Back to the Beginning!
Celebrating the creators of Heavy Metal.
Black Sabbath took the stage on July 5, 2025 at Villa Park in Aston, Birmingham, England.
“Back to the Beginning” was the final concert for both the band and its legendary frontman Ozzy Osbourne. This concert marked the first time since the 2005 tour of Ozzfest that the original line-up of the band (Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward) performed together live. Tickets for the concert sold out in 16 minutes. Proceeds from the concert are going to support Acorns Children's Hospice, Birmingham Children's Hospital, and Cure Parkinsons.
Source: Wikipedia.org
Given my age, I wasn’t really aware of Sabbath and initially became acquainted with Ozzy (and Heavy Metal) by way of Ozzy’s solo albums. Ozzy and the late Randy Rhoads were revered by my circle of friends and their older siblings. Ozzy and Randy are among my biggest musical influences. As I grew older, I naturally learned more about the four legends from Birmingham. “Iron Man” was one of the first songs I learned on the guitar, although at the time, I played along with Randy Rhoads’ version from the Tribute album. Vol. 4 is my favorite Sabbath album.
In 1995, I saw both Ozzy and Geezer in concert when Ozzy’s Osmosis tour came to Kansas City. Afterwards, I was fortunate to meet them both at an album release, meet-and-greet.
My Ozzmosis CD booklet signed in October 1995 by Ozzy Osbourne and Geezer Butler.
Photo Credit: Anthony Woodard
Witnessing history…
After a nice breakfast, I logged in to watch the pay-per-view stream of this monumental event. I made it my mission to watch the entire 10-hour event. I was not disappointed. For me, the following were some of the most memorable moments…
The first act to take the stage (Mastodon) covered “Supernaut”, a song from my favorite Sabbath album, Vol. 4. For their performance, the band was joined on stage by three additional drummers from other well-known Metal bands. Rival Sons’ lead singer Jay Buchanan exhibited raw vocal power for their cover of “Electric Funeral”. He provided one of the two best vocal performances of the day, the other was from Lzzy Hale. Anthrax was like a sonic flamethrower as the thrashers performed their iconic song “Indians” and a cover of “Into The Void”.
Lzzy Hale and Halestorm provided a memorable performance of Ozzy’s “Perry Mason”, a song from one of my favorite albums, Ozzmosis. Her vocals were like a blowtorch! Lamb of God was in the pocket for their cover of “Children of the Grave”; they laid down a solid groove!
I was super stoked to see one of my favorite guitarists (Jake E. Lee) take the stage for Tom Morello’s first all-star lineup. I also was happy to see legendary bassist Rudy Sarzo join them. Lzzy Hale returned to the stage for “The Ultimate Sin”.
Nuno Bettencourt made all of us shredders proud as he tore through both of Tom Morello’s all-star band sets. I also enjoyed Yungblud’s emotive cover of “Changes” which had the entire crowd singing along. Afterwards, AIC gave us a great cover of “Fairies Wear Boots”. Jerry Cantrell’s guitar work throughout their set was off the hook.
Soon thereafter, I was excited to see another Birmingham legend take the stage (K.K. Downing) for Tom Morello’s second all-star lineup. Billy Corgan and the rest of Morello’s all-star band crushed Priest’s iconic anthem “Breaking The Law” and Sabbath’s “Snowblind”. Nuno’s guitar work on Ozzy’s “Bark At The Moon” was a highlight for me. His solo was perfection.
Suddenly, two Rockstars of the highest order appeared on the stage; Ronnie Wood and Steven Tyler. Steven then proceeded to blow our doors off and left everyone wanting more; definitely one of the best performances of the entire show!
Pantera’s set was off the chart with emcee Jason Momoa showing everyone his shared love for all that it is Metal. The band revisited their cover of “Planet Caravan” and it was awesome. Zakk Wylde’s presence and guitar work were filled with reverence and served as a tribute to the late Abbott brothers; their legacy lives on!
After the guitarists of Slayer shredded their fretboards to dust, arguably the most recognizable rockstar in the world took to the stage with his signature top hat. I watched our guitar hero and the legendary Guns N’ Roses offer up great renditions of “Never Say Die” and “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath” before tearing into their own Rock anthems, “Welcome To The Jungle” and “Paradise City”.
The kings of Metal took to the stage and proceeded to drop an aural warhead on the venue, including covers of “Hole In The Sky” and “Johnny Blade”. In turn, Metallica gave us the opportunity to witness an unforgettable performance of their own iconic works, including their magnum opus, “Master of Puppets”. The great James Hetfield paid tribute to the headliners, stating to everyone there and around the world, “Without Sabbath, there would be no Metallica. Thank you boys for giving us a purpose in life."
Let the madness begin…
After around nine hours, the moment had arrived. Seated upon his throne, the “prince of darkness” took to the stage, with his faithful knight Zakk Wylde standing next to him.
The haunting chorus of “O Fortuna” announced what all of us lifelong Ozzy fans knew was coming, the ultimate opener, “I Don’t Know”. “Mr. Crowley” and “Suicide Solution” soon followed. These three songs brought back memories of my childhood, the time when I first heard Ozzy and the late Randy Rhoads.
“Mama I’m Coming Home” took on a greater significance and brought forth a few joyous tears.
If there was one song… Ozzy naturally closed with his legendary anthem “Crazy Train”. Footage of Randy’s April 1981 performance of the iconic solo was the visual backdrop, as Zakk played those immortal notes on stage; Randy Rhoads Forever!
And, with a shower of confetti, Ozzy’s solo set came to an end.
After a brief, audio-visual history lesson, the headliners took to the stage. Wailing sirens warned of impending doom and the band’s opener, “War Pigs”; a song that remains rather timely.
The spotlight shined upon bassist Geezer Butler as he played his signature opening riff to “N.I.B.”
The mythical creature of destruction announced his presence with the words “I am Iron Man”! The song’s signature riff is one of the first Metal riffs many guitarists learn to play, myself included; this riff is our connection.
All concert images courtesy of Anthony Woodard.
The finale seemingly arrived very quickly. After nearly 60 years and countless memories, one iconic three-minute song would conclude a storied career, “Paranoid”.
Yesterday, we were reminded of how four young men from Birmingham, England created music that united millions of us. Music, including its performance, has an innate power to bring people together, if only for a little while. Like a ballad, each of our lives tells a story, many of which share a common thread. Thank you Black Sabbath. God bless you all!