Two Huge Artists Added to Ozzy + Black Sabbath's Farewell Concert

Two more big name artists have been added to Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath's Back to the Beginning farewell concert and the moment will provide added significance for both beyond the salute to the metal legends.

Aerosmith's Steven Tyler and the living members of Soundgarden have been added to the lineup for the July 5 performance at Villa Park in Birmingham, England.

For both acts, it will be a rare opportunity to see them onstage again. Aerosmith's Steven Tyler was forced off the road with his band on their farewell tour in 2023 after suffering a vocal cord injury. That led to a postponement of dates and the eventual decision to call off the remainder of their touring as the band announced their retirement from the road.

Tyler has made rare live appearances since then. He hopped onstage with The Black Crowes at a May 2024 concert performing "Mama Kin" in his first appearance since the surgery. Then in February of this year he sang on six songs at his Janie's Fund Grammy After Party.

Soundgarden, likewise, have not spent much time onstage together in recent years. The band reunited after the 2017 death of Chris Cornell at the 2019 I Am the Highway tribute show. The band members also took the stage at another tribute show in 2022, playing a pair of songs at the Taylor Hawkins Tribute in Los Angeles.

Then back in December of 2024 they played at the SMooCH benefit show in Seattle with guest vocalist Shaina Shepherd.

Who Else Is Part of the Ozzy-Black Sabbath Back to the Beginning Concert?

Rage Against the Machine's Tom Morello is serving as the Musical Director for the event, and he's helped put together a lineup that includes Metallica, Guns N' Roses, Slayer, Tool, Pantera, Gojira, Halestorm, Alice in Chains, Lamb of God, Anthrax, Mastodon and Rival Sons playing sets while also honoring Ozzy and Sabbath during the day-long concert event.

In addition, there will be special performances uniting Billy Corgan, David Draiman, Duff McKagan, Fred Durst, Lzzy Hale, Jake E. Lee, Jonathan Davis, K.K. Downing, Mike Bordin, Papa V Perpetua, Rudy Sarzo, Sammy Hagar, Slash, Sleep Token II, Morello, Andrew Watt, Chad Smith, David Ellefson, Wolfgang Van Halen and Jason Momoa taking place throughout the day. And now you can add Steven Tyler and Soundgarden's members to the bill as well.

Sharon Osbourne confirmed the two latest additions while speaking with The Guardian, while Morello added, “There’s some pretty great surprises that are not posted anywhere.”

Ozzy Osbourne Set the Stage For Back to the Beginning Show

In May 2024, Ozzy Osbourne seemingly set the stage for what fans will be seeing this summer. He was asked by Billy Morrison on the Madhouse Chronicles podcast if he was satisfied with the arc of Black Sabbath's career.

Osbourne answered definitively, "No." He then added, "Because it wasn't Black Sabbath that finished it. It's unfinished."

"If I wanted to do one more gig with Bill [Ward], I'd jump at the chance," said the singer, referring to drummer Bill Ward's absence from their farewell tour over a contractual dispute. He then suggested the idea of getting the core four back for one more show and expressed his regret that Ward wasn't part of the final run.

From there, Geezer Butler then shared a similar sentiment about Black Sabbath's final touring run and then in February of this year the Back to the Beginning concert was announced.