Heavy metal pioneers BLACK SABBATH will headline a spectacular one-day festival at Villa Park, featuring dozens of bands they inspired, including Metallica, Pantera, Slayer, Gojira and Anthrax.
The concert will mark the first time that Black Sabbath’s original line-up – Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward – have played together in 20 years.
Osbourne, who has largely been forced to stop touring due to a combination of Parkinson’s and spinal injuries, will play a short solo set before joining his bandmates.
His wife, Sharon, told BBC News he was determined to put on one final show.
“He’s doing great. He’s doing really great,” she said. “He’s so excited about this, about being with the guys again and all his friends. It’s exciting for everyone.”
However, she said the concert would definitively be the 76-year-old’s final show.
“Ozzy didn’t have a chance to say goodbye to his friends, to his fans, and he feels there’s no been no full stop.
“This is his full stop.”
The concert, dubbed Back To The Beginning, was announced at Villa Park on Wednesday by Sharon, and Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi.
Rage Against The Machine guitarist Tom Morello, who is serving as the event’s musical director, said it would be “the greatest heavy metal show ever”.
Proceeds from the show will support Cure Parkinson’s, the Birmingham Children’s Hospital and Acorn Children’s Hospice, a Children’s Hospice supported by Aston Villa.
Other acts on the line-up include Alice In Chains, Halestorm, Lamb Of God and Mastodon.
In addition, the concert will feature a “supergroup”, with stars like Billy Corgan, Slash, Fred Durst, Wolfgang Van Halen and Tom Morello.
“It’s an endless amount of people,” said Sharon Osbourne. “They’re going to be doing some Sabbath songs, some Ozzy songs, and they’ll all mix together.
“Different little groups will be coming on, but they’re all icons.”
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