Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne’s farewell concert raises $190 million in
Ross Halfin
Not only did Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne put on one hell of a historic show for their final performance, they managed to pull off a humanitarian feat as well. The Back to the Beginning show raised nearly $200 million dollars in charity funds for three separate organizations, according to Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello, who also acted as music director for the all-day event.
Morello shared the good news on Instagram. “We set out to not just create the greatest day in the history of heavy metal,” Morello wrote in his caption. “We raised a ton of money for a great cause and so many great musicians and bands and fans all over the world paid tribute to the all time greats,” the musician added.
40,000 attendees descended upon Osbourne’s and Black Sabbath’s old stomping grounds with 5.8 million people streaming the concert online, as reported by The Guardian. With every member of the star-studded lineup playing the festival pro bono, all proceeds went to charity. BBC reported the organizations receiving the funds are Cure Parkinson’s, Birmingham Children’s Hospital, and Acorn Children’s Hospice. Both Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne have supported Birmingham Children’s Hospital in the past; while Cure Parkinson’s is a cause the pair hold close to their hearts after Ozzy’s 2019 year diagnosis.
While the charities have yet to receive a breakdown of numbers, each organization has been notified of their good fortune and already on their way to praising the Prince of Darkness. Sheeba Ali, a fundraising manager at Birmingham Children’s Hospital’s charity told BBC, “It was a brilliant surprise and we’re over the moon.”
From Rolling Stone US.
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