Knowing that her husband wanted to say a proper good-bye to his fans, Sharon Osbourne set about helping organize Back to the Beginning, Black Sabbath’s farewell show. Now the day is almost here. Tomorrow (Saturday, July 5), the original lineup of Geezer Butler, Tony Iommi, Ozzy Osbourne, and Bill Ward will reunite onstage for what they insist is the final time. Multiple other acts, including Guns N’ Roses and Metallica, will also pay tribute to the heavy metal pioneers. However, Sharon Osbourne previously revealed that she had no problem booting one band that wasn’t there for the right reasons.
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Sharon Osbourne: Black Sabbath Farewell Show “Not the Time To Make a Profit”
Sharon Osbourne still has yet to reveal the identity of the band she removed from Black Sabbath’s farewell show lineup. However, Ozzy’s manager and wife of 43 years promises it’s coming.
After the show I’ll let everybody know who it was,” she told Billboard. “I think people will be shocked.”
Previously, Sharon, 72, told Metal Hammer that she disinvited the unnamed outfit following “a huge, huge to-do” with their manager.
“It was probably the worst way I’ve felt in years,” she said in June. “I don’t care what this person says about me, thinks about it, because he doesn’t know me. He’s now going around making up bulls— lies because I threw his band off the bill.”
Elaborating further in the Billboard article published July 3, Sharon said she kicked the band out of the concert because it “wanted to make a profit, and it’s not the time to make a profit.”
So Where Is The Money Going?
Sharon Osbourne has said that proceeds from ticket sales to Black Sabbath’s farewell show will support various charities. Those organizations include Cure Parkinson’s, Birmingham Children’s Hospital and Acorn Children’s Hospice, a Children’s Hospice supported by Aston Villa.
“Back to the Beginning: Ozzy’s Final Bow” will see the band’s original lineup of Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward share a stage for the first time in 2017. Fittingly, the heavy metal pioneers will end where they began: at Aston Villa Park in their hometown of Birmingham, England.
“Birmingham is the true home of metal,” said Ozzy, 76. “Birmingham Forever.”
Featured image by Samir Hussein/Getty Images for Live Nation UK
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