Well....
Where to start? We headed up to Villa Park on Saturday morning for a once-in-a-lifetime show. Invited as guests, we weren't sure what to expect all we knew was that we had seats not too far from the stage.
We arrived in Aston around 3 in the afternoon, just in time to see Supergroup A and Alice in Chains. We had a couple of great seats for the day ahead and settled in. It was brilliant to see so many friends everyone had come to celebrate the final send-off for the band that started it all for metal music.
There was so much love in the air throughout the day. Despite there being 50,000 people in the stands and on the pitch, it felt like an intimate show. Everyone there knew how lucky they were. As the running schedule made clear, we were all there for one reason: to celebrate the life and work of Black Sabbath.
Some of the musicians in the supergroups included Nuno Bettencourt (Extreme), Vernon Reid (Living Colour), Tom Morello (RATM), Chad Smith, Travis Barker, Ronnie Wood, Steven Tyler and many more. The event was compered by Jason Momoa, who threw himself into the job. After introducing Pantera, he even jumped into the mosh pit to enjoy his favourite band. Rex sounded huge, and the band were in great form.
Next up: Tool.
Even though they don’t play Ashdown, we’ve always admired Justin Chancellor’s unique style and tone. They smashed through a tight set and covered Hand of Doom our favourite Sabbath song. The groove of Geezer and Bill, reimagined by Justin and the incredible Danny Carey, was something special to witness.
Then came Slayer, who tore through their set and got the crowd fired up. Guns N' Roses followed with a timely entrance, delivering a great mix of Sabbath covers and classics like Welcome to the Jungle and Paradise City.
Metallica hit next, opening with Hole in the Sky as a tribute to Sabbath, followed by five more bangers, including Master of Puppets, Battery, and another Sabbath cover. They looked like they were having the time of their lives it was a brilliant send-off.
Ozzy and his solo band took the stage next and played five classic tracks: Crazy Train, Mr. Crowley, I Don’t Know, Suicide Solution, and Mama, I’m Coming Home. It was clear he was emotional. You could see in his eyes the desire to run around like it was 1987. There were definitely some lumps in throats at this point. The end was near.
Now for the main event…
Everyone had been waiting for this moment. A montage of old footage played newspaper clippings, band history, and road stories. Then came the bells, the rain, and the sirens: the unmistakable intro to War Pigs. The stage revolved to reveal the mighty Black Sabbath Geezer, Tony, Bill, and Ozzy together again. The first cymbals hit, and Geezer and Tony’s deafening notes rang out across the stadium. Backed by his custom Ashdown rig, Geezer owned the stage, as expected from the Lord of Low End.
With Ozzy declaring, “We are Black Sabbath”. After War Pigs they launched into N.I.B.. Geezer, armed with simply a Lakland bass, a Dunlop Cry Baby wah, and his Ashdown-powered wall of thunder what can we say? Oh my… This might be the proudest moment of our lives. The sound, the power, the clarity every bit of detail. Geezer’s tone and style cut through like nothing we’ve heard before. And we’ve seen them live many times. The atmosphere was electric. We were all in it.
Then came Iron Man. The band delivered with power and grace, tearing through the epic classic like it was both the first and last time. Finally, Paranoid, followed by a huge fireworks display.
That was it. The last time we’ll ever hear those songs played live and loud by the band themselves.
Thank you. That’s all we can say. Thank you for everything.
A special side note:
Massive thanks to Gloria Butler, Terry Welty, Debs, and everyone who made the day what it was. And of course, to the legend himself, Geezer Butler, who took the time to stop for a quick photo and chat on his way to the stage. Honestly, one of the proudest days of our lives. Someone commented that it wasn’t Live 8 its was “LOUD AID!” indeed. Long live Black Sabbath. Never Say Die. You will live on in your music and in the lives you've changed.
Final story to share because it hit us hard:
At the pub the next day, wearing the event T-shirt, a guy stopped us to ask about the show. He told us he grew up in the Soviet Union in the late ’70s. His dad had an 8-track of Sabbath, hidden away. He used to sneak into the basement and listen to it on headphones. If anyone had found out, it would’ve meant four years in Soviet jail.
The power of four working-class lads from Aston…
Anything is possible.
Once again, thank you.
A full Set list from the day:
Mastodon
1. Black Tongue
2. Blood and Thunder
3. Supernaut (with Mario Duplantier, Danny Carey and Eloy Casagrande)
Rival Sons
4. Do Your Worst
5. Electric Funeral
6. Secret
Anthrax
7. Indians
8. Into the Void
Halestorm
9. Love Bites (So Do I)
10. Rain Your Blood on Me
11. Perry Mason
Lamb of God
12. Laid to Rest
13. Redneck
14. Children of the Grave
Supergroup A
15. The Ultimate Sin (with Lzzy Hale, Nuno Bettencourt, Jake E Lee, David Ellefson, Mike Bordin and Adam Wakeman)
16. Shot in the Dark (with David Draiman, Jake E Lee, David Ellefson, Mike Bordin and Adam Wakeman)
17. Sweet Leaf (with David Draiman, Nuno Bettencourt, Scott Ian, David Ellefson, Mike Bordin and Adam Wakeman)
18. Believer (with Whitfield Crane, Nuno Bettencourt, Scott Ian, Frank Bello, II [Sleep Token] and Adam Wakeman)
19. Changes (with Yungblud, Nuno Bettencourt, Frank Bello, II and Adam Wakeman)
20. Mr. Crowley (with Jack Black, plus Revel Ian, Roman Morello and other young musicians on screen)
Alice In Chains
21. Man in the Box
22. Would?
23. Fairies Wear Boots
Gojira
24. Stranded
25. Silvera
26. Mea culpa (Ah! Ça ira!) (with Marina Viotti)
27. Under the Sun
Drum Off
28. Symptom Of The Universe (with Chad Smith, Travis Barker and Danny Carey, plus Tom Morello, Nuno Bettencourt and Rudy Sarzo)
Supergroup B
29. Breaking the Law (with Billy Corgan, Tom Morello, K.K. Downing, Adam Jones, Rudy Sarzo and Danny Carey)
30. Snowblind (with Billy Corgan, Tom Morello, K.K. Downing, Adam Jones, Rudy Sarzo and Danny Carey)
31. Flying High Again (with Sammy Hagar, Nuno Bettencourt, Adam Wakeman, Rudy Sarzo, Chad Smith and Vernon Reid)
32. Rock Candy (with Sammy Hagar, Nuno Bettencourt, Adam Wakeman, Rudy Sarzo, Chad Smith and Tom Morello)
33. Bark at the Moon (with Papa V Perpetua, Vernon Reid, Nuno Bettencourt, Adam Wakeman, Rudy Sarzo and Travis Barker)
34. The Train Kept A-Rollin' (with Steven Tyler, Ron Wood, Nuno Bettencourt, Tom Morello, Andrew Watt, Rudy Sarzo and Travis Barker)
35. Walk This Way / Whole Lotta Love (with Steven Tyler, Nuno Bettencourt, Tom Morello, Andrew Watt, Rudy Sarzo and Chad Smith)
Pantera
36. Cowboys From Hell
37. Walk
38. Planet Caravan
39. Electric Funeral
Tool
40. Forty Six & 2
41. Hand of Doom
42. Ænema
Slayer
43. Disciple
44. War Ensemble
45. Wicked World
46. South of Heaven
47. Raining Blood
48. Angel of Death
Guns N' Roses
49. Never Say Die
50. Junior's Eyes
51. Sabbath Bloody Sabbath
52. Welcome to the Jungle
53. Paradise City
Metallica
54. Hole in the Sky
55. Creeping Death
56. For Whom the Bell Tolls
57. Johnny Blade
58. Battery
59. Master of Puppets
Ozzy Osbourne
60. I Don't Know
61. Mr. Crowley
62. Suicide Solution
63. Mama, I'm Coming Home
64. Crazy Train
Black Sabbath
65. War Pigs
66. N.I.B.
67. Iron Man
68. Paranoid