Overlords of all things metal Black Sabbath concluded their legendary career on July 5, 2025, with a poignant farewell concert at Villa Park in Birmingham, their home city and the place where the band was founded in 1968. The event featured the band’s original lineup — Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward — performing together live for the first time since 2005, as well as Ozzy Osbourne performing his final solo set.
Among the openers was Lamb Of God whose frontman Randy Blythe had quite a few kind words about the show. Lamb Of God delivered a standout performance as part of the all-star tribute lineup honoring Black Sabbath's final appearance. Lamb Of God opened their set with fan-favorites like "Laid to Rest" and "Redneck", setting the tone before launching into a relentless rendition of Black Sabbath's classic "Children of the Grave" (which has since been released as a studio recording as well).
"I do not have the words to explain what merely being at, much less performing at, Black Sabbath's final show yesterday felt like. I'm still trying to process it- it's crazy. I have been in my band for 30 years now, and I have played many, many shows in that time. But the overwhelming energy at this show— in the audience, in the backstage area, and onstage (because I was in all 3 areas at different times)— was something I have never felt before, and I know I never will again.
"It was something DIFFERENT, something very, very special. If you play in a heavy metal band, or are a fan of any heavy metal music, then know that your roots lay in Birmingham, starting way back in 1968 with four working class Englishmen named Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, & Bill Ward. They created this. PERIOD. For those of us who make this music, there will never be another chance to play with the original creators again. That was IT… & it was amazing.
"If you were there in the audience, you should know that every single band member I talked to- from Mastodon who opened the show up all the way to Metallica who played right before Ozzy– was nervous to go onstage… & I do mean EVERYONE (God knows I was.) It a sign of our respect for the dudes who created this music that we all felt this way. We all wanted to honor them, to show respect, to thank them for this wild-ass life that they have given us, and to do justice to their tunes— all of us get to travel the world & play this music because of what these four guys started. Then to see those four guys give it one last glorious whirl, four songs… it was earth shattering.
"So thank you Black Sabbath, thank you Birmingham, & thank you to all the fans who came out yesterday to help us give Sabbath a proper send off. We also raised A LOT of money yesterday for 3 different charities- Cure Parkinson's, Birmingham Children's Hospital, & Acorn Children's Hospice. None of the bands took a single penny for this gig- hell, none of us even got a guestlist! I am so happy to have witnessed it & beyond grateful to have been asked to be a part of it. A simply unbelievable day…"
Speaking of Back To The Beginning, you can watch both Sabbath and Osbourne's final sets right here and all the bands covering Black Sabbath here.
