Black Sabbath enthusiasts are fuming after struggling to snap up tickets for the band’s final performance in Birmingham this summer.
Rock legend Ozzy Osbourne, 76, is set to reunite with his Black Sabbath mates for one last time to play a charity concert in Birmingham on 5 July.
The heavy metal icons will top the bill at a one-off festival at Villa Park, which will also feature an array of bands they’ve influenced, such as Metallica, Pantera, Slayer, Gojira, and Anthrax. Controversy has already sparked over ticket prices, soaring to a staggering £795 each.
Ticket packages range from £495 to £795, with proceeds being divided among three charities: Birmingham Children’s Hospital, Acorn Children’s Hospice, and Cure Parkinson’s – a cause dear to Ozzy, who has battled Parkinson’s since 2020.
As tickets went on sale Friday morning, die-hard fans were left both enraged and heartbroken when they sold out within just sixteen minutes on Ticketmaster, reports the Mirror.
Disgruntled music lovers took to social media to express their frustration, with one fan lamenting: “But if black sabbath tickets are fully sold out, why am I still 12,000 in the queue?! They shouldn’t let us still queue! I’ve also been here since 9:45am, it’s so annoying! It shouldn’t take this long.”
“I’ve been a fan of this band for decades and have been trying all week to get presale tickets and now they’re sold out in like 15 minutes? Absolute joke. How have they got so many fans all of a sudden? Fake fans that’s what,” one disgruntled fan vented.
Another echoed: “Was 800 in the Queue For Black Sabbath Final Show, and when I got in it wouldn’t let me pick any seats, what a f***ing joke I hate Ticketmaster, they weren’t sold out by that point, if you’re reselling overpriced tickets, then f**k you.”
“More than 2 hours for black sabbath pre-sales and realise that it’s already sold out, f**k sake what kind of joke is this? ? OMG,” another music lover raged, before someone else added: “I give up. All those tickets sold out in less than 16 minutes. What a joke.”
As presale tickets finally went on sale on Tuesday morning, hundreds of fans were left disappointed after endless ticket queues and soaring prices left them empty-handed.
The prices started at £197.50 and went all the way up to £834. One music fan gasped: “Tickets are £197 – £834 for the black sabbath show? ? ? what that f***.”
Someone else raged: “Ticketmaster are the worst. Why do they have monopoly on tickets still? ? ? Almost got to the front of the queue for Black Sabbath tickets and been stuck on this number for 10 mins now. Closing and refreshing does nothing.”
The highly anticipated concert will see Black Sabbath’s original members – Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward – reunite on stage for the first time in over two decades. Despite his battle with Parkinson’s disease forcing him to stop touring, Ozzy is set to perform a brief solo act before joining his former bandmates for the historic event.
“It’s my time to go Back to the Beginning….time for me to give back to the place where I was born,” said Ozzy Osbourne. “How blessed am I to do it with the help of people whom I love. Birmingham is the true home of metal. Birmingham Forever.”
His return to the spotlight was revealed at Villa Park by his wife Sharon and Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi.
Speaking to BBC News, Sharon expressed her husband’s enthusiasm: “He’s doing great. He’s doing really great. He’s so excited about this, about being with the guys again and all his friends. It’s exciting for everyone. Ozzy didn’t have a chance to say goodbye to his friends, to his fans, and he feels there’s been no full stop. This is his full stop.”
Sharon also shared further details about the forthcoming gig, saying: “It’s an endless amount of people. They’re going to be doing some Sabbath songs, some Ozzy songs, and they’ll all mix together. Different little groups will be coming on, but they’re all icons.”