4 of the Best Black Sabbath Covers at the Back to the Beginning Concert

Back to the Beginning was a fitting farewell to Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne.

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The star-studded concert, which was held at Birmingham’s Villa Park, and saw Osbourne reunite with Black Sabbath bandmates Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward for the first time in 20 years. It marked Osbourne’s final show ever.

Before the most anticipated performance of the night, huge musicians took the stage to honor both Black Sabbath and Osbourne. They did so by performing unforgettable covers of many of the band’s hits. Read on to see the four best covers of the night.

“Symptom of the Universe” Drum Off

Tool’s Danny Carey, Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Chad Smith, and Blink-182’s Travis Barker teamed up for a “drum off” of Black Sabbath’s 1978 song, “Symptom of the Universe.” The all-star drummers, who were joined onstage by guitarists Nuno Bettencourt and Tom Morello, as well as bassist Rudy Sarzo, dueled for dominance as they brought an unexpected twist the the Sabbath classic.

Tool Takes on “Hand of Doom”

Tool frontman Maynard James Keenan brought his signature vocals to Black Sabbath’s 1970 track, “Hand of Doom.” The band expertly toed the line of making the song their own, while also honoring the original version. Tool’s three-song set also included their own tracks, “46 and 2” and “Aenima.”

Guns N’ Roses Covers “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath”

Guns N’ Roses dedicated four of its six songs to Black Sabbath covers. They played “It’s Alright,” “Never Say Die,” and “Junior’s Eyes,” before wowing the crowd with “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath.” Fans weren’t all that surprised by the last cover of Guns N’ Roses set, as the band was seen rehearsing the track before the show. After their four-song tribute to the band of honor, Guns N’ Roses concluded their time on stage by performing two of their own songs: “Welcome to the Jungle” and “Paradise City.”

Metallica Plays “Johnny Blade” for the First Time

The last band to take the stage before Osbourne, Metallica played six unforgettable tunes during their set. They opened up the performance by covering Black Sabbath’s 1975 track “Hole in the Sky.” It’s a track they’ve performed live before, but not in more than 15 years. The real moment of note, however, came when Metallica covered “Johnny Blade,” a 1978 Black Sabbath song that they’ve never before played live. On top of their covers, Metallica played four of their own songs:  “Creeping Death, “For Whom the Bell Tolls,” “Battery.” and “Master of Puppets.”

Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame