BACK TO THE BEGINNING - A FAN’S PERSPECTIVE

Given that there will be hundreds of reviews of this event, many of them already available, I’ve decided to approach this a bit differently. Less of a review, more of a reflection from a long term Ozzy/Black Sabbath devotee, this is what Back to the Beginning meant to me.

As soon as the show was announced, I started receiving messages from friends who knew I would want to be there. Not entirely a surprise as I’m sure that at school, I was known as the girl who was obsessed with Ozzy Osbourne. I used to carry a CD Walkman (yes, I’m that old), and it was a pretty solid bet that there’d be an Ozzy album within (Diary of a Madman and No More Tears were my favourites). I decorated my homework planner with pictures of the Prince of Darkness, adorned my backpack with his badges and even gave a presentation about him at one stage (I’m sure my teacher loved that!). And even now, if I was going to apply for Mastermind, I know what my specialist subject would be.

I have my mum to blame; an original fan of 80s heavy metal, I remember her buying me The Essential Ozzy Osbourne CD (in Tesco of all places!), and giving me an impromptu vocal rendition of the Crazy Train intro that has stayed with me always (100% accurate!). I stuck the CD on when we got home and have never looked back - an absolute Ozzy die-hard for life. Of course, with a love of Ozzy, comes a love of Black Sabbath, particularly the albums they made with the original line-up. I’m not disputing that the band made some great music with other singers, but to me that’s not the sound I associate with Sabbath. I’m one of those annoying purists who think it has to be Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward to really count.

So when I saw the announcement for Back to the Beginning, I knew I had to do everything I could to secure a ticket. I recognised that the odds were not really in my favour. I was aware that there would be hundreds of thousands of fans wanting to come from all over the world. But I had to try. This was no ordinary show, a line-up of some of the finest names in rock and heavy metal coming together to celebrate the work of Ozzy and Black Sabbath. I did wonder if it would go ahead. I remembered holding onto my ticket for Ozzy’s No More Tours 2 for months and months after much rescheduling before it was finally cancelled due to his ongoing health problems. And I accepted that if it did go ahead, Ozzy might not be able to do very much. But if that was the case, I knew I would be content to have the opportunity to say goodbye, even if that’s all it was.

I’ve never experienced stress quite like the stress I felt on the morning of the first presale. Well… not in relation to buying gig tickets at least! I was shaking, my Fitbit registered that my heart rate was going crazy and I felt tense as I kept refreshing my screen, waiting for the moment that the tickets would go live. But it seems that the metal gods were smiling upon me, because I got a ticket with no bother on my first try and proceeded to almost burst with excitement.

I’d never been to Birmingham before this weekend, and it was the perfect time to visit. It was wonderful to see Black Sabbath and Ozzy t-shirts everywhere and to witness the city really embracing this so called ‘Summer of Sabbath’. From incredible murals, to outdoor photo displays, to a Lego Ozzy and an exhibition devoted to him in the Birmingham museum, there was a lot to take in and I did my best to check it all off the list. I visited the famous Black Sabbath bench/bridge in a torrential downpour, getting a picture that wasn’t quite how I envisaged but makes me happy when I look at it now!

I got to the venue early on the day of the show. I told myself it wasn’t really necessary given the bands weren’t expected to start until about 1 but the excitement was too much - once I was awake, I wanted to be there and I didn’t want to miss a thing. I very nearly succeeded, but when the hunger pangs struck around tea time I had to join a ridiculous queue for food that meant I missed Tool entirely. It’s my one regret from a day that was pretty much perfect, but I can hardly complain. I know I’m one of the lucky ones, I was there!

I thought all of the bands did a great job in the limited time that they had. The sets were short and slick, usually a Sabbath cover with a couple of the band’s own songs. The changeovers were fast, no messing around, only ever about 5-10 minutes thanks to an ingenious rotating stage and a fantastic crew who were fascinating to watch. I’m not going to run through the entire show here, as I don’t want this to be too rambling, but it was an incredible lineup of rock and metal talent, the likes of which will probably never be seen again and mostly I just felt appreciative to be part of it. Of course, I had my favourites and there were artists who I thought missed the mark a little, but the whole thing felt very special. It was wonderful to have the opportunity to hear some of my favourite Sabbath deep cuts live, songs that often get overlooked; I don’t think anyone anticipated three songs from Never Say Die! being featured over the course of the day.

But ultimately, for me, it was all about seeing Ozzy one last time, and as his throne emerged I could feel myself becoming emotional. I know how badly he has wanted to get back out on stage, and the joy he felt really came across. He beamed at the sound of the audience and played up to his madman image the best his could from his chair, giving his best demonic expression to the delight of all. His voice was initially spot on, barely faltering through the first few numbers. A stumble came around Mama, I’m Coming Home and I briefly felt worried for him, but Zakk Wylde stepped in to help with the vocals, and the audience sung along so loudly, it barely even mattered. I felt a mixture of elation and sorrow; though it was uplifting to see Ozzy back in the place that he loves, it was sad to see him looking frail and old, no longer the seemingly invincible figure from my memories. Where once he was a man sustained by drugs and alcohol, Ozzy now relies upon a bottle of water and a throat spray but has lost none of the charisma that made him a star. Even confined to a chair, he had the audience utterly under his spell, keen to respond every time he asked to “see [our] f***ing hands”.

And then, after a short break, Sabbath were back together again, Bill Ward rightfully restored behind the drum kit, stripping back the years (and stripping off his shirt!) for a brief set that was everything I wanted from this final occasion. Geezer Butler was reliably impressive, delivering the introduction to N.I.B. with finesse, and Iommi’s riffs got us moving, as heavy and distinctive as always. Paranoid concluded proceedings all too soon, but Ozzy did so well, giving us more than we could really have hoped for. 76 year old men with Parkinson’s aren’t usually up to performing in front of 40 odd thousand people (not to mention the thousands who tuned in to the livestream), but Ozzy has never been an ordinary man. As the fireworks went off above Villa Park I was hit by the realisation that this really was the end and the tears came again. They say you never forget your first love and that’s definitely true - Ozzy will always be mine. Back to the Beginning is something I will remember for the rest of my life.