With heavy metal legends Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne expected to ride off into the sunset following this July’s ‘Back To The Beginning‘ festival, Sharon Osbourne has admitted she’d be open to the band and her husband potentially continuing on as digital avatars in a sense.
There’s been numerous attempts made to pull off the idea of hologram-oriented live performances staged thus far, including a venture featuring the likeness of late ex-Black Sabbath, etc. frontman Ronnie James Dio.
More recently, ABBA, found success with their digital incarnations performing onstage. That technology paved the way for KISS‘ digital recreations to eventually hit the road in 2027. In an interview with Metal Hammer, Sharon, who has long worked behind the scenes as a manager for her husband’s numerous ventures, revealed that she’s not opposed to the idea of extending the live legacy of Black Sabbath and her husband Ozzy via digital means. When asked if she’d consider the prospect of undertaking such a venture for the heavy metal stars, she stated:
“Sure I would, yeah. Technology keeps moving on and on. You can do incredible things now, so what you could do in five years will be even better. You never know what the opportunities are.”
Black Sabbath are set to reunite for one final live appearance, this time with returning drummer Bill Ward. That sold-out concert will take place July 05th at Villa Park in Birmingham, UK. It is expected to serve as a live celebration of the heavy metal pioneers as well as Ozzy Osbourne‘s final solo large-scale performance, as his declining health has left him unable to walk unassisted.
An all-star roster of bands will be hitting the stage for that concert, many of whom are expected to cover Sabbath tracks. Confirmed artists include:
Metallica
Guns N’ Roses
Slayer
Tool
Pantera
Gojira
Halestorm
Alice In Chains
Lamb Of God
Anthrax
Mastodon
Rival Sons
Likewise, a who’s who of metal and hard rock royalty will be teaming up for a sprawling jam session slated to help send-off the pioneering metal band and the Prince Of Darkness himself. Rage Against The Machine guitarist Tom Morello has been entrusted with serving as the ringleader of that ensemble, which will include the following performers:
Andrew Watt
Billy Corgan (The Smashing Pumpkins)
Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers)
Danny Carey (Tool)
David Draiman (Disturbed)
David Ellefson (ex-Megadeth)
Duff McKagan (Guns N’ Roses)
Fred Durst (Limp Bizkit)
Lzzy Hale (Halestorm)
Jake E. Lee (Red Dragon Cartel, ex-Ozzy Osbourne)
Jonathan Davis (Korn)
KK Downing (KK’s Priest, ex-Judas Priest)
Mike Bordin (Faith No More/Ozzy Osbourne)
Papa V Perpetua (Ghost)
Rudy Sarzo (Quiet Riot, etc.)
Sammy Hagar (ex-Van Halen)
Slash (Guns N’ Roses)
II (Sleep Token)
Tom Morello (Rage Against The Machine)
Vernon Reid (Living Colour)
Whitfield Crane (Ugly Kid Joe)
Wolfgang Van Halen (Mammoth WVH, ex-Van Halen)
