Metal fans around the world tuned in to watch Back to the Beginning live from Birmingham, England. The all-day streaming event featured some of the biggest names in metal paying tribute to Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath. The historic event ended with Osbourne’s final solo performance and the final outing of Sabbath’s original lineup. It was the end of an era. For many, watching their musical heroes take their final bow was a deeply emotional moment. However, those who watched the streaming event didn’t see how it truly ended.
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In the final moments of the Back to the Beginning stream, Black Sabbath finishes their set and takes their final bow as fireworks light up the Birmingham sky. Then, Geezer Butler, Tony Iommi, and Bill Ward walk off the stage, leaving Osbourne, fittingly seated on a throne, alone onstage. That’s how the stream ends. However, that’s not how the event ended.
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Many have taken to the internet to criticize the other members of Black Sabbath for leaving Osbourne alone on the stage, calling them cold or callous. Earlier today (July 7), Butler took to social media to set the record straight.
The Moment Between Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath That Fans Didn’t See
This morning, Geezer Butler took to Twitter to set the record straight about the end of Back to the Beginning. “I heard that the live stream was cut short and didn’t show us congratulating Ozzy at the end of our set,” he wrote. “This was from a fan,” he added.
Butler shared a post from a fan that showed him standing beside Ozzy Osbourne’s throne smiling as the Prince of Darkness holds a cake with his face on it. “I saw a fan-filmed video that showed Tony and Geezer coming up to Ozzy at the end and shake his hand. They then walked off stage, and Geezer returned with a cake for him,” the shared post read. “They were giving Ozzy that final moment to take in the crowd one last time.”
Featured Image by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
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