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It ends as it began: the sounds of rain and tolling bells, four boys from Birmingham together to make history. Back To The Beginning isn't just the farewell performance of the original members of Black Sabbath, it's also amongst the biggest and most important metal gigs of all time.
Even before kick-off, the streets of Aston are abuzz. Fans congregate in just about every direction, some heading off to see Ozzy's first home while others join huge queues for exclusive event merch. The sounds of Blue Oyster Cult's Don't Fear The Reaper signal an unofficial start, Slipknot's Sid Wilson DJ'ing in an Aston Villa jersey between sets.
The actual start comes from a now Brent Hinds-less Mastodon. Kicking off with Black Tongue, new guitarist Nick Johnston seamlessly fits into the unit and they sound colossal as they launch into Blood And Thunder, feeling as ferocious as ever, before teeing up the first Sabbath cover of the day in Supernaut, drummer Brann Dailor going full Phil Collins as he belts out the verses while clattering the kit, only to be joined by Gojira's Mario Duplantier, Tool's Danny Carey and Slipknot's Eloy Casagrande.
It's a steady trickle of bodies for the first few bands, but the atmosphere is electric. Giant Villa/Sabbath beach balls fly around the crowd as Rival Sons sail out with some classic rock - and a mean but thoroughly faithful take on Electric Funeral - before Anthrax up the pace again in a short but oh-so-sweet set, Joey Belladonna leading big "whoah-ohs" on Indians before the thrashers offer a spiky rendition of Into The Void.
Halestorm break the Sabbath run by opting for a magnificent rendition of Ozzy's Perry Mason. It's already been a solid start to the day, but they feel a cut above, Lzzy exuding pure star charisma and power as her voice towers on Love Bites (So Do I) and Rain Your Blood On Me.
Lamb Of God are ferocious, seeming especially furious as they kick off pits to Laid To Rest, chased with anthem Redneck and a storming Children Of The Grave that sees Blythe chuck his shoes out into the crowd. It's a masterclass in pure, unbridled aggression and quite possibly takes the crown for best heavy performance of the day.
Changeovers are short, but not uneventful. Videos from well-wishers including Dolly Parton, Jonathan Davis, Ricky Gervais and Elton John pay tribute to Ozzy and Sabbath's influence, while compere Jason Momoa introduces many of the acts. There's also comedy clips that were once used as intro videos for Ozzy gigs; Ozzy spraying a super-soaker during the famous "Ezekiel 25:17" scene of Pulp Fiction, Ozzy replacing Haley Joel Osment in The Sixth Sense...you get the picture. For all of Ozzy and Sabbath's status as supreme influences on metal, they've never been above poking fun at themselves, adding to the joy around the stadium.
It's not all joyous, however. The inclusion of Marilyn Manson among the well-wishers elicits boos from the crowd following well-publicised accusations against the singer. The boos return and even intensify when Disturbed's David Draiman joins the first supergroup of the day, presumably responding to controversy around the singer signing artillery while on a visit with the IDF in Israel last year.
They are thankfully blips in an otherwise triumphant event, however. The first supergroup performance brings together Lzzy Hale, Extreme guitarist Nuno Bettencourt, sometime Sabbath keyboardist Adam Wakeman and former Megadeth bassist David Ellefson alongside sometime Ozzy Osbourne band members Jake E. Lee and Mike Bordin; Bettencourt's tribute to footballer Diogo Jota, who was killed in a ar crash earlier in the week, gets an emotional response before the band have even played a note.
This all-star cast lead a glorious rendition of The Ultimate Sin, before Draiman replaces Hale on Shot In The Dark and Sweet Leaf, Anthrax's Scott Ian replacing Lee on the latter. For all the vocal disapporval Draiman receives, he seems to win over the crowd with his renditions and by the time he leaves, making room for Ugly Kid Joe's Whitfield Crane, Frank Bello and Sleep Token drummer II (in full costume, naturally), there's more love in the air as the band thump out Believer.
Of these supergroup performances, one shines brightest. Yungblud might be a surprising addition amidst the heavyweights of rock and metal, but his colossal take on Sabbath ballad Changes sets Villa Park alight, the crowd joining in for the first truly epic sing-along of the day.
A video of Jack Black covering Mr. Crowley follows, and when sets resume, it feels like we're into the big leagues. As Alice In Chains kick off with Man In The Box, you can feel the spectre of Iommi and Butler in the interplay between Jerry Cantrell and Mike Inez, only getting more Sabbathian on Would? and a cover of Fairies Wear Boots; their set feels like a triumph.
Gojira sound massive in Villa Park, trumping just about everyone who came before them in terms of sheer grandeur. Stranded and Silvera rage hard, but the choice to repeat the Olympics performance of Mea culpa (Ah! Ça ira!) with Swiss-French soprano Marina Viotti astounds even without jets of flame and severed heads, managing to even outshine their stomping take on Under The Sun.
More supergroup performances follow. Tom Morello has served as the whole event's musical director, and steps on stage to cheers to introduce a "drum-off" between Blink-182's Travis Barker, Red Hot Chilli Peppers' Chad Smith and Tool's Danny Carey, with bonus appearances from Nuno Betterncourt, sometime Ozzy bassist Rudy Sarzo and Morello himself on a clattering instrumental rendition of Symptom Of The Univers. It's a nice twist.
Sarzo, Morello and Carey are then joined by Billy Corgan, Tool's Adam Jones and former Judas Priest guitarist K.K. Downing. The crowd response is rapturous; Priest were clear about how gutted they were not to be here celebrating in their hometown, so crushing takes on Breaking The Law and Sabbath's Snowblind makes it feel like they're here in spirit, if not in flesh.
Sammy Hagar offers a solid take on Flying High Again with Nuno Bettencourt, Adam Wakeman, Rudy Sarzo, Chad Smith and Vernon Reid, but Rock Candy seems to fall flat, but things soon pick up: much like Sleep Token's II earlier in the day, Ghost's Papa V Perpetua is in full regalia for his take on Bark At The Moon, only helping to add to the inherent theatricality of that song in a delightful way.
But then Steven Tyler steps up with Ronnie Wood, Nuno Bettencourt, Tom Morello, Andrew Watt, Rudy Sarzo and Travis Barker, and the place erupts, Tyler's take on The Train Kept A-Rollin' nothing short of magic. Leaning hard on the mic like he's trying to fuse with it, he introduces a stompy Walk This Way before adding one last dash of love for Birmingham and the wider Midlands area by ripping out a stunning take on Led Zeppelin's Whole Lotta Love.
The controversy around the Pantera 'reunion' has long since died down and Phil Anselmo receives no obvious jeers as he takes to the stage and pays tribute to the Abbott Brothers. Instead, fans clearly revel the opportunity to belt out Walk after intro Cowboys From Hell, while Jason Momoa sheds his jacket after introducing the band and jumps down into the crowd to find a moshpit.
You never know what you're going to get with Tool, but sticking to the old school in the choices of their own songs - Forty Six & 2 and Ænema - they sound tremendously bizarre and all-conquering in Villa Park. Their take on Hand Of Doom might be the best cover of the day, too, the band subsuming Sabbath's original composition into their own weird world of prog metal jams and punk attitude.
Tool's meditative riffs are a contrast of extremes when stacked alongside Slayer. The thrash metal legends have already made a fantastic return to UK stages just a couple of days earlier, but there's still a renewed intensity and vigor to their performance as they slot a thrashy Wicked World cover amidst the likes of Disciple, War Ensemble, Raining Blood and Angel Of Death, inciting multiple massive pits.
Footage of Guns N' Roses in more recent times has definitely dulled some of the excitement around their reunion. Axl tickles the ivories for It's Alright before abandoning it partway through to pull out Sabbath's Never Say Die and Junior's Eyes. It says a lot about the lack of ego in this gig that they're going for such deep cuts, but isn't the most thrilling start. Sabbath Bloody Sabbath is at least familiar enough to get some sing-alongs going, but Axl's falsetto has definitely seen better days even when he perks things up with a roar of "DO YOU KNOW WHERE YOU ARE" to introduce Welcome To The Jungle and Paradise City.
Metallica could have filled this stadium on their own, but their appearance on this bill is testament to Sabbath's influence. "Without Black Sabbath, there would be no Metallica," James Hetfield insists after an absolutely ripping Hole In The Sky. From there, they're staying old school; Creeping Death and For Whom The Bell Tolls are still two of metal's most thrilling metal anthems, while their own take on deep cut Johnny Blade feels in keeping with a band who can do whatever the fuck they like. Closing on Battery and Master Of Puppets, Metallica could otherwise have ruled the day.
"Six fucking years I've been laid up!" He might be confined to an ornate throne, but there isn't a soul in Villa Park who isn't ecstatic at the live return of Ozzy Osbourne. The singer's battle with health issues has been well-documented and just about every statement he's made over the past few years has spoken about just how much it means to him to be on-stage, but it's not until he's actually there, thanking fans and getting tearful ("you've got no fucking idea what this means to me") that it sinks in just how emotionally resonant this is.
As Zakk Wylde strikes up the chugging riff of I Don't Know, it all comes together like magic. Sure, Ozzy isn't pacing around like a barely constrained animal, but he's hardly expressionless either. Gurning, grinning and lifting himself up on the seat, he's arguably never looked more like metal's most beloved madman.
The chants of "Ozzy!" are thunderous, but die off whenever the singer speaks. He's not always the clearest, but the meaning is understood: thank you, god bless you, I'm so fucking happy. Continuing on, the band rip out Mr. Crowley and Suicide Solution with a 40,000 backing choir, and the set hits its emotional peak with 1991 ballad Mama I'm Coming Home. One punter next to us sums up the mood: "I think it's broken my eyes."
There's no time to get too weepy yet, though, as there's another set to come - but not before Ozzy picks the crowd back up with a farewell rendition of Crazy Train.
It's been 20 years since the original Black Sabbath played together, and in many ways their appearance in Aston, just a short walk from their childhood homes, feels like the balance has been redressed since Ward was left off the band's last reunion.
It's an unbelievable way to go out. The opening notes of Black Sabbath announce their arrival to the stage, but the band quickly change track to the colossal War Pigs.
It's a fitting way to reintroduce Bill Ward, whose drumming has always been wholly unique even in the genre he helped invent. Granted, the faster, more skittering jazz approach he had in his younger years isn't apparent - this is a slower, more precise take on it all - but it hardly matters. It's pure ecstasy.
Next up, it's Geezer Butler's time to shine. The lurching bass of N.I.B. still feels infernally magic even after 55 years, the Satanic menace lurking beneath the surface in heavy metal helping extricate it completely from the heartbreak-blues rock and good-times grooves of 70s rock.
Tony Iommi's riffs never struggle for the spotlight in Sabbath, but the trudging, leaden stomp of Iron Man feels like the ultimate payoff for his damaged digits; even Ozzy's maniacal face-pulling can't detract from its sheer malevolence.
Which leaves us with the final song, the last triumph. Paranoid was the first UK metal album to go to number 1, so it's fitting that the title-track is the last the members of Black Sabbath will ever share on-stage. Ozzy has to contend with a euphoric crowd for sheer volume and force. His insistence that everybody "Go fucking crazy, this is the last one!" is very much heeded and as fireworks light the sky over Aston, heavy metal's original heroes bow out. Their story has been one of triumph - over poverty, over illness, over the world. But back home in Birmingham, they return - and depart - as conquering champions.
To see the full list of songs and performers, check out our extensive run-through.
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