Recommendations of the Editorial team
At the historic “Back to the Beginning” concert in Birmingham, English on Saturday evening (July 5), Metallica had the honor of stepping on stage right in front of the final appearances of Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath. They used their 30-minute slot for a huge homage to the Godfather of Metal.
James Hetfield and Co. opened their set with a massive version of “Hole in the Sky”, a deep cut from the Sabbath discussion. This was followed by metallica classics such as “Creeping Death” and “For Whom the Bell Tolls” before the band reached into the Sabbath box again and surprised with “Johnny Blade”. The song comes from the often overlooked 1978 album “Never Say Die!”.
Then “Battery” and “Master of Puppets” brought the audience to their personal limits. James Hetfield left a greeting to the hosts: “Thank you for giving us a meaning in life. Thank you very much, Black Sabbath.”
The big farewell to Black Sabbath
Metallica performed as part of a great line-up that already included performance by Guns N ‘Roses, Slayer, Tool, Pantera, Gojira and others. In addition, several all-star superjams with members of Rage Against the Machine, The Smashing Pumpkins, Ghost, Aerosmith and other acts were amazed.
Before the concert, Lars Ulrich and Robert Trujillo talked about the importance of the evening: “Black Sabbath are the reason why we exist at all,” said Ulrich. “It is an honor to be part of it here – from start to finish.”
In the run -up to the day -filling show, Black Sabbath had been honored with the highest award in her hometown, the “Freedom of the City of Birmingham”. In a private ceremony on June 28, the Lord Mayor von Birmingham gave the four musicians Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward her honor roles and medals. The special moment was an appreciation of her legacy as the founder of the heavy metal and its contribution to the identity of the workers’ city of Birmingham.