Sammy Hagar is among the many rock superstars taking part in Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath’s farewell concert, “Back to the Beginning,” which takes place July 5 in Birmingham, U.K. The daylong event is expected to feature Osbourne giving his last-ever solo performance and also joining the other original members of Sabbath for a final set by the legendary heavy metal band.
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In addition, Hagar and dozens of other artists will perform in tribute to the Metal Madman and Black Sabbath. In a new interview with the Loudwire Nights podcast, the Red Rocker revealed that he will be singing one particular Osbourne song at the concert, and shared some other interesting details about the event.
Hagar told Loudwire Nights host Chuck Armstrong that he’s confirmed to sing the 1981 Ozzy solo gem “Flying High Again,” and he may also perform one or two other tunes.
Sammy explained that when he was first asked by Tom Morello, the concert’s music director, to participate in the show, he picked the 1991 Osbourne song “No More Tears,” and also offered to do a second tune.
[RELATED: Sammy Hagar Explains How Eddie Van Halen Wrote a Song With Him in a Dream]
Hagar said Morello initially told him it would be great for him to sing “No More Tears,” but that plan had to be changed for an important reason.
“[Tom] comes back and says, ‘Guess what? Ozzy’s gonna try and sing five songs and he wants to sing ‘No More Tears,’” Sammy shared. “I said, ‘Okay, “Flying High Again.”’ He goes, ‘You got it.’”
Hagar added that if Osbourne changes his mind about singing “No More Tears,” he’ll do that one as well.
Another Song Hagar Says He Might Sing at the Concert
Hagar also revealed that he was offered to sing one of his own songs during his set. Sammy told Loudwire Nights that he’s considering doing a tune by his early band Montrose.
“I thought I would sing ‘Rock Candy,’ because it’s from the same era as Black Sabbath,” the Red Rocker explained. “Montrose and Sabbath were from the same kind of era.”
More About Being Asked to Perform at the “Back to the Beginning” Show
Hagar said he felt flattered that he was among the earliest artists to be invited to perform at the “Back to the Beginning” Show” concert.
“When the word started leaking out—inside word—Tom Morello calls me and says, ‘Hey, man, would you be interested?’” he recalled. “I went, ‘Yes!’ He didn’t even have to say what. ‘Would you be interested?’ ‘Yes, Tom. I’m in, all in.’”
Hagar noted that he thinks the fact that he’d performed at the 2024 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame ceremony before Osbourne was inducted as a solo artist may have influenced the decision to invite him to take part in the farewell show.
“I’d just done the Hall of Fame for inducting Foreigner, and I sang some Foreigner songs,” Sammy pointed out. “And Ozzy, his induction followed my [performance at the Foreigner] induction. And they sat there and watched me do my thing, and I think I was just fresh on their mind. ’Cause other than that, I don’t sing like Ozzy. You know, I’m a different kind of singer.”
Hagar added that he’s been preparing for his “Back to the Beginning” set by studying Osbourne’s music.
“Everybody’s asking, ‘What do you listen to?’ I’m saying, ‘I’m listening to f—ing Ozzy until [July 5],’” Sammy noted. “I got to learn his phrasing. And his melodic structures are so unique. He’s such a unique singer.”
More About the “Back to the Beginning” Concert
As previously reported, the “Back to the Beginning” concert will feature Osbourne playing a short solo set before briefly joining his Black Sabbath bandmates for a special performance.
The show also will feature sets by Metallica, Guns N’ Roses, Slayer, Tool, Pantera, Alice in Chains, Halestorm, Rival Sons, Anthrax, Lamb of God, Mastodon, and Gojira.
In addition, the concert will include performances by many other guest singers and musicians. Among them are Morello, Hagar, The Smashing Pumpkins’ Billy Corgan, Disturbed’s David Draiman, Limp Bizkit’s Fred Durst, Korn’s Jonathan Davis, Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Chad Smith, Wolfgang Van Halen, Zakk Wylde, Rudy Sarzo, ex-Judas Priest guitarist KK Downing, Living Colour’s Vernon Reid, and Faith No More’s Mike Bordin.
The concert will be held at the Villa Park soccer stadium in Birmingham, England.
Hagar’s New Song Inspired by a Dream About Eddie Van Halen
During the podcast interview, Hagar also discussed his new song, “Encore, Thank You, Goodnight,” which was released Friday, April 25. As previously reported, Sammy was inspired to write the tune by a dream he had about his late former Van Halen bandmate, Eddie Van Halen.
The track is available via digital formats now. You can check out a lyric video for the tune at Hagar’s official YouTube channel. Sammy co-wrote “Encore, Thank You, Goodnight” with guitarist Joe Satriani. He recorded the song with Satriani and the other current members of his Best of All Worlds touring band—bassist Michael Anthony and drummer Kenny Aronoff. Keyboardist Eric Caudieux also is featured on the track.
Hagar’s Other 2025 Performance Plans
Hagar’s next scheduled performance will take place Sunday, April 27, at the Stagecoach Music Festival in Indio, California.
Sammy and his Best of All Worlds band then will launch a nine-date Las Vegas residency at the Dolby Live venue at the Park MGM. The engagement will run from April 30 through May 17.
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