The stacked line-up for Black Sabbath’s final show has just just got even bigger, with Aerosmith‘s Steven Tyler and the surviving Soundgarden members joining the bill.
Announced back in February, the one-off gig will be held at Villa Park stadium in Birmingham on July 5, and mark the legendary metal band’s last concert together.
Rage Against The Machine guitarist Tom Morello is serving as musical director – a role he is “honoured” to have taken on – and huge names on the line-up include Metallica, Slayer, Pantera, Alice In Chains, Gojira, Anthrax, Smashing Pumpkins‘ Billy Corgan, Guns N’ Roses, KoRn, Tool and many more.
Now, in a new interview with The Guardian, Sharon Osbourne has confirmed that Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler is set to perform at the event too, as are the surviving members of Soundgarden.
For Tyler, the gig will mark one of the few live appearances since he abruptly retired from touring last August. The decision was made after he suffered a serious vocal cord injury while kicking off Aerosmith’s final tour. Although he has not played any full shows since the news, he has taken to the stage once since the injury – playing at a charity event in February and breaking out some of his biggest hits.
As for Soundgarden, the announcement comes just days after it was confirmed that they would be inducted into the 2025 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame – where they join The White Stripes, Cyndi Lauper, OutKast, Bad Company, Thom Bell, Chubby Checker, Joe Cocker, Nicky Hopkins, Carol Kaye, Salt-N-Pepa, Lenny Waronker and Warren Zevon in the Class Of ‘25.
Elsewhere in the Guardian interview, the band’s frontman Ozzy Osbourne addressed health issues shed light on the structure of the “final show”, and reiterated that it will not include any full sets with Sabbath or his solo band – revealing that he’s looking to “do the best I can” but that he “may be sitting down”.
“We’re only playing a couple of songs each. I don’t want people thinking, ‘We’re getting ripped off,’ because it’s just going to be a sample,” he said. “You’re going to get a few songs each by Ozzy and Sabbath.”
He also went on to explain why it will mark his final time playing live, sharing that the decision was made due to his health. “I’d love to say ‘never say never’, but after the last six years or so … it is time,” he said. “I lived on the road for 50-odd years, and I’ve kind of got used to not picking up my bags and getting on the bus again.”
“I don’t smoke dope or do any of the rock star lifestyle any more. I’m kind of like a homebody. I never go out. I never hang out in bars – I don’t drink. So what the fuck is out there for me?” he added. “It’s time for me to spend some time with my grandkids, I don’t want to die in a hotel room somewhere. I want to spend the rest of my life with my family.”
The update about the show comes following Sammy Hagar – who is also on the bill – revealing that Osbourne was hoping to sing five songs in total, including his 1991 solo track ‘No More Tears’.
In the run up to the gig, Osbourne has revealed that he is “in heavy training” for the gig, and Tool’s Maynard James Keenan has shared it may take “modern miracles” to get the frontman on stage once again.
Other speculation about Ozzy’s appearance at the event include claims from his longtime collaborator and guitarist, Zakk Wylde, who said that the Prince Of Darkness may perform from a “throne that flies over the stadium”.
Speaking to NME with Tony Iommi at Villa Park in February, Sharon said her husband was doing “really great” at the time and feeling “very emotional” about the last Sabbath set. “He wants to say thank you to everybody,” she said. “He didn’t have that chance because of his illness, but now he does have the chance.”
Speaking further about Ozzy’s health, she added: “He’s got Parkinson’s, which we all know, but he’s great and it doesn’t affect his voice.”
Iommi then told NME that the Sabbath show would “do him good”, explaining: “That’s what it’s all about: he wants to get out and do something.” The details about the singer’s wellbeing come after Osbourne admitted that he now “can’t walk” as a result of Parkinson’s.
In other Black Sabbath news, the final show will be hosted by Aquaman actor Jason Momoa – who recently told NME that it was going to be “the greatest show in the world”.
Elsewhere, Halestorm‘s Lzzy Hale reflected on the “honour” of being the only woman performing at the show, and Tom Morello teased “some huge superstars who are gonna be surprises” on the day.
