Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne‘s upcoming final concert is set to boost Birmingham’s economy by a whopping £20million, according to reports.
- READ MORE: Sharon Osbourne and Tony Iommi tell us about Black Sabbath’s finale: “Usually this thing is done when you’re dead”
This weekend (July 5), the band will host a huge farewell concert, dubbed ‘Back To The Beginning’, at Villa Park in Birmingham. It’ll see frontman Ozzy Osbourne, guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler and drummer Bill Ward perform onstage together for the first time in two decades.
Besides marking the metal pioneers’ and Ozzy’s final show, the concert will also seemingly give their hometown’s economy a major boost, per figures from the West Midlands Growth Company.
In a new report, the West Midlands Growth Company has estimated a £20million boost, thanks in large part to the final Sabbath gig, which has been dubbed “the greatest heavy metal show ever”, as around 300,000 music, culture, sports and food fans are expected to visit Birmingham early this month.
Sharon Osbourne, Ozzy’s wife and former manager, said in a statement: “Birmingham is a city which means so much to Ozzy. When it comes to heavy metal music, Black Sabbath forming and his love of Aston Villa – it all started here.”
According to the West Midlands Growth Company, hotels in Birmingham are at 89 per cent capacity for the upcoming Sabbath weekend, which will also see Jeff Lynne’s ELO perform in the city – other events taking place over the weekend include a cricket match at Edgbaston, and the Colmore food festival.
This is seen as a massive improvement over the 52 per cent hotel capacity during the same period in July 2024. Cafes, bars, businesses and music venues across Birmingham are all also set to benefit from the massive influx of visitors.
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Over the weekend (June 28), it was revealed that Black Sabbath had been given the freedom of the city of Birmingham ahead of their final gig, with all four original band members presented with scrolls and medals by the Lord Mayor. The honour was given at a private ceremony on Saturday, which recognised the band’s significance as heavy metal pioneers from the city.
Last week, the band shared their first behind-the-scenes look at preparations for their upcoming final show. The Prince Of Darkness has not played a full gig since 2018, and has undergone multiple surgeries and experienced numerous health problems in recent years, including Parkinson’s disease.
Despite his health, Osbourne has said he is “giving 120 per cent” as he prepares for his last performance. “I’ve got this trainer guy who helps people get back to normal,” the singer said. “It’s hard going, but he’s convinced that he can pull it off for me. I’m giving it everything I’ve got. All I can say is I’m giving 120 per cent. If my God wants me to do the show, I’ll do it.”
He had previously told fans that he was “in heavy training” for the Black Sabbath farewell concert, and was back in the gym. Osbourne also said he would only be “doing little bits and pieces” with Sabbath at Villa Park amid his health problems: “I am doing what I can, where I feel comfortable.”
Black Sabbath’s stacked, star-studded bill boasts an array of heavyweights from the worlds of metal and rock. These include Tool, Metallica, Slayer, Pantera, Alice In Chains, Gojira, Anthrax, Smashing Pumpkins‘ Billy Corgan, Guns N’ Roses, KoRn, Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler and the surviving members of Soundgarden.
Last week, Wolfgang Van Halen announced his withdrawal from the upcoming concert over tour commitments. A livestream will begin at 3pm BST on July 5, and those who have bought livestream tickets will continue to have access to the concert footage in its entirety for another 48 hours afterwards.
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