"We raised a ton of money for a great cause": Black Sabbath's Back To The Beginning show expected to raise millions for charity

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By ( Classic Rock, Metal Hammer, Louder ) published

Tom Morello suggests charity expectations as more than five million fans access pay-per-view livestream

An inflatable Ozzy Osbourne beach ball in Aston Villa colours bouncing over the crowd at Villa Park
(Image credit: Andy Buchanan/AFP via Getty Images)

Tom Morello, musical director of Black Sabbath's Back To The Beginning show, has suggested that he expects the show to raise more than $190 million for charity.

Morello has posted a series of photos shot at the event , including a grinning photo of Ozzy Osbourne overlaid with the line "More than 190 million will be donated to houses and hospitals for children."

However, Classic Rock understands that the widely-reported charity figures around Back To The Beginning are not a true reflection of the amount raised, and that Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne will announce the correct figures in due course.

"Thank you, Ozzy Osbourne, for trusting me to be the musical director of the Back To The Beginning show," says the Rage Against The Machine man. "It was over a year of hard work, but heavy metal was the music that made me love music, and it was a labour of love.

"We raised a ton of money for a great cause, and so many great musicians and bands fans all over the world paid tribute to the all time greats."

According to The Guardian, the pay-per-view livestream of the event reached more than five million fans, generating an estimated $150 million in revenue, income confirmed as being charity-bound when the livestream was announced in June.

In answer to a question on Facebook from a fan who asked if livestream revenue would be donated to charity – in addition to the proceeds from the live event itself – Osbourne's team responded, "100% of the proceeds from the livestream also go to Acorns Children's Hospice, Birmingham Children's Hospital and Cure Parkinson's as well."

All the artists participating in the Back To The Beginning event did so for no fee. Costs will be taken into account before the final amount raised for charity can be confirmed.

Recent updates

09.07.2025: This article was updated as Classic Rock now understands that Tom Morello's stated total of $190 million raised for charities is incorrect. The correct total will be confirmed by Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne in due course.

Fraser Lewry
Fraser Lewry
Online Editor, Classic Rock

Online Editor at Louder/Classic Rock magazine since 2014. 40 years in music industry, online for 27. Also bylines for: Metal Hammer, Prog Magazine, The Word Magazine, The Guardian, The New Statesman, Saga, Music365. Former Head of Music at Xfm Radio, A&R at Fiction Records, early blogger, ex-roadie, published author. Once appeared in a Cure video dressed as a cowboy, and thinks any situation can be improved by the introduction of cats. Favourite Serbian trumpeter: Dejan Petrović.

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