Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello recently opened up in an interview with Shan Man (98KUPDradio) about his role as the "curator" for Black Sabbath's all-star farewell show, Back To The Beginning — an event that also marked Ozzy Osbourne's final performance.
Morello described the weight of the responsibility: "If we're gonna do this, we have to aim to make it the greatest day in the history of heavy metal… Heavy metal is the music that made me love music. It's in the DNA of 90% of my favorite artists. And so if we're gonna do this, we really have to treat it with the gravity that it deserves."
He recounted one particularly surreal moment the night before the show: witnessing Black Sabbath rehearsing "War Pigs" in an empty Birmingham stadium.
Morello, Steven Tyler, and Scott Ian were among only a dozen spectators, watching the band practice a song for the second-to-last time in history: "The red lights are on, the sirens are wailing… and then they play 'War Pigs' for us. At the end, they don't even know we're there. We go absolutely nuts. I felt, 'Okay, this is something that could really, really matter.'"
The guitarist also shared a behind-the-scenes glimpse at the massive logistical effort required to bring the show together, including last-minute lineup changes. He recalled Yungblud's performance of "Changes", which nearly didn't happen just 48 hours before the show: "Things were changing… I landed at Heathrow and got a call, 'That's not happening.' So I'm like, 'Okay, let's figure it out.' It turned out to be one of the highlights. But that's the gig. That's what the gig is."
Morello highlighted the emotional payoff when the show concluded. At the afterparty, fans and artists alike celebrated the event's success, with Ozzy Osbourne himself in attendance. One of Morello's last personal interactions with Ozzy was both humorous and heartfelt: "I'm at the afterparty playing pinball with my son… Somebody's tugging at my shirt.
"It's Ozzy. Jack Osbourne comes back and goes, 'Dude, that was my dad.' I go over to him… he was appreciative of everything. I got to give him a kiss on the head one more time. The last words Ozzy said to me were, 'Tell Sharon I wanna get the fuck outta here' — in true Ozzy form and also sort of poetic."
Morello's reflections provide an intimate window into the planning, chaos, and emotion behind a historic farewell to one of metal's most influential bands, highlighting both the human and musical significance of the event.
