Black Sabbath to reunite for one final benefit show July 5

[Kristy]

Stephen Tyler at 77 is unbelievable...

Oh, so that's who that is.

Thought that was Tulsi Gabbard.

[Terry]

All things considered, I thought Ozzy sounded pretty good, at least for a guy in his mid 70s with Parkinsons who is been in the hospital more than in a studio for the last decade or so.

Ironically, it seems to be only gig where he actually remembered all the lyrics. Don't think I've ever seen that, even back to the early Sabbath tours.

Now on the other hand, Axl Rose was fucking out of sync with the rest of GNR on every damn song they did. What a way to ruin what could have been a great performance, with Izzy back in the fold for at least one day (or at least that's who it looked like. Unless it's an AI robot with a perfect Izzy mask?)

Watched a clip of Iron Man from the performance.

Iommi and Butler sounded about as detuned as they were from the original as I've ever heard them live. Ward was also playing even slower on Iron Man than the other two tunes I saw yesterday ...what the fuck were those? Oh, yeah. War Pigs and Paranoid. I read they also did NIB.

Yeah, I suppose I'd agree that considering Ozzy's age and debilitating condition he did okay. Considering said age and condition of Ozzy, as well as Iommi (hadn't he gone through cancer treatment and recovery, if memory serves?) - and doesn't Ward have health problems, as well? - I'd lay odds that'll be the last time one will have to see the original/classic Sabbath lineup live.

Read about the various other bands/lineups/guest star appearances at the show and have zero interest in any of them at this late date ...even in terms of watching 'em via a free interwebs youtube clip. For me, GnR had Appetite and Lies. THAT was the highwater mark of the band. Even with the Illusions albums, the shit was already going sideways, and that was when Izzy was still in the band far the recording of YYI 1 and 2 went. People STILL keep saying how great it would be if Izzy got back with the band. Meh. The band will be doing the same stuff they've been doing since Rose, Duff and Slash started doing stadiums a decade ago or whatever it was, only Izzy will be there. It's not like the band are gonna get back together with Izzy and come up with an album's worth of tunes nearly as good as Appetite.

[Seshmeister]

As these shows go and by most standards it was a success.

On all social media everyone seems positive apart from Hagar who 90% of people are saying was shit which of course delights me.

Tom Morello has been saying that it raised $200m. He's a smart guy who I have no reason to doubt but I hope that it all works out and Sharon hasn't screwed him over like almost everyone else she has ever dealt with ever.

[twonabomber]

I was laughing at all the posts claiming Sharon was skimming, and really laughing at the people defending her and saying it was a charity gig and she wouldn't dare to profit from it.

[Terry]

I was laughing at all the posts claiming Sharon was skimming, and really laughing at the people defending her and saying it was a charity gig and she wouldn't dare to profit from it.

It'd be childishly naive to assume Sharon and Ozzy didn't make more than a few bucks from it. I mean, that's not even a hot take ...I just assumed it.

Can't say as I know much about how these charity gigs work economically re: whatever entity organizes it & how much money they can keep as 'administrative fees' vs. what they are required by law to demonstrate went to those benefitting from the charity. Or if such disclosures are even required to be made public.

Does anybody really care in terms of looking at the books and seeing if they are potentially cooked? I presume most businesses generally cook the books and fudge numbers to whatever degree, be it underreporting profits for evasion of paying full taxation or overinflating/padding costs and outlays for similar tax reasons.

[Seshmeister]

There are strict rules about how registered charities are administered in the UK but this was an event who was going to give existing charities proceeds from the profits which will give a lot of wiggle room.

That said I think so much was made from the streaming that the charities should surely get a decent amount even after skimming.

[Terry]

There are strict rules about how registered charities are administered in the UK but this was an event who was going to give existing charities proceeds from the profits which will give a lot of wiggle room.

That said I think so much was made from the streaming that the charities should surely get a decent amount even after skimming.

Which, I mean, fair enough.

I'd tend to imagine most people who attended the show and streamed it would still have done so even if none of the proceeds went to charity,

[ZahZoo]

When you consider the residual royalty money that Ozzy/Sharon make off of his career... I highly doubt they'd have any motivation to profit from this final deal. They should have no concerns about money other than where to spend all that keeps rolling in without them working a minute...

[FORD]

Guess this really was going to be the final show. Sky News is reporting that Ozzy is dead......


Ozzy Osbourne dies just weeks after farewell show

The heavy metal star reunited with his Black Sabbath bandmates on stage at Villa Park earlier in July.

Tuesday 22 July 2025 19:11, UK







Image: Ozzy Osbourne performed his farewell concert at Villa Park earlier in July. Pic: Ross Halfin




Heavy metal star Ozzy Osbourne has died, just weeks after reuniting with his Black Sabbath bandmates and performing a huge farewell concert for fans.
In a statement, his family said: "It is with more sadness than mere words can convey that we have to report that our beloved Ozzy Osbourne has passed away this morning. He was with his family and surrounded by love."

As he performed from a throne on stage at Villa Park less than three weeks ago, Osbourne told fans: "You've no idea how I feel - thank you from the bottom of my heart."
It was a gig put together with performances from some of his favourite acts, including Metallica and Guns'n'Roses, for the 76-year-old's "final bow".
Osbourne pioneered heavy metal with Black Sabbath before going on to have huge success in his own right. He was known for hits including Iron Man, Paranoid, War Pigs, Crazy Train and Changes, both with the band and as a solo star.


The singer also found a different kind of fame thanks to noughties MTV reality show The Osbournes, which followed the Birmingham-raised star's somewhat chaotic life in Los Angeles with wife Sharon and two of their children, Kelly and Jack.

And he was also known for the famous anecdotes of hellraising during his rock star heyday - most infamously, the tale of how he bit the head off a bat while on stage.

He had Parkinson's disease and had suffered other health problems in recent years, including complications from injuries sustained in a fall in 2019.

After being forced to cancel tour shows, he made a one-off surprise appearance on stage in Birmingham to close the Commonwealth Games in 2022. The Villa Park gig was announced earlier this year by Sharon, who said he was determined to give fans the "perfect farewell".

During his career, Osbourne was inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame and the US Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame - twice for both, with Black Sabbath and as a solo artist.

He also has a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame - as well as in Birmingham's Broad Street - an Ivor Novello, and five Grammy wins from 12 nominations. Plus, he received other honours such as the NME's Godlike Genius award, and Classic Rock's Living Legend prize, over the years.

Osbourne leaves behind his wife, Sharon, and their children, Aimee, Kelly and Jack, as well his two older children, Jessica and Louis, from his first marriage to Thelma Riley, and grandchildren.

[Mushroom]

Bummer! I was going to send the news to my parents. But it's a downer because my parents are 75 years old. Their idols were the likes of Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Paul McCartney, Brian Wilson,... so ... any day.

[FORD]

Two legends who were never born to sing ballads... and yet it somehow worked. I'm sure Lemmy was there to welcome Ozzy to where ever you want to believe he went....

[Terry]

Yep. Seemed like he was debilitating quickly over the last half year. Wouldn't have necessarily thought he was on his way out imminently from the farewell show clips I saw, but what the fuck do I know? I'm not a doctor, and probably not even a doctor unfamiliar with his medical particulars could look at those clips and make a diagnosis/prognosis/whatever.

Lot of those actors/musicians I admired as a kid in the 70's and 80's have been dropping off with increasing speed over the last 5 years. Too fast to even adhere to that old "it always happens in three's" saying.

If I think about it, in many ways it's more a case of mild amazement Ozzy lasted as long as he did than anything else.

Oh, well. Maybe now Sharon will soon put out some previously unreleased audio/video of Ozzy's career when Rhoads was playing with him, if there's any such stuff 'in the can' somewhere.

I mean, everybody knows Ian Gillan was Sabbath's best frontman. anyway.

Think I'll go listen to Born Again. That album seriously still rocks my world.

RIP, Iron Man.

[Seshmeister]

Oh, well. Maybe now Sharon will soon put out some previously unreleased audio/video of Ozzy's career when Rhoads was playing with him, if there's any such stuff 'in the can' somewhere.

I doubt that there is anything left in that archive and we can only be grateful that given the technology back then it's highly unlikely she has a sex tape of when she screwed him...

[Terry]

I doubt that there is anything left in that archive and we can only be grateful that given the technology back then it's highly unlikely she has a sex tape of when she screwed him...

There is maybe a dozen minutes of footage from The Palladium in NYC from 1981 that has surfaced fairly recently (or I just saw it recently and it's been out there for longer) that looks like it was low grade videotape - doesn't look like either 8 or 16mm film - from a bootlegger who shot it back in the day. Somebody synched it up supposedly with the audio from the gig (can't remember if it was soundboard or audience source audio).

But, yeah, in terms of a multi-cam, proshot full length Rhoads gig I'd tend to guess no.

Shame about the lack of a sex tape though, because that's how I like Sharon best. Back before the plastic surgery, when she looked like Ozzy's mum. That dumpy, bloated cow. Randy must have been coked up and threw her a mercy fuck.

[Seshmeister]

I've been a fan of his music since I was a kid, been to see him many times but some of this stuff is a bit incongruous.

https://www.peta.org/news/rest-in-peace-ozzy-osbourne/

PETA don't know about this but the Hindustan Times did?

https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/us-news/when-ozzy-osbourne-shot-dead-his-17-pet-cats-in-a-drug-fueled-frenzy-101753219956406.html

I've said this before about some Hagar or Roth things over the years but if seemingly accurate stuff can be so wrong when you actually know about it what does that mean about the 98% of stuff we absorb each day that we know less about...?

So many more stories about the accidental bat biting than the deliberate dove publicity stunt.

I guess even Bob Daisley has said how sad he is about Ozzy's death so maybe we should just let it all go at this point....