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All aboard the “Crazy Train” — Black Sabbath will be reuniting for a performance in Ozzy Osbourne’s hometown of Birmingham, U.K.. Osbourne, 76, has been battling Parkinson’s disease for years, but the Prince of Darkness will not let that keep him from the stage.
The rock icon released a statement when he announced he would be performing. “It’s my time to go back to the beginning … time for me to give back to the place where I was born,” he said. “How blessed am I to do it with the help of people whom I love. Birmingham is the true home of metal. Birmingham forever.”
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Black Sabbath members Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward will perform with Osbourne for the first time in 20 years as they headline “The Back to the Beginning” show on July 5 at Villa Park. Other heavy metal bands will join the concert, including Metallica, Slayer and Alice In Chains. Music director Tom Morello, formerly the lead singer of Rage Against The Machine, said that “Back to the Beginning” “will be the greatest heavy metal show ever.”
This news may come as a surprise to fans of the rock star, as Ozzy and his wife, Sharon Osbourne, recently said that the rocker’s poor health was preventing them from even moving back to the United Kingdom, much less performing there. “It just seems that every time we’re set to go, something happens with Ozzy’s health,” Sharon, 72, said in a July 2024 episode of The Osbournes Podcast. The singer had spinal surgery in 2023. Sharon confirmed on February 5 that while Parkinson’s has “affected [Ozzy’s] legs,” and left him unable to walk, “his voice is as good as it’s ever been.”
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However, Ozzy has also mentioned that some aspects of his health have improved since he became sober from drugs and alcohol, noting that upon a previous doctor’s visit he’d seen marked improvements in his health. “My blood clots are gone,” he said on the podcast. “Everything’s back to normal.”
Proceeds from the “Back to the Beginning” concert will benefit charities such as Cure Parkinson’s, Birmingham Children’s Hospital and Acorn Children’s Hospice.
