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Ozzy Osbourne Meets Axl Rose for First Time at Black Sabbath’s Farewell

Social media reflections underscore the milestone encounter that followed the band’s sold-out reunion finale.

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Ozzy Osbourne, left, and Axl Rose. (AP)
Axl Rose performing at BottleRock Napa Valley on Sept. 4, 2021. Rose and Metallica’s James Hetfield reunited backstage at Black Sabbath’s final concert in Birmingham, decades after their infamous 1992 tour fallout. 
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Overview

  • On July 7, Osbourne and Rose each posted on X about their inaugural meeting, with Osbourne praising Rose as an “utter gentleman” and Rose calling the moment “extremely overwhelming.”
  • Backstage at Villa Park, Axl Rose and Metallica’s James Hetfield reconciled decades of tension stemming from their tumultuous 1992 co-headlining tour.
  • The sold-out “Back to the Beginning” concert marked the first full reunion of Black Sabbath’s original lineup in 20 years and drew over 40,000 fans.
  • Guns N’ Roses delivered a 25-minute tribute set, playing four Sabbath tracks as a five-piece for the first time in 35 years without keyboardist Dizzy Reed or Melissa Reese.
  • Despite living with Parkinson’s disease and multiple spinal surgeries, Osbourne closed the show seated in a gothic throne before joining Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward for a four-song farewell.