Black Sabbath Cuts Two Songs From Final Birmingham Farewell Concert

At Black Sabbath's farewell concert, Back to the Beginning, held at Villa Park in Birmingham, the band reunited with Ozzy Osbourne for the final time to perform four iconic songs: "War Pigs," "Iron Man," "N.I.B.," and "Paranoid." Guitarist Tony Iommi revealed that although the band had rehearsed additional songs, including "Black Sabbath" and "Fairies Wear Boots," these were cut to accommodate Ozzy's solo set and his physical limitations due to Parkinson's disease. Ozzy performed five solo songs from a custom-made throne, and the decision to shorten the Sabbath set was made to prevent him from becoming exhausted. The drummer Bill Ward, who had not toured for a long time, also influenced the reduced setlist due to physical challenges. Despite the limited number of songs, the concert was a major success, raising nearly $190 million for charities such as Cure Parkinson's, Birmingham Children's Hospital, and Acorn Children's Hospice. Iommi expressed that at their age, the band prioritized delivering a heartfelt performance over perfection, and the audience was understanding of this.