Judas Priest frontman Rob Halford recently shared his personal reflections on Ozzy Osbourne’s farewell performance. He expressed regret about not being able to attend the historic show in an interview with Q1043 New York.
Halford’s comments focused on Osbourne’s battle with Parkinson’s disease and the emotional impact of his final performance with Black Sabbath.
“We’re all sitting still thinking about that side of the way Ozzy left us. And I’ll just give you my personal point of view. He was such he was such a strong man in battling Parkinson’s like Glenn is doing right now still, but he just got to the point where I think he knew with the other things that were going on with his body that the clock was ticking,” Halford said.
The Judas Priest vocalist praised Sharon Osbourne’s efforts in organizing the farewell show. He expressed his wish to have been present for the historic moment.
“I know it took Sharon a year to put this whole thing (Back to the Beginning Show) together. Bless her. When all of these bands were piling in, my heart’s going, ‘God, I wish I could be there. I wish I could be there.’ But then of course we have the show, we’re watching him, we’re crying when he’s singing ‘Mama, I’m Coming Home,’ and he has all these great other Ozzy tracks,” he continued.
Halford particularly highlighted the significance of seeing Black Sabbath’s original lineup reunited for the performance.
“And then the big moment with Sabbath with the real, I’m not going to say the real band. That’s a cruel expression, but the band we love in that respect. Bill’s on the drums, Geezer is on the bass, Tony’s on the guitar, Ozzy’s on vocals, and there it was. You know, there was Sabbath. So all this joy and celebration and love and everything, you could see it in his face. He was lit up. I’ve never seen him so happy. So then how do you think he felt when he went home to Windsor the next day and got in his chair and just sat there? You know, it’s done,” Halford reflected.
The metal icon concluded with his thoughts on Osbourne’s decision to step away from performing. He related it to the progression of Parkinson’s disease.
“I think somehow your body says it’s time to let go. You know, it’s just time to you take a deep breath and you just let go. Parkinson’s is a really cruel, horrible disease. And he chips away at your life. It chips away at your life slowly and slowly. And maybe he thought, I’m not making that exit that way. I’m going my way, you know. And if he did that, God bless him even more,” he said.
Halford’s emotional response reflects the magnitude of what many consider one of the most significant farewell concerts in rock history. The “Back to the Beginning” show represented not just the end of Osbourne’s performing career. It also represented a massive charitable undertaking that would leave a lasting impact beyond the music world.
The farewell concert took place on July 5, 2025, at Villa Park in Birmingham. It drew an enormous audience both in person and online. Ara City Radio reported that the event was attended by 45,000 fans and livestreamed to 5.8 million people worldwide. The scale of the production matched the legendary status of the performer it was honoring.
The charitable aspect of the concert proved to be as remarkable as the musical performances themselves. WMMS noted that the event raised nearly $200 million for three charities: Cure Parkinson’s, Birmingham Children’s Hospital, and Acorns Children’s Hospice. This made it the highest-grossing charity concert ever recorded.
The 10-hour musical marathon featured an impressive lineup that demonstrated Osbourne’s influence across generations of metal artists. American Songwriter detailed that the epic show included performances from Metallica, Guns N’ Roses, Slayer, Pantera, and others. Tom Morello served as musical director for the historic event.
The reunion of Black Sabbath’s original members for this final performance carried special significance. It brought together Bill Ward, Geezer Butler, Tony Iommi, and Osbourne for what many fans knew would be their last opportunity to witness the legendary lineup that helped create heavy metal music.
