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Black Sabbath are an incredibly influential rock band from the heart of the United Kingdom. Formed in 1968, this West Midlands four-piece are almost single-handedly responsible for the birth of heavy metal. Following their supposed retirement in 2017, Black Sabbath made a surprising announcement earlier this year — the founding lineup would reunite for one last concert. Their final show took place on July 5th, and they went out with an absolute bang.
Black Sabbath went back to their roots for this legendary show. Back to the Beginning took place at Villa Park in Birmingham, just around the corner from the members’ childhood homes. In this article, we’ll dive deep into this remarkable heavy metal icon. With their final show just over, there’s never been a better time to appreciate the amazing sound and story of Black Sabbath.
The Heavy Legacy of Black Sabbath
When it comes to the history of rock music, few acts are as influential as Black Sabbath. They are widely regarded as the first heavy metal band of all time, spearheading an entirely new genre of music. While fellow British bands Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple also formed in 1968, Sabbath’s self-titled debut from 1970 puts them first in the heavy metal history books. Black Sabbath were also a huge commercial success, selling over 75 million records and touring around the world to a legion of adoring fans. The first iteration of Black Sabbath consisted of vocalist Ozzy Osbourne, guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler, and drummer Bill Ward — the same men about to step on stage in 2025.
To understand Black Sabbath’s immense role in music culture, we must return to the beginning. The band’s story started with Iommi and Ward, who wanted to form a heavy blues outfit in their home suburb of Aston. Other members came on board, and Osbourne was recruited from an advertisement at a local music shop. It read “Ozzy Zig Needs Gig – has own PA,” and it caught the attention of the other members. The boys got together and jammed, initially as a six-piece called The Polka Tulk Blues Band.
The Polka Tulk Blues Band soon changed their name to Polka Tulk, and then to Earth despite Ozzy’s disapproval. They finally settled as a four-piece, playing gigs up and down the UK and refining their heavy rock sound. After being mistaken for another British band called Earth, Ozzy and the boys took the iconic Black Sabbath name. This was the name of a 1963 Italian horror film, which was playing at a cinema across the street from the band’s rehearsal room. This dark theme would become central, as the emerging heavy metal scene resisted the fading flower power dreams of the hippie movement.
Influential Releases and Unique Antics
As the Black Sabbath juggernaut gathered momentum, the rest of the world started to pay attention. They were busy early on, with their self-titled debut and Paranoid albums both coming out in 1970. They didn’t let up over the next few years, releasing Master of Reality in ’71, Vol. 4 in ’72, and Sabbath Bloody Sabbath in ’73. A total of 19 albums were released over their career, with a long break between Forbidden in 1995 and 13 in 2013. While everyone has their own favorite Sabbath record, the band’s early releases definitely had more influence. Early records also featured their biggest songs, including tracks like “Fairies Wear Boots,” “War Pigs,” “Paranoid,” and “Iron Man.”
Along with their influential music, Black Sabbath are also famous for their crazy antics. Nicknamed “the Prince of Darkness,” Ozzy Osbourne performed like a madman on stage. In one famous incident, he bit the head off a bat during a concert in Des Moines, Iowa. A fan threw the live bat on stage, and Ozzy thought it was a rubber toy. While he’s famous for having a devil-may-care attitude, Ozzy got rabies shots afterwards once he realized what he’d done.
That wasn’t his only questionable moment, with Ozzy reportedly urinating on a Texas war monument, getting thrown out of a concentration camp for being drunk and disorderly, and pulling a gun on the band’s drummer during a bad acid trip. He also blacked out once and woke up in the middle of a 12-lane freeway, and killed the inhabitants of his chicken coop with a gun, sword, and can of petrol. While Ozzy probably isn’t proud of these moments, they speak to his manic energy and unique heavy metal spirit.
The Journey Toward Back to the Beginning
The members of Black Sabbath have come a long way from the heady days of the ’70s and ’80s. The announcement of their final show came after an extensive farewell tour in 2016-17, which featured three of the four original members. Drummer Bill Ward wasn’t in attendance then, but he returned to the fold for the “final bow.”
Last year, on his podcast The Madhouse Chronicles, Osbourne said Sabbath’s career felt “unfinished” without Ward behind the kit. When he called for an original lineup reunion, the other three members were on board within weeks. Back to the Beginning was announced in February 2025, and the scramble for tickets began immediately.
Officially, Osbourne had already retired from touring back in February 2023. He was battling multiple health problems, and everything was starting to take its toll. Osbourne was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in February 2019 and the smoking-induced lung condition emphysema in 2020. To top it all off, he was dealing with the knock-on effects of numerous surgeries after suffering a major accident on stage years earlier.
“As you may all know, four years ago, this month, I had a major accident, where I damaged my spine,” said Ozzy on social media, adding, “My one and only purpose during this time has been to get back on stage… My singing voice is fine. However, after three operations, stem cell treatments, endless physical therapy sessions, and most recently groundbreaking Cybernics (HAL) Treatment, my body is still physically weak.”
The members of Black Sabbath have been busy over the years, involved with multiple musical projects. Guitarist Tony Iommi recently appeared at the opening and closing ceremonies of the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, with Ozzy joining him for the closing song. He also collaborated with Birmingham’s Royal Ballet on Black Sabbath – The Ballet, released the instrumental track “Deified” with Xerjoff, and collaborated with Robbie Williams on his recent single “Rocket.”
Bassist Geezer Butler joined Iommi and Osbourne to record 13, and he also toured in support of the album from 2012 to 2014. He was part of the “final” Sabbath tour in 2016-17, and published his autobiography, Into the Void: From Birth to Black Sabbath—And Beyond, in 2023. While Butler hasn’t been on stage much in recent years, he did feature in a Foo Fighters performance in Birmingham in June 2024.
Drummer Bill Ward was the final piece of the puzzle for Back to the Beginning, with his appearance making this show truly special. While Ward had a brief reunion with Sabbath members in the late ’00s, Ronnie James Dio stood in for Osbourne under the band name Heaven & Hell. He originally decided to work on 13, but unfortunately, he left before work began. The drummer was battling his own health issues during this time, and he also had a fallout with Osbourne and other members.
Inside the Black Sabbath Final Show
On July 5th, 2025, Villa Park in Birmingham was rocked to its foundations with the best lineup in the history of heavy music. Headlined by the heavy metal pioneers, Black Sabbath’s last concert also featured a solo performance by Ozzy Osbourne and much, much more.
This was the full lineup for the Black Sabbath reunion show — and it was absolutely huge:
- Black Sabbath
- Ozzy Osbourne
- Metallica
- Slayer
- Pantera
- Gojira
- Halestorm
- Alice In Chains
- Lamb of God
- Anthrax
- Mastodon
Heavy music royalty also hit the stage for a number of collaborative performances. If you were lucky enough to be in the audience, you would have seen Slash and Duff McKagan from Guns N’ Roses, Tom Morello from Rage Against the Machine, Billy Corgan from the Smashing Pumpkins, Jonathan Davis from Korn, David Draiman from Disturbed, Fred Durst from Limp Bizkit, and many more.
The stage production was immense to reflect the great names on stage, with everything run perfectly by Live Nation Entertainment. All profits from the night went to charities, including Cure Parkinson’s, Birmingham Children’s Hospital, and Acorn Children’s Hospice.
Tickets for this event sold out almost immediately for obvious reasons. Gold circle standing was £412.50, general admission standing was £262.50, and seated tickets ranged from £197.50 to £662.50. While the tickets weren’t exactly cheap, everything sold out in 16 minutes! In a venue with a capacity of 42,000, this says it all.
Black Sabbath in Their Own Words
The best way to understand the importance of this show is to hear from the people involved. The four members of Black Sabbath were incredibly excited to be on stage together, with these quotes taken before the event:
According to the Prince of Darkness himself: “It’s my time to go Back to the Beginning, time for me to give back to the place where I was born. How blessed am I to do it with the help of people whom I love. Birmingham is the true home of metal. Birmingham Forever.”
Tommy Iommi is humbled by the size and scope of this massive event: “I’m amazed and honored they’re all doing it. It’s gone out of all proportion, with so many [bands] coming on board. I will be interested to see what some of the bands are going to do with Sabbath’s stuff, but then again, I don’t think I’m going to be there all day — I’ll probably collapse.”
Geezer Butler understands the importance of having all four members on stage: “The whole point of this last show was to finish with the original four of us playing together, so I wouldn’t have contemplated it without Bill.”
And Bill Ward says it all, summarizing the importance of Black Sabbath without wasting a single word: “It’s the people’s music — it always has been.”
The last word goes to Ozzy, with Sabbath’s singer ready to give it all: “I’ve got this trainer guy who helps people get back to normal… It’s hard going, but he’s convinced that he can pull it off for me. I’m giving it everything I’ve got. All I can say is I’m giving 120 percent. If my God wants me to do the show, I’ll do it.”
After the Finale
The morning after Back to the Beginning, we all felt a disturbance in the heavy metal force. With the originals finally done and dusted, the world of heavy music has entered a brand-new chapter. All four members are getting old now, and health challenges are likely to slow down any future musical careers. While we may see isolated releases and shows by some members, Black Sabbath themselves are — almost definitely — laying down their instruments and walking off the stage for the last time in glory.
Ozzy Osbourne definitely plans on calling it quits, and due to the state of his health, most people believe him this time. He said this in a recent interview, highlighting the importance of this show from a personal perspective: “If I can’t continue doing shows on a regular basis, I just want to be well enough to do one show where I can say, ‘Hi guys, thanks so much for my life.’ That’s what I’m working towards, and if I drop down dead at the end of it, I’ll die a happy man.”
The Encore of a Musical Legacy
The musical and cultural legacy of Black Sabbath is profound. As the world’s first heavy metal band, they gave birth to an entirely new — and incredibly important — genre of music. Even more than that, however, Black Sabbath showed the power of doing something new, the bravery of going your own way, and the legacy you can build just by being yourself. This Black Sabbath final show marks the end of an incredible journey that will inspire music lovers for generations to come.
The final word has to go to Ozzy himself, who said this about his retirement a few years back: “When will I retire? When I can hear them nail a lid on my box. And then I’ll do an encore.”
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