The final bow: Witnessing heavy metal history at Back To The Beginning event

When the Back To The Beginning concert was announced with its massive lineup, I knew I had to secure a ticket to this once-in-a-lifetime event. Fortune smiled upon me – I managed to get a ticket through Gojira‘s early access link on my first attempt.

As the long-awaited trip to Birmingham finally approached, dark clouds gathered due to Finnair strikes scheduled for July 4th – naturally, our departure date. Though over 100 flights were cancelled that day, luck held and we departed on schedule. Arriving in Birmingham that evening, it was remarkable to see how the city was breathing and living Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne‘s farewell performance. The city offered numerous tributes to the Prince of Darkness, and we visited both the Ozzy and Black Sabbath murals during our evening stroll.

Our hotel choice proved fortunate – located right beside the Black Sabbath Bridge. With nearly 200 meters of queue the first night just to get a photo, we decided to postpone our bridge visit until morning and focus on Saturday’s main event.

Saturday morning, after breakfast, we captured our moment at the Black Sabbath Bridge monument before heading to the shopping center’s Black Sabbath pop-up store. The merchandise was selling like hotcakes – by the time we arrived, nearly everything was sold out, leaving us to browse the mall before heading through a restaurant to Villa Park.

Arriving at Villa Park and after queuing for entry and merchandise, we unfortunately missed the early acts – Mastodon, Rival Sons, and Anthrax had already finished their sets. Fourth on the bill was Halestorm, fronted by singer-guitarist Lzzy Hale, who performed “Love Bites (So Do I)” and “Rain Your Blood on Me” from their own catalog, plus a cover of “Perry Mason” from Ozzy‘s “Ozzmosis” album. The band seemed genuinely honored to be part of the Back To The Beginning event – hardly surprising given that Lzzy Hale drew inspiration from Ozzy for her stage name.

After Halestorm, Randy Blythe’s Lamb of God took the stage and immediately captivated the Villa Park crowd with classics “Laid to Rest” and “Redneck.” Their interpretation of Black Sabbath‘s “Children of the Grave” was particularly powerful, showing proper respect to the evening’s headliners.

Next came the first supergroup of the night, with event host Jason Momoa introducing each member individually. Guitarists Nuno Bettencourt and Tom Morello deserve special recognition for seamlessly holding these diverse performances together. Despite some boos for Disturbed‘s David Draiman, the audience seemed to fully embrace the supergroup performances. Yungblud‘s fearless interpretation of “Changes” stood out as particularly memorable – an absolutely stunning rendition.

Following Alice In Chains‘ solid performance came one of the evening’s biggest successes: French metal pride Gojira. The band delivered “Stranded,” “Silvera,” and “Mea culpa (Ah! Ça ira!)” with incredible intensity, crowning their set with a convincing Black Sabbath cover of “Under the Sun.”

The drum-off featuring Travis Barker, Chad Smith, and Danny Carey alongside Tom Morello, Rudy Sarzo, and Nuno Bettencourt worked brilliantly live, despite apparently leaving livestream viewers cold. The trio received thunderous applause at the show’s conclusion.

The second supergroup featured Steven Tyler, Sammy Hagar, Papa V Perpetua, Billy Corgan, Tom Morello, K.K. Downing, Adam Jones, Rudy Sarzo, Chad Smith, and Danny Carey. Highlights included Aerosmith‘s Steven Tyler on “The Train Kept A-Rollin‘” and “Walk This Way / Whole Lotta Love,” plus former Judas Priest guitarist K.K. Downing performing “Breaking the Law” in his hometown. Ghost‘s Tobias Forge (Papa V Perpetua) delivered “Bark at the Moon” with his usual assured style.

After the second supergroup, I missed half of Pantera‘s four-song set while grabbing refreshments. The band seemed in great form live, with event host Jason Momoa even jumping into the mosh pit during their performance. Phil Anselmo delivered a beautiful closing speech praising Ozzy and Black Sabbath‘s significance to metal music and to Pantera themselves.

Throughout the evening, Slipknot‘s DJ Sid Wilson kept the energy alive during breaks, while video messages from Elton John, Judas Priest, Jonathan Davis and Ricky Gervais demonstrated how many lives Ozzy and Sabbath have touched over the years.

Tool, fronted by Maynard James Keenan, followed with “Forty Six & 2” and “Ænema” from their catalog, plus a tribute to Black Sabbath with “Hand of Doom.” Since Tool concerts are rarely photographed, the lack of restrictions this time was notable.

Thrash metal legends Slayer, who rarely tour nowadays, brought serious intensity with five of their own songs (“Disciple,” “War Ensemble,” “Angel of Death,” “Raining Blood,” and “South of Heaven“) plus Black Sabbath‘s “Wicked World.” Despite their infrequent touring, their performance was exceptionally high-level, with singer-bassist Tom Araya beaming throughout the set.

Guns N’ Roses followed with a somewhat mismatched setlist – their Ozzy and Black Sabbath covers (“Never Say Die,” “Junior’s Eyes,” and “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath“) sounded rather weak. The crowd seemed to agree that after Slayer‘s convincing performance, Axl Rose and company were in the wrong slot. However, they ended strongly with thunderous applause for the iconic “Welcome To The Jungle” and “Paradise City.”

Before the evening’s headliners, metal’s undisputed kings Metallica took the stage with such force that they wiped the floor with every preceding band, completely captivating the audience. James Hetfield, Kirk Hammett, Lars Ulrich, and Robert Trujillo seemed in incredible form, with hits like “Battery,” “For Whom the Bell Tolls,” and “Master of Puppets” ringing through the stadium with audience participation. Hetfield also delivered a beautiful tribute speech to Ozzy and Black Sabbath, praising their influence on Metallica.

Finally, Ozzy Osbourne‘s solo set consisting of five songs: “I Don’t Know,” “Mr. Crowley,” “Suicide Solution,” “Mama, I’m Coming Home,” and “Crazy Train.” The Prince of Darkness emerged from the stage depths in his custom-built throne, performing both his solo set and Black Sabbath‘s set seated. Despite being confined to his chair and occasionally seeming trapped by it, Ozzy delivered both sets admirably considering his recent health struggles.

When Zakk Wylde kicked off “I Don’t Know,” everything seemed to click into place. Ozzy grinned, grimaced, and rose in his chair, genuinely happy to perform once more for his fans. The band continued with “Mr. Crowley” and “Suicide Solution” backed by 40,000 voices. During “Mama I’m Coming Home,” most of the audience was moved to tears as the evening’s significance crystallized – we’d likely never hear these songs performed by Ozzy again in our lifetimes. The band supported Ozzy magnificently, with special praise for Zakk Wylde’s constant care for his “boss.” The set concluded stylishly with “Crazy Train” to thunderous applause and “Ozzy!” chants.

Black Sabbath opened with “War Pigs” – a perfect way to reintroduce drummer Bill Ward after his long absence, whose drumming has always been unique. Geezer Butler’s bass on “N.I.B.” and Tony Iommi’s riffs on “Iron Man” still feel magical after 55 years. Before “Paranoid,” Ozzy asked the audience to give everything to the band – and they certainly did, singing nearly as loudly as Ozzy himself.

Considering Ozzy‘s recent health struggles, the rocker was remarkably spirited throughout both bands’ performances, doing his best to entertain from his throne, though it was clear he longed to run around the stage like a madman as in his prime.

Overall, this was one of the best – if not the best – shows I’ve witnessed in 21 years of concert-going. Despite the logistical challenges of organizing such an event with this lineup and tight changeovers, it was executed admirably. Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath received a worthy conclusion to their extensive and significant careers.

Thank you, Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath, and enjoy your well-deserved retirement! Without you, today’s music world would likely be very different.

Black Sabbath: Back To The Beginning setlist

Mastodon
1. Black Tongue
2. Blood and Thunder
3. Supernaut (with Mario Duplantier, Danny Carey and Eloy Casagrande)

Rival Sons
4. Do Your Worst
5. Electric Funeral
6. Secret

Anthrax
7. Indians
8. Into the Void

Halestorm
9. Love Bites (So Do I)
10. Rain Your Blood on Me
11. Perry Mason

Lamb of God
12. Laid to Rest
13. Redneck
14. Children of the Grave

Supergroup A
15. The Ultimate Sin (with Lzzy Hale, Nuno Bettencourt, Jake E Lee, David Ellefson, Mike Bordin and Adam Wakeman)
16. Shot in the Dark (with David Draiman, Jake E Lee, David Ellefson, Mike Bordin and Adam Wakeman)
17. Sweet Leaf (with David Draiman, Nuno Bettencourt, Scott Ian, David Ellefson, Mike Bordin and Adam Wakeman)
18. Believer (with Whitfield Crane, Nuno Bettencourt, Scott Ian, Frank Bello, II [Sleep Token] and Adam Wakeman)
19. Changes (with Yungblud, Nuno Bettencourt, Frank Bello, II and Adam Wakeman)
20. Mr. Crowley (with Jack Black, plus Revel Ian, Roman Morello and other young musicians on screen)

Alice In Chains
21. Man in the Box
22. Would?
23. Fairies Wear Boots

Gojira
24. Stranded
25. Silvera
26. Mea culpa (Ah! Ça ira!) (with Marina Viotti)
27. Under the Sun

Drum Off
28. Symptom Of The Universe (with Chad Smith, Travis Barker and Danny Carey, plus Tom Morello, Nuno Bettencourt and Rudy Sarzo)

Supergroup B
29. Breaking the Law (with Billy Corgan, Tom Morello, K.K. Downing, Adam Jones, Rudy Sarzo and Danny Carey)
30. Snowblind (with Billy Corgan, Tom Morello, K.K. Downing, Adam Jones, Rudy Sarzo and Danny Carey)
31. Flying High Again (with Sammy Hagar, Nuno Bettencourt, Adam Wakeman, Rudy Sarzo, Chad Smith and Vernon Reid)
32. Rock Candy (with Sammy Hagar, Nuno Bettencourt, Adam Wakeman, Rudy Sarzo, Chad Smith and Tom Morello)
33. Bark at the Moon (with Papa V Perpetua, Vernon Reid, Nuno Bettencourt, Adam Wakeman, Rudy Sarzo and Travis Barker)
34. The Train Kept A-Rollin’ (with Steven Tyler, Ron Wood, Nuno Bettencourt, Tom Morello, Andrew Watt, Rudy Sarzo and Travis Barker)
35. Walk This Way / Whole Lotta Love (with Steven Tyler, Nuno Bettencourt, Tom Morello, Andrew Watt, Rudy Sarzo and Chad Smith)

Pantera
36. Cowboys From Hell
37. Walk
38. Planet Caravan
39. Electric Funeral

Tool
40. Forty Six & 2
41. Hand of Doom
42. Ænema

Slayer
43. Disciple
44. War Ensemble
45. Wicked World
46. South of Heaven
47. Raining Blood
48. Angel of Death

Guns N’ Roses
49. Never Say Die
50. Junior’s Eyes
51. Sabbath Bloody Sabbath
52. Welcome to the Jungle
53. Paradise City

Metallica
54. Hole in the Sky
55. Creeping Death
56. For Whom the Bell Tolls
57. Johnny Blade
58. Battery
59. Master of Puppets

Ozzy Osbourne
60. I Don’t Know
61. Mr. Crowley
62. Suicide Solution
63. Mama, I’m Coming Home
64. Crazy Train

Black Sabbath
65. War Pigs
66. N.I.B.
67. Iron Man
68. Paranoid