LAMB OF GOD frontman Randy Blythe has reflected on the legendary 'Back To The Beginning' concert, which took place in July 2025 at Villa Park in Birmingham, United Kingdom.
Headlined by Ozzy Osbourne, it marked the final live performance of his career and the first time the original BLACK SABBATH lineup had played together since 2005.
Given the magnitude of the moment and the significance of the occasion, Blythe admits that he was nervous before taking the stage at 'Back To The Beginning' or if experience allowed him to treat it like just another show.
"Dude, I was terrified," Randy admitted.
"But you know what?! Every single other band was.
From MASTODON, who opened the show, to METALLICA.
I know this for a fact, because I talked to everyone.
We were all, like, 'Holy shit! We are so nervous.'" Asked if this was one of those rare moments where nerves go beyond the usual pre-show adrenaline, something closer to genuine stage fright given the weight of the occasion, Blythe paused for a short moment before answering.
"Well, it wasn't 'stage fright' I was experiencing that day," he explained.
"The last time I actually experienced stage fright was years ago when we played Download festival in 2007, the first time we played the festival.
I walked out there and saw the size of the crowd and I was, like, 'Holy shit!', but after a while, I got into it and felt like I could run through a brick wall.
With 'Back To The Beginning', it wasn't stage fright, as I said, but I was extremely nervous." Blythe continued: "We all knew this was going to be Ozzy's last show.
It's not gonna be like KISS where it's, like, 'One more final run'.
Hell, KISS will probably be touring when I'm dead and gone.
But with this show, we all knew that this was the final one for Ozzy because of his health.
So, nobody wanted to be the band that got up there and fucked up." The 76-year-old heavy metal singer sang while seated on a black throne and appeared overcome with emotion at times.
"You have no idea how I feel.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart," he told the crowd.
Blythe has also talked about LAMB OF GOD's history with BLACK SABBATH and Ozzy over the years.
"We toured with the original SABBATH lineup, and also SABBATH with Ronnie James Dio on vocals, as well as touring with Ozzy," he said.
'SABBATH was the first heavy metal band, and we play metal, so being able to play the very last show with the founders of the genre we have based our lives and careers on, was, and always will be, the highest honor." Hours after performing it at 'Back To The Beginning', LAMB OF GOD shared an official studio recording of its cover of BLACK SABBATH's "Children Of The Grave" on streaming music services.
When the track was first made available, LAMB OF GOD guitarist Mark Morton said in a statement: "LAMB OF GOD being invited to perform with BLACK SABBATH at their final show is one of the greatest honors of our career." Blythe went on to talk about the emotional experience of performing with Ozzy and the rest of BLACK SABBATH.
"It was an incredible day and definitely one of my top shows that LAMB OF GOD ever played because there will never be another show like it," he said.
The original article contains a tour date list, which is retained in full below: - July 2025 at Villa Park in Birmingham, United Kingdom for the legendary 'Back To The Beginning' concert.