Geezer Butler’s Aston Villa tribute alongside Ozzy Osbourne in Black Sabbath goodbye
Black Sabbath have rocked out Villa Park at what they say was their final gig.
Lead singer Ozzy Osbourne was joined by the full original band line-up for the first time in 20 years, as Tony Iommi, Bill Ward and Geezer Butler took the stage to say goodbye.
Black Sabbath were formed in 1968 in Birmingham, with Osbourne himself, a vocal Aston Villa fan.
A star-studded line-up also saw Metallica and Slayer take the stage at Villa Park.
Butler marks Villa tribute
Black Sabbath kicked off their final show with War Pigs, before the 1970 hit N.I.B.
The band then played Iron Man, before ending on smash hit single Paranoid.
Osbourne, who has Parkinsons’s disease, sang on a black throne and shared his joy with the 40,000 strong crowd at Villa Park.
Butler, 75, who is the band’s bassist and primary lyricist, sported a special tribute on his guitar.
The base, painted in the colours of Aston Villa, also featured the badge’s rampant lion.
All profits from the tour, dubbed “Back to the Beginning”, will be split equally between Cure Parkinson’s, Birmingham Children’s Hospital and Acorn Children’s Hospice.
Villa Park making a name for music
Black Sabbath’s gig was just the latest in an effort by decision-makers at Aston Villa to create a new home for music in Birmingham at Villa Park.
Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band performed at the home of the Villans on June 16, 2023, as part of their European tour, just days after P!NK had made the stadium her own on her UK tour.
And the stadium will next play host to American stars SZA and Kendrick Lemar on July 10 as part of their Grand National Tour, which will visit 13 stadiums across Europe.
More acts are expected to stage at Villa Park in the coming years, and while the stadium’s new-found musical accommodation will bring in sizable investment for the club, it will also gain a larger presence for the club itself.
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