Mad About Rock

Following the announcement of the all-star extravaganza BACK TO THE BEGINNING celebrating the true creators of heavy metal earlier this month, Black Sabbath have announced a host of further artists to the extraordinary lineup. The sold-out show will see the original Black Sabbath – Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward – return to play for the first time in 20 years on July 5th at Villa Park. BACK TO THE BEGINNING, which will be hosted and compered by American actor Jason Momoa, will see Ozzy Osbourne play his own short set before joining with Black Sabbath for his final bow. The new acts added to the bill include Tool, Guns ‘N’ Roses and Rival Sons, who will join Metallica, Slayer, Pantera, Gojira, Alice In Chains, Halestorm, Lamb Of God, Anthrax and Mastodon. The all-day event will also feature a supergroup of musicians. Andrew Watt, Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers), Dave Ellefson, Vernon Reid (Living Colour) and Whitfield Crane (Ugly Kid Joe), will join Billy Corg...

  The UK charity Cure Parkinson’s will receive proceeds from Black Sabbath’s farewell concert at Villa Park this summer. The choice of charity was made by Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne following news of a compilation album - the brainchild of former manager Ian Grant (The Stranglers, The Cult, Big Country) and producer Paul Mitchell - featuring a number of rock legends. ‘Think Loud 4 Parkinson’s’ featuring music by Leo Sayer, Hank Marvin, The Waterboys, Paul Carrack, John Cooper Clarke, Gary Brooker and others is being backed by the charity. Organisers reached out to Ozzy and Sharon, highlighting the work done by Cure Parkinson’s and inspiring their choice to donate. Out on 14th February 2025, the album will see members of Dire Straits and Queen unite to help raise awareness and funds. The album will be released in tandem with a re-issue of the previously launched title track, Think Loud, followed by vinyl and CD editions of the album arriving on 21st February. Sharon Osbourne announced...

  [Wednesday 5th February 2025 - Birmingham, U.K.] This morning, at the home of Aston Villa, Sharon Osbourne and Tony Iommi announced that the original Black Sabbath – Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward – will play for the first time in 20 years. The band will take to the stage to headline BACK TO THE BEGINNING on July 5th at Villa Park. The all-star event will celebrate the true creators of heavy metal and will see Ozzy Osbourne play his own short set before joining with Black Sabbath for his final bow. “It’s my time to go Back to the Beginning….time for me to give back to the place where I was born,” Ozzy Osbourne 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.” Formed in Birmingham in 1968 and going on to become one of most successful metal bands of all time, Black Sabbath have sold over 75 million albums worldwide across their legendary career. Setting the blueprint for the man...