Latest news with #BirminghamForever
Yahoo
05-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Ozzy Osbourne and original members of Black Sabbath reunite to headline final show
Ozzy Osbourne has announced his final show — and it will feature a reunion of the original lineup of Black Sabbath for the first time in 20 years. Osbourne, guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler and drummer Bill Ward will finally play together onstage again at a one-day festival this summer featuring an all-star lineup of metal bands, including Metallica, Pantera, Slayer, Gojira and Halestorm. The show, called Back to the Beginning, will take place at Villa Park in Aston, Birmingham on July 5, the same city where Black Sabbath was born in 1968. Osbourne, who has had to slow down on touring since being diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2020, will perform a short solo set at the beginning before being joined by the other members of Black Sabbath. "It's my time to go Back to the Beginning ... time for me to give back to the place where I was born," Osbourne said in a statement announcing the show. "How blessed am I to do it with the help of people whom I love. Birmingham is the true home of metal. Birmingham Forever." The group pioneered heavy metal music in the early 1970s with hits such as War Pigs, Paranoid and Iron Man. They went on to become one of the most successful metal bands of all time, selling more than 75 million albums worldwide over the years. Black Sabbath performs in Copenhagen, October 1975. (Jorgen Angel/Redferns/Getty Images) Many of the bands slated to perform alongside them at Villa Park have cited Black Sabbath as an inspiration. "Our admiration for @BlackSabbath runs deep, and we can't wait to join them in Birmingham," Metallica shared in an Instagram post announcing their presence at the show. Music director Tom Morello, known for his tenure with Rage Against the Machine, promised it would be "the greatest heavy metal show ever." Black Sabbath were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006, after first being nominated in 1999. Members of the band Black Sabbath Iommi, Osbourne, Butler and Ward react after being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at the 2006 induction ceremony at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York on March 13, 2006. (Mike Segar/Reuters) Black Sabbath's rocky history Black Sabbath's reunion is all the more exciting for fans who have been along for the ups and downs of the iconic group. This isn't the first time the band has announced a final performance; three of the four original members reunited for a tour in 2016-2017 called "The End." But drummer Bill Ward was not present due to a falling out with Osbourne, which included the two arguing through public Facebook posts in 2015. Butler, Iommi, Osbourne and Ward sit at Regents Sounds during sessions for their album Paranoid on June 17, 1970 in London. () Tensions between members have caused schisms multiple times across the band's history. The first came when Osbourne was fired as lead singer in 1979 due to a drug problem and erratic behaviour. Although Black Sabbath continued to release albums with a rotating cast of band members, the original lineup wouldn't reunite again until 1997, apart from a brief 1992 appearance together. The four released a live album, Reunion in 1998. In 2009, Osbourne sued his bandmate, guitarist Iommi, over royalties. He claimed he should have half ownership over the trademarked name, which Iommi had registered in the U.S. in 2000. Iommi contended that he was the only founding band member who had continuously stayed with the group since its inception. The two had amicably resolved the legal battle by the next year. All four members announced in 2011 that they would reunite for a new album and a world tour. However, Ward departed before work began on the album 13, citing a contract dispute and health issues. Osbourne performs during in Papp Laszlo Budapest Sports Arena in Budapest on June 1, 2016 during the European leg of Black Sabbath's farewell tour. (Balazs Mohai/The Associated Press) As a solo artist, Osbourne has released 13 albums, with the latest, Patient Number 9, coming out in 2022. Following the announcement of the reunion concert this summer, Iommi said in a statement Wednesday that "it's been an incredible journey, but it's only fitting that it ends here, where it all began in Aston. "None of this would've been possible without Ozzy, Geezer, and Bill. What we created together was bigger than any one of us, and I'll always be grateful for that." July's show will raise funds for Cure Parkinson's, Birmingham's Children's Hospital and Acorns Children's Hospice.
CNN
05-02-2025
- Entertainment
- CNN
Ozzy Osbourne to reunite with Black Sabbath for farewell concert
Ozzy Osbourne has announced that the original members of Black Sabbath will play a concert together for the first time in 20 years. In a post on X, Osbourne revealed that he would reunite with Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward to play one final show at Villa Park in Birmingham, England on July 5. 'It's my time to go Back to the Beginning… time for me to give back to the place where I was born,' said Osbourne. 'How blessed am I to do it with the help of people whom I love. Birmingham is the true home of metal. Birmingham Forever.' Osbourne will play his own short set in the multi-artist show before joining with the band for his 'final bow,' the announcement said. Other musicians performing at 'Back to the Beginning' include Metallica, Slayer, Lamb of God, Alice in Chains and Anthrax. 'This will be the greatest heavy metal show ever,' the post quoted the concert's music director, Tom Morello, as saying. Formed in Birmingham in 1968, Black Sabbath went on to become one of the most successful metal bands of all time, selling more than 75 million albums worldwide, according to Osbourne's post. Back in 2022, he surprised attendees at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games with a mini Black Sabbath reunion, rocking out on stage with Iommi. Though Osbourne had a farewell tour set to begin in 2023, he was forced to cancel the shows due to poor health. 'My singing voice is fine. However, after three operations, stem cell treatments, endless physical therapy, and most recently groundbreaking Cybernics (HAL) Treatment, my body is still physically weak,' he said in a statement at the time. Osbourne, 76, later told Rolling Stone that he would 'die a happy man' if he could perform in one more show to express his gratitude to fans from the stage. His wife, Sharon Osbourne, hinted at the upcoming concert in an interview with Rolling Stone last year, telling the magazine that Osbourne was ready to give his fans a sendoff in his hometown. Tickets for the concert go on sale February 14, with profits going to various charities.
CNN
05-02-2025
- Entertainment
- CNN
Ozzy Osbourne to reunite with Black Sabbath for farewell concert
Ozzy Osbourne has announced that the original members of Black Sabbath will play a concert together for the first time in 20 years. In a post on X, Osbourne revealed that he would reunite with Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward to play one final show at Villa Park in Birmingham, England on July 5. 'It's my time to go Back to the Beginning… time for me to give back to the place where I was born,' said Osbourne. 'How blessed am I to do it with the help of people whom I love. Birmingham is the true home of metal. Birmingham Forever.' Osbourne will play his own short set in the multi-artist show before joining with the band for his 'final bow,' the announcement said. Other musicians performing at 'Back to the Beginning' include Metallica, Slayer, Lamb of God, Alice in Chains and Anthrax. 'This will be the greatest heavy metal show ever,' the post quoted the concert's music director, Tom Morello, as saying. Formed in Birmingham in 1968, Black Sabbath went on to become one of the most successful metal bands of all time, selling more than 75 million albums worldwide, according to Osbourne's post. Back in 2022, he surprised attendees at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games with a mini Black Sabbath reunion, rocking out on stage with Iommi. Though Osbourne had a farewell tour set to begin in 2023, he was forced to cancel the shows due to poor health. 'My singing voice is fine. However, after three operations, stem cell treatments, endless physical therapy, and most recently groundbreaking Cybernics (HAL) Treatment, my body is still physically weak,' he said in a statement at the time. Osbourne, 76, later told Rolling Stone that he would 'die a happy man' if he could perform in one more show to express his gratitude to fans from the stage. His wife, Sharon Osbourne, hinted at the upcoming concert in an interview with Rolling Stone last year, telling the magazine that Osbourne was ready to give his fans a sendoff in his hometown. Tickets for the concert go on sale February 14, with profits going to various charities.
CNN
05-02-2025
- Entertainment
- CNN
Ozzy Osbourne to reunite with Black Sabbath for farewell concert
Ozzy Osbourne has announced that the original members of Black Sabbath will play a concert together for the first time in 20 years. In a post on X, Osbourne revealed that he would reunite with Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward to play one final show at Villa Park in Birmingham, England on July 5. 'It's my time to go Back to the Beginning… time for me to give back to the place where I was born,' said Osbourne. 'How blessed am I to do it with the help of people whom I love. Birmingham is the true home of metal. Birmingham Forever.' Osbourne will play his own short set in the multi-artist show before joining with the band for his 'final bow,' the announcement said. Other musicians performing at 'Back to the Beginning' include Metallica, Slayer, Lamb of God, Alice in Chains and Anthrax. 'This will be the greatest heavy metal show ever,' the post quoted the concert's music director, Tom Morello, as saying. Formed in Birmingham in 1968, Black Sabbath went on to become one of the most successful metal bands of all time, selling more than 75 million albums worldwide, according to Osbourne's post. Back in 2022, he surprised attendees at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games with a mini Black Sabbath reunion, rocking out on stage with Iommi. Though Osbourne had a farewell tour set to begin in 2023, he was forced to cancel the shows due to poor health. 'My singing voice is fine. However, after three operations, stem cell treatments, endless physical therapy, and most recently groundbreaking Cybernics (HAL) Treatment, my body is still physically weak,' he said in a statement at the time. Osbourne, 76, later told Rolling Stone that he would 'die a happy man' if he could perform in one more show to express his gratitude to fans from the stage. His wife, Sharon Osbourne, hinted at the upcoming concert in an interview with Rolling Stone last year, telling the magazine that Osbourne was ready to give his fans a sendoff in his hometown. Tickets for the concert go on sale February 14, with profits going to various charities.
