While metalheads around the globe raise a respectful glass and shed a tear, flocks of bats the world over breathe a sigh of relief — Ozzy Osbourne has announced his final ever shows, and this time he means it.
The 76 year-old godfather of heavy metal will take to the stage one final time on Saturday 5th July, fittingly in his Birmingham hometown alongside both his Black Sabbath and solo-touring bandmates, for what is set to be a gig for the ages.
“It’s my time to go Back to the Beginning… time for me to give back to the place where I was born,” Ozzy Osbourne said in an X post. “How blessed am I to do it with the help of people whom I love. Birmingham is the true home of metal. Birmingham Forever.”
A who's who of heavy metal
An all day event, Ozzy’s farewell show is boasting one of the most stacked line-ups we’ve ever seen for a heavy metal show — a real who’s who of shredding, screaming and headbanging.
So, below the Black Sabbath / Ozzy Osbourne co-headliners you’ve got, (deep breath…)
Metallica, Slayer, Pantera, Gojira, Halestorm, Alice in Chains, Lamb of God, Anthrax and Mastodon.
That’s a crazy enough line-up in and of itself.
But wait, there’s more!
The Villa Park gig will also include “additional performances” from Billy Corgan of The Smashing Pumpkins, Slash and Duff McKagan of Guns ‘n’ Roses, Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine, Limp Bizkit’s Fred Durst and a host of other giants of rock.
It’s an all-time lineup to send off an all-time great, showing the enduring legacy and influence Ozzy and Black Sabbath have had on metal musicians since the late 60s. It’s also making this year’s other big rock reunion, the Brawling Britpop Brothers Gallagher of Oasis, look positively puny by comparison.
Expect tickets for this show to be like gold dust. Set your loudest riff for your phone's alarm clock — tickets go on sale from Ticketmaster at 10am on February 14th.
Check out the full line-up poster below:
