It’s always bittersweet to see legendary entertainers retire, and Ozzy Osbourne is no exception. On July 5th, the “Back to the Beginning” concert featured final performances from Ozzy and legendary rock band Black Sabbath, alongside other non-retiring acts. Musical director and Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello confirmed the concert raised $190 million for several charities.
All proceeds from the event will be divided between Cure Parkinson’s (a disease that Ozzy suffers from), Birmingham Children’s Hospital, and Acorn Children’s Hospice. None of the bands that performed, including Metallica, Tool, and Slayer, took a fee to allow as much money as possible to go to charity. “More than $190 million will be donated to houses and hospitals for children,” Morello posted.
The “Back to the Beginning” concert drew in more than 5 million people for the livestream alone. While a breakdown of the proceeds is not public at this time, virtual tickets went for $30 a piece. So that would account for at least $150 million of the total, leaving about $40 million from in-person attendees. Keep in mind that there are still unknown overhead and operational costs being subtracted from the total take. Despite the bands not taking any fees, hosting events of this magnitude is far from free.
As much as we’ll miss seeing Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne perform, they at least went out trying to help as many people as possible. We wish all of them all the best of luck in their off-stage endeavors. You can read more of Morello’s reflections about the “Back to the Beginning” concert in his Instagram post below:
