On July 5, 2025, Metallica brought the roof down at Birmingham’s Villa Park during the “Back to the Beginning” extravaganza—a festival dedicated to honoring the groundbreaking influence of Black Sabbath. Over the course of a six-song set, the band wove together rare Sabbath deep cuts and their own celebrated hits, delivering an evening that pulsed with unmistakable hard rock and heavy metal energy.
Unearthing Hidden Sabbath Gems
Metallica kicked off their tribute with “Hole in the Sky,” a track from Sabbath’s Sabotage album that hadn’t seen a live rendition in over ten years. Moments later, they delivered an unprecedented live debut of “Johnny Blade” from Never Say Die!—a gesture that left longtime Sabbath fans cheering in disbelief. These special tributes seamlessly transitioned into the band’s own thunderous anthems:
- Creeping Death – The galloping riff that has ignited mosh pits for decades.
- For Whom the Bell Tolls – A haunting introduction that built to an earth-shaking chorus.
- Battery – A blistering showcase of precision drumming and razor-sharp guitar work.
- Master of Puppets – The epic closer that cemented Metallica’s status as metal royalty.
A Legendary Lineup Under One Sky
Metallica shared the stage with a constellation of rock icons. Throughout the day-long festival, audiences were treated to blistering sets from Guns N’ Roses, Slayer, and Alice in Chains, alongside special “supergroups” formed solely to pay homage to Black Sabbath’s catalog. Yet the night’s pinnacle arrived when Ozzy Osbourne took his final solo bow, paving the way for Black Sabbath’s original members—Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward—to reunite onstage for the first time since 2005. It was a moment fans had dreamed about for years, a once-in-a-lifetime convergence of metal legends.
Set List: Metallica at Villa Park (7/5/25)
- “Hole in the Sky”
- “Creeping Death”
- “For Whom the Bell Tolls”
- “Johnny Blade”
- “Battery”
- “Master of Puppets”