Yesterday, 5 July 2025, will go down in heavy metal history as one of the most epic, emotional, and mind-blowing concerts I’ve ever witnessed. When I heard that Black Sabbath were reuniting for one final farewell at Villa Park in Birmingham, I was beyond excited! And not only would Ozzy do a set solo and with Black Sabbath, but there would also be sets from some of the heavy metal bands I know and love like Anthrax, Metallica, Pantera, Guns n Roses, Slayer, Lamb of God and Alice in Chains to name but a few, it was a HUGE trip down memory lane for me.

I would have LOVED to have gone, but my heart sank when I saw that the event was to be held in  July. I don’t fare at all well in the heat and humidity, and I just knew it would be too hot for me to bear. Not to mention that being in a huge crowd of people was one of the worst things I could imagine, especially with my autism and ADHD as I struggle in heat/humidity and large crowds of people. It is way too much sensory overload for me. So when I heard that you could get a ticket to live stream the whole concert, I was over the moon!

Now, I have to confess something here. While my all-time favourite band will always, ALWAYS be Queen (and Freddie Mercury remains the #LoveOfMyLife, as regular readers of this blog will know), I am a HUGE fan of heavy metal and rock music. Black Sabbath are other of my all-time favourite bands ever, like with Queen and Freddie Mercury, I grew up listening to Black Sabbath and Ozzy. They the godfathers of heavy metal, in fact I’d go as far as to say they are the inventors of the genre, and being from Birmingham which is only half an hour north of where I live (Ozzy himself was born in Aston in Birmingham), seeing them back where it all began was like witnessing history being made.

The Scale Was Absolutely Mental

The sheer scale of this event was something else entirely. Ten hours of music from 1.00pm to 11.00pm, hosted by Jason Momoa (who, let’s be honest, was absolutely perfect for the job), with an all-star lineup that read like a who’s who of heavy metal royalty. Metallica, Slayer, Pantera, Gojira, Alice In Chains, Halestorm, Lamb of God, Anthrax, and Mastodon to name but a few. Sharon Osbourne, Ozzy’s wife and manager, managed to create the ultimate heavy metal festival lineup.

What really struck me was how the supporting acts didn’t just play their own material. They wove Black Sabbath and Ozzy songs into their sets, creating this beautiful tapestry of musical homage. When Yungblud covered “Changes” (apparently dedicated to Diogo Jota, who tragically passed away last week in a car accident along with his brother), it genuinely seemed to stop the stadium in its tracks. I’ll admit, I got a bit emotional. Actually, more than a bit. I had a proper cry.

The Emotional Rollercoaster

As someone who has been through significant trauma and loss in my life (regular readers will know about losing my only son Frankie to stillbirth in 2013, for example), I was completely unprepared for how emotional this whole experience would be. Seeing Ozzy seated but still belting out those iconic vocals with such passion and determination was both heartbreaking and inspiring. Here’s a man battling advanced Parkinson’s disease, who has had multiple spinal surgeries following a quad bike accident a few years ago, but he was absolutely determined to give back to the place where he was born, just as he promised.

What really tugged on my heartstrings was when Ozzy said he has been “laid up for the last 6 years, you have no idea how I feel, I love you all” then he went into his song “Mama I’m Coming Home,” I bawled like a baby! It is well known that Ozzy wanted to make the move from the USA back to Birmingham to live out his final years here, but his health hasn’t been up to it.  So the song “Mama I’m Coming Home” was especially poignant.

What struck me the most with Ozzy was when he was talking to the audience, you could hear his voice shake, it was definitely a voice that has been ravaged by Parkinson’s Disease, yet when he sang, it was note perfect, his voice was still absolutely incredible. There were rumours circulating that he would perform sitting down, and this he did.  But for me, he could have performed standing up, sitting down, lying down or standing on his head for all I care, it was still the Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath that I know and love.

When the original Black Sabbath lineup finally took the stage – Ozzy, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward together for the first time in 20 years, the atmosphere was electric. Bill Ward in particular, Black Sabbath’s drummer, has been besieged with health issues of his own but he was drumming away like it was the 1970s, it was incredible to see.

The crowd’s reaction when they launched into “War Pigs” was absolutely deafening, it looked on the screen like the whole of Villa Park shook! And when they closed with “Paranoid,” well, let’s just say I wasn’t the only one with tears streaming down my face. As the cameras panned over the crowd you could see many other people also crying, it really was beyond emotional.

As they finished their iconic set, Ozzy said: “It’s the last song ever. Your support has enabled us to live an amazing lifestyle, thank you from the bottom of our hearts.”A message on screen then read: “Thank you for everything, you guys are f***ing amazing. Birmingham Forever,” before the sky lit up with fireworks.

The Technical Brilliance

From a purely technical standpoint, the production values were off the charts. The sound quality was crystal clear throughout (although some people watching the live stream reported they had some sound problems; however, I can’t say I noticed anything that was off with the sound) and the lighting and stage design was spectacular. The drum-off at the mid-point was pure genius, watching all those legendary drummers going head-to-head was like a masterclass in percussion.

I also loved the video tributes from artists who couldn’t make it. Seeing messages from AC/DC, Def Leppard, Billy Idol, Elton John, and even Dolly Parton reinforced how far-reaching Black Sabbath’s influence has been across genres and generations. All week on BBC Midlands Today which is my local BBC news channel they have been covering this event with huge excitement, showing just how many people has flown into the UK especially for the concert. Some had flown in even without a ticket just to be in Birmingham when the event took place, such was the power of Ozzy and Black Sabbath to draw in the crowds. It warmed my heart to see the Midlands where I live put on the map and see tourism being given a much-needed boost, as not only was this weekend the final Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath performance, but Jeff Lynne’s ELO were also playing, as was Billy Ocean and of course there was cricket on with England v India in Edgbaston.

Birmingham Pride – Putting The Midlands On The Map Globally

What made this concert even more special was how quintessentially Birmingham it all felt. This wasn’t just any farewell concert, this was Birmingham’s prodigal sons coming home. The city had gone all out with the “Ozzy Osbourne: Working Class Hero” exhibition at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, the mural by Mr Murals at New Street station (which the band actually signed!), and even West Midlands Police naming their police dog puppies after the band members. I will be going to do the Black Sabbath Tour in a couple of weeks’ time with my friend Wendy, providing it is cooler, and we can’t wait! We’re going to make a whole day of it and see the exhibition and all the landmarks and sit on the iconic Black Sabbath bench.

The fact that all profits were going to Cure Parkinson’s, Birmingham Children’s Hospital, and Acorn Children’s Hospice just made the whole thing even more meaningful. This wasn’t just about music, it was about Ozzy and Black Sabbath giving back to the community and to the fans that shaped these legends.

I also loved seeing all the other bands at “Back to the Beginning”, seeing them brought back so many happy memories for me. From Anthrax to Slayer, from Pantera to Alice in Chains, from Metallica to Guns n Roses, from Mastodon to Lamb of God, every set was incredible. All my heroes from back in the day were obviously older and greyer, but they hadn’t lost it, they still performed as well as they did years ago. It truly was a heavy metal fan’s paradise.

The diversity of the crowd was brilliant too, from teenagers discovering these songs for the first time to old-timers like me who’ve been fans for decades, and everything in between. Heavy metal has always been about bringing people together, and yesterday was the perfect example of that.

Final Thoughts

If this truly was Ozzy’s final bow (and given his health challenges, it very well might be), then what a way for him to go out. This wasn’t just a concert, it was a celebration, a thank you to the fans, a history lesson, and an emotional journey all rolled into one absolutely epic day. What a talent, what an inspiration, I was beyond humbled watching Ozzy and Black Sabbath yesterday and I’m sure it is something all the members of Black Sabbath including Ozzy will treasure for the rest of their lives. It was the final thing that Ozzy wanted to do, perform in front of his fans one last time, and he got to do it.

To Ozzy – ever the Prince of Darkness, Tony, Geezer, and Bill – thank you. Thank you for creating the music that soundtracked so many of our lives, including mine. Thank you for showing us that working-class kids from Birmingham can conquer the world. And thank you for giving us one last magical moment that none of us will ever forget.

This really and truly is the end of an era.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5 stars)