Black Sabbath at Villa Park review — moving reunion as Ozzy rocks out
This sold-out, all-day charity benefit event was essentially the retirement party for the band's 76-year-old singer and international treasure Ozzy Osbourne, who was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2019, and now has limited mobility.
It is no exaggeration to call Black Sabbath the Beatles of heavy metal, their hugely influential legacy reflected in the multigenerational cast list of superstar head-bangers who came to pay tribute at Villa Park, all working for free. Metallica, Guns N' Roses, Anthrax, Slayer, Alice in Chains and many others performed short sets of about 20 to 30 minutes, each including at least one Sabbath or Ozzy song.
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Not every set was a killer, but credit is due to Lzzy Hale of Halestorm, the only woman on the bill, for rocking harder than most of her male peers. Metallica were also reliably propulsive, exhilarating and adrenalised. 'Thank you Black Sabbath,' growled James Hetfield, 'for giving us a purpose in life'.
Between the main bands, a fluid supergroup featuring members of Judas Priest, Smashing Pumpkins, Red Hot Chili Peppers and more also played, joined by surprise guests including the Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood and the rising pop-rock star Yungblud, who brought high-energy swagger to his reworking of Sabbath's 1972 power ballad Changes.
The Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello served as musical director for the whole event, and gave a few shredding performances himself, pairing up with Aerosmith's Steven Tyler for riotously funky versions of Walk This Way and Led Zeppelin's Whole Lotta Love. The Villa Park video screens also aired fond video tributes to Ozzy and Sabbath from famous well-wishers, including Sir Elton John, Dolly Parton and Jack Black.
Black Sabbath have survived multiple splits, temporary reunions and premature retirements over their six-decade career. They last played in Birmingham with two huge 'farewell' shows in 2017, but Back to the Beginning inevitably had a more concrete air of finality, given Ozzy's health issues. Even so, the singer seemed in pretty fine voice when he finally appeared on stage to huge cheers, performing two short sets from a black leather armchair adorned with skulls and bat wings. Even a fallen emperor needs a throne.
Ozzy opened with five songs from his post-Sabbath solo career, including a gothically camp Mr Crowley and the rollicking audience sing-along Crazy Train. After a short break, he reappeared with his Sabbath co-founders: the guitarist Tony Iommi, the bass player Terence 'Geezer' Butler and the drummer Bill Ward. There was a palpable sense of hatchets being buried and rifts healed at Villa Park, with Ward back in the fold after his acrimonious exclusion from previous tours.
Sabbath's four-song set was all too brief, but still a pleasing reminder that seminal classics such as Paranoid, War Pigs and Iron Man retain their potent fusion of jazz, blues, funk, proto-punk aggression and doomy occult imagery.
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