During the lead up to Back To The Beginning, it was looking like the organisation of the event was going to be pretty hectic. According to Zakk Wylde, that was certainly the case on the big day, as he likens the experience to “juggling chainsaws”.

Of course the madness all turned out to be worth it, with the event drawing in millions in ticket sales that will go on to support Ozzy Osbourne’s chosen charities. The final gig also brought a beautiful close to the Black Sabbath story, with Osbourne sadly passing away just a matter of weeks after.

Back in early July before the event took place in Birmingham, England on the 5th, Wylde shared that plans for the event were still up in the air: “Nobody knows what’s going on”, he said, and likened it to “Ozzfest on steroids”. Even now, he tells Guitar World (in its print magazine) just how chaotic it continued to be on the day itself.

“I was just more worried about making sure Oz was okay for the whole performance, you know? So, with Mama, I’m Coming Home, when we got the acoustic out, I had to be like, ‘Keep the guitar away from the microphone so I can sing,’ because Oz’s voice was having trouble at certain notes.

“I was just like, ‘I need to make sure I’m always there so I can double him,’ and I was three feet away from the microphone when I started playing the song,” he continues. “I started, and I go, ‘Wait, hold on a second, I’m like three, four feet from the friggin’ microphone.’ [Laughs] I was like, ‘I gotta gear near the microphone,’ so I had to almost stop playing, lift the guitar up and put it over the mic.”

Wylde concludes, “It was like juggling balls or chainsaws while being on a skateboard. It was actually pretty funny, but it was business as usual. But yeah… It’s supposed to be the most important show ever, and everything’s on the fly.”

Though the total amount of money Back To The Beginning has made has been disputed, namely by Sharon Osbourne herself, a group of economists at the University of Birmingham have suggested that they have a better estimate of the actual numbers from ticket sales.

According to Dr. Matt Lyons of the University of Birmingham, tickets for the monumental Villa Park show brought in a total of £33.8 million. The money raised is going to Cure Parkinson’s, the Birmingham Children’s Hospital, and Acorns Children’s Hospice.

Rachel Roberts

Rachel began writing for Guitar.com in 2021 while finishing up her degree. A proud DIY guitarist, she has been playing for over 10 years and has written for the likes of Kerrang!, The Forty-Five, and MusicTech. An enjoyer of all things heavy, you’ll find her at a festival or downtuning her guitars when away from her desk.