“Some people were crying”: Metallica’s Robert Trujillo remembers watching Black Sabbath soundcheck at Back To The Beginning

Metallica’s Robert Trujillo has revealed what it was like watching Black Sabbath soundcheck for their final concert, Back To The Beginning.

Talking on a recent episode of Metallica’s official podcast The Metallica Report, the bassist says that he saw people weeping as three members of Sabbath – guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler and drummer Bill Ward – prepared for their swansong at Villa Park in their hometown of Birmingham on July 5.

He also compares watching Sabbath play to watching legendary boxer Muhammed Ali in the ring, calling both experiences “intense”.

“Even just hearing them warm up on their instruments, this is a whole another level,” says Trujillo (via Blabbermouth). “This is like [watching] Muhammad Ali shadow box or hit the speed bag – it’s that intense.”

He adds that he saw Iommi play “jazz chords” before breaking into the heavy metal riff for Sabbath’s 1973 song Into The Void.

“And it was really slow and super heavy, but they just went into it,” Trujillo continues. “And everybody that was watching – there was a few of us – just started headbanging, and we were all smiling. And some people were crying, some people were crying.

“It was so beautiful, and it was a powerful moment that anybody that witnessed it, that was something that they'll probably remember for the rest of their lives.”

Metallica were one of a number of veteran metal bands who played at Back To The Beginning. The all-day event also had sets from Guns N’ Roses, Tool, Gojira, Slayer, Anthrax, Mastodon and others, plus a number of star-studded ‘supergroups’.

Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne played the show both with his band and as a solo artist, marking the first time the singer had headlined a concert since December 2018. He had previously retired from touring in 2023, a result of the physical effects of his Parkinson’s disease and multiple spinal surgeries, and died following a heart attack just 17 days after Back To The Beginning on July 22, aged 76.

Trujillo joined Metallica in 2003, after serving as the bassist of Ozzy’s solo band from 1996 to 2003. He played on the singer’s 2001 album Down To Earth and re-recorded bass parts on the classic albums Blizzard Of Ozz (1980) and Diary Of A Madman (1981) for their 2002 reissues. He also performed on Ozzy’s final solo album, 2022’s Patient Number 9.

Metallica will return to Europe for a headline tour that kicks off in May 2026. Gojira, Knocked Loose, Pantera and Avatar will support them at the shows. Full dates and details are available below.

Metallica 2026 European tour dates:

May 09: Athens Olympic Stadium, Greece*
May 13: Bucharest Arena Națională, Romania
May 19: Chorzów Stadion Śląski, Poland
May 22: Frankfurt Deutsche Bank Park, Germany*
May 24: Frankfurt Deutsche Bank Park, Germany+
May 27: Zurich Stadion Letzigrund, Switzerland*
May 30: Berlin Olympiastadion, Germany*
Jun 03: Bologna Stadio Renato Dall’Ara, Italy*
Jun 11: Budapest Puskas Arena, Hungary+
Jun 13: Budapest Puskas Arena, Hungary*
Jun 19: Dublin Aviva Stadium, Ireland+
Jun 21: Dublin Aviva Stadium, Ireland*
Jun 25: Glasgow Hampden Park, UK*
Jun 28: Cardiff Principality Stadium, UK*
Jul 03: London Stadium, UK*
Jul 05: London Stadium, UK+

* Gojira and Knocked Loose support
+ Pantera and Avatar support