The first official and emotional trailer for the late Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath’s forthcoming concert film, Ozzy & Black Sabbath: Back to the Beginning, has been released.
Ozzy & Black Sabbath: Back to the Beginning captures the Prince of Darkness’ final solo gig as well as Black Sabbath’s final performance with the band’s original lineup, which took place in Osbourne’s hometown of Birmingham, England, at Villa Park Stadium last July. Less than three weeks after the gigantic day fest, Ozzy passed away at the age of 76.
The opening shot of the trailer sees the massive crowd at the Back to the Beginning show—which featured sets from the likes of Metallica, Guns N’ Roses, Slayer, Pantera, Tool, Gojira, Lamb of God, Halestorm, Anthrax, Mastodon, and more— while Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello (who served as the music director and curator of the gig) says: “There’s never been a precedent for a show like this. Millions of people around the world got to say, ‘Thank you, Black Sabbath. Thank you, Ozzy.‘”
It then shows footage of Osbourne and Black Sabbath onstage, with clips capturing the scale and emotion of the Villa Park crowd. The video also shares behind-the-scenes footage of the event. Ozzy’s wife and manager, Sharon, opened up in the voiceover, sharing: “[Ozzy] was told he probably wouldn’t make it through the show. He said, ‘No, I’m doing it. Whatever happens happens,’” in reference to his ailing health, which had been declining for years. During the show, Ozzy performed while seated on a throne. One clip shows the godfather of heavy metal sitting on his throne, teary-eyed, telling the crowd, “You have no idea how I feel,” before interweaving a clip of the crowd singing “Mama, I’m coming home” back to him while he points his microphone at them. The trailer ends on an image of Osbourne smiling out at the audience before telling them: “God bless each and every one of you. I love you all.”
Ozzy & Black Sabbath: Back to the Beginning is set for release on October 28th and was directed by Ben Wainwright-Pearce, who previously edited Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour for Disney+. Tickets for the film are on sale now.
Speaking about the legendary gig, Sharon Osbourne, Ozzy Osbourne’s wife and manager, shared in a statement: “Back to the Beginning came about because I asked Ozzy what would really make him happy, and he said the only thing that would make him happy was if he could perform again and say goodbye to his fans. That’s all he wanted to do. He wanted to say goodbye and thank you.”
Speaking about the gig in a statement, Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi shared: “It was a closure for the band, and it was a good way to go out, I think,” while bassist Geezer Butler added: “To me it was like pure love. It was just a wave of love. It’s the only way I can describe it really. I mean, I could feel it as if it is like tangible.”
Black Sabbath drummer Bill Ward also opened up about the show, saying: “[I] felt completely at home in a place where I belong. It almost felt like I was in a dream.”
