Ozzy Osbourne returned to the stage with Black Sabbath on July 5, 2025. The night will go down as one of the most unforgettable moments in rock history. Villa Park roared with 50,000 voices as the original lineup stood shoulder to shoulder after two decades apart.
For fans who had waited half a lifetime, it felt like the ground itself shook.
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The setting carried a special weight. Birmingham is the city where Sabbath’s sound was born, and that legacy was alive in every riff and drumbeat. People traveled from across the world to see Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward close the circle where it all began.
Ozzy’s name carried through the crowd even before he sang a single note. Despite Parkinson’s disease and recent spinal surgeries, he took the stage on a throne-like chair with a fire in his voice that stunned everyone. When he tore into “Crazy Train” and “Mama I’m Coming Home,” his emotion was raw and real. You could see the struggle in his eyes, and you could hear the fight in every lyric.
Guns N’ Roses ripped through “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath,” throwing swagger into the mix. Lamb of God brought the edge with “Children of the Grave,” adding a modern punch that still fit perfectly.
Black Sabbath / IG / The band built the night into a celebration that stretched beyond their own catalog. Metallica stormed through covers like “Hole in the Sky,” shaking the stadium with their own brand of fury.
A supergroup with Steven Tyler, Tom Morello, Travis Barker, and Ronnie Wood threw the crowd into a frenzy with a jam session that felt completely alive. Then Yungblud took the spotlight with a stripped-down, heartbreaking version of “Changes,” and people in the front rows were openly sobbing.
When Ozzy, 76, returned for the final act with the original lineup, time seemed to stop. They crushed through “War Pigs,” “N.I.B.,” “Iron Man,” and closed with “Paranoid,” each song tighter and heavier than the last. Geezer Butler’s Aston Villa-themed bass shone under the lights, a nod to the city itself.
Bill Ward’s drumming swung and crashed with the same force that started it all decades ago.
Fans Hail the Historic Farewell Gig
Fans described the night as “a pilgrimage,” a return to the roots of something far bigger than any single band. Many were in tears by the end. Not just from nostalgia, but from the sheer power of the music and the sight of these legends giving it everything one last time.
Musicians lined up to pay tribute. Billy Corgan called Sabbath the foundation of every heavy band that came after them. Dee Snider said no one else could have built the path that metal walks today. The show felt like a living museum of heavy metal, but with the volume cranked to ten.
Black Sabbath / IG / Apart from the glitz, the farewell concert also raised over £20 million (about $26 million) for charities like Cure Parkinson’s and Birmingham Children’s Hospital.
That fact alone added another layer of meaning. Fans knew they were part of something bigger than themselves, something that would help others long after the amps went silent.
However, not everything was perfect. Some fans criticized the livestream edit for cutting the finale too tight, saying it made the farewell seem cold. In reality, Tony and Geezer had walked back onstage to honor Ozzy with a cake, a warm private moment that didn’t make it to the official broadcast.
The night also had its wild cards. David Draiman of Disturbed was booed during his appearance, his set clashing with the mood of the crowd. On the other hand, Jake E. Lee, once a guitarist in Ozzy’s solo band, received a huge ovation after recovering from a recent shooting.