Black Sabbath / Ozzy Osbourne & friends – Back to the Beginning at Aston Villa Stadium, Birmingham UK (2025-07-05) Official Photos
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(intro music: Black Sabbath w/ video collage of Birmingham)
Mastodon
Rival Sons
Anthrax
Halestorm
Lamb of God
Supergroup (Tom Morello’s All-Stars)
Jack Black (video)
Alice In Chains
Gojira
Drum-Off
Supergroup (Tom Morello’s All-Stars)
Pantera
Tool
Slayer
Guns N’ Roses
Metallica
Ozzy Osbourne
(intro music: O Fortuna – Carl Orff song) >
Black Sabbath
(intro: Sabbra Cadabra w/video of the history of Black Sabbath) > |
The greatest Heavy Metal / Hard Rock concert of all time!
“Back to the Beginning” took place on July 5 at Birmingham UK’s Villa Park Stadium, home to Aston Villa F.C. This historic event marked the first time the original Black Sabbath lineup featuring Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward performed together in twenty years, and was very likely also for their last time.
The concert also held special significance as it represented Ozzy Osbourne’s final solo performance as well. Saddled with health issues including Parkinson’s disease and several surgeries over the last several years, the show marked Ozzy’s first major stage appearance in nearly seven years (though we did see him on stage at last year’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and concert).
Beyond its musical importance, this was also a benefit event which raised over £140 million to be shared equally between three area charities close to the Osbourne’s heart- Cure Parkinson’s, Birmingham Children’s Hospital, and Acorn Children’s Hospice.
The return to Birmingham for this once-in-a-lifetime gathering, held deep meaning for the band as it represented the hometown where Black Sabbath first formed in 1968, and brought their legendary career full circle in the city where it all began.
This event is waaaay too big to cover in one post, so look for a couple related follow-ups including our pics from the pit; and in the meantime, see the official photos from the day below.
(Official Photos are copyrighted and courtesy of Live Nation UK, by Ross Halfin and Kazuyo Horie
Click on any image to enlarge and to see in full)
“Back to the Beginning” took place on July 5 at Birmingham UK’s Villa Park Stadium, home to Aston Villa F.C. This historic event marked the first time the original Black Sabbath lineup featuring Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward performed together in twenty years, and was very likely also for their last time.
The concert also held special significance as it represented Ozzy Osbourne’s final solo performance as well. Saddled with health issues including Parkinson’s disease and several surgeries over the last several years, the show marked Ozzy’s first major stage appearance in nearly seven years (though we did see him on stage at last year’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and concert).
Beyond its musical importance, this was also a benefit event which raised over £140 million to be shared equally between three area charities close to the Osbourne’s heart- Cure Parkinson’s, Birmingham Children’s Hospital, and Acorn Children’s Hospice.
The return to Birmingham for this once-in-a-lifetime gathering, held deep meaning for the band as it represented the hometown where Black Sabbath first formed in 1968, and brought their legendary career full circle in the city where it all began.
This event is waaaay too big to cover in one post, so look for a couple related follow-ups including our pics from the pit; and in the meantime, see the official photos from the day below.
(Official Photos are copyrighted and courtesy of Live Nation UK, by Ross Halfin and Kazuyo Horie
Click on any image to enlarge and to see in full)
Black Sabbath Ozzy Osbourne & friends – Back to the Beginning at Aston Villa Stadium, Birmingham UK (2025-07-05) Official Photos
