Black Sabbath's hometown gig to be streamed worldwide
LONDON - 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 Friday.
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 for £24.99 (about 30 euros), 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.
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