It is now unclear whether Black Sabbath‘s farewell concert broke a new record for money raised for charities, as was previously reported.
Initial Reports Said Back To The Beginning Broke a Record
An event dubbed Back to the Beginning in Birmingham, England, on July 5 was promoted as the last live performance of Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath. Osbourne died weeks later on July 22 at the age of 76.
The all-day event, which also included performances from big-name rock and metal acts like Metallica, Slayer and Guns N’ Roses, was also used as a vehicle to raise money for Cure Parkinson’s, Birmingham Children’s Hospital and Acorn Children’s Hospice.
Billboard reported on July 15 that Back to the Beginning brought in a whopping $190 million for the charities. The total placed the event as the highest-grossing charity concert of all time, surpassing events like 1985’s LiveAid and FireAid, which was held in January.
Now, it appears that may not be the case.
Sharon Osbourne’s Calls of “False Press”
A recently published interview with Sharon Osbourne has cast doubt on Billboard‘s report of a new record being set by Back to the Beginning.
Pollstar spoke with Sharon on July 17, just five days before Ozzy’s death. The outlet published the interview this week.
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“I’m really happy that we are talking, because one of the things that’s frightening me is all this false press about [how], we’ve made $140 million and all of this, and I’m like, ‘God, I wish we could have, for one gig.’ It’s just ridiculous, the different stories.”
The interviewer noted that Billboard‘s report had the total listed as $190 million, which Sharon later called “ridiculous.”
Where Did the Reported $190 Million Figure Come From?
Billboard and Loudwire were among the outlets that reported the $190 million total for Back to the Beginning, a figure that was previously listed in an Instagram post made by Tom Morello, who served as music curator for the event.
Consequence noted that Morello has since edited the post and removed any mention of the total.
Sharon told Pollstar during their July 17 interview that it would be at least six weeks before they would know the exact final number raised from the event, which she deemed a “huge success.”
“Oh my God! It’s the Children’s Hospital, a children’s hospice and Parkinson’s research,” Sharon said when asked about how the early reports may have affected the charities. “Everybody thinks that they’re going to cure everything with this much money, but it’s not the real world.”
For those who missed Back to the Beginning on July 5, a feature-length concert film covering the day is planned for release sometime in 2026.
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