesa, near San Diego. At a table nearby, eavesdropping, was the mother of Amy Hill, a filmmaker. She asked for her telephone number and passed it along it to Hill. Intrigued by the tip, Hill began vetting the story with her husband and collaborator, Chris Riess. They decided to pursue the project and interviewed Ms. Anderson at La Costa Glen, the retirement community where she lived. The resulting short documentary, 'Hula Girl,' premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2018. At 94, Ms. Anderson flew to New York to promote the film, and a writer for Vogue interviewed her for an article. The documentary was also shown at the Sydney Film Festival and received coverage in The Atlantic and Smithsonian magazine. It was screened as well for Ms. Anderson's fellow residents at La Costa Glen. Her friends watched in fascination as they learned about her connection to the hula hoop. At La Costa Glen, Ms. Anderson stayed fit by swimming every week and taking ballroom dancing lessons. She also became a formidable bridge player. And in her apartment, she kept the original wood hoop that her mother had mailed to her from Australia, although it mostly sat collecting dust. Advertisement 'I do it once in a while for exercise,' she said, 'but not as much as I should.' This article originally appeared in
