Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath‘s “Back to the Beginning” charity concert on July 5 raised over $200 million for three charities, setting the record for the highest-grossing benefit show of all time. The day-long heavy metal extravaganza took place at Villa Park in Birmingham, England, and the money generated from the show surpassed the amounts raised by FireAid and Farm Aid combined. The concert – billed as Ozzy’s final stage performance and the first reunion of all four original Sabbath members in 20 years – saw approximately 40,000 ticketholders and reached a peak of 5.8 million online viewers. The funds will be distributed equally to Birmingham Children’s Hospital, Acorn Children’s Hospice, and Cure Parkinson’s. Additional donations were raised through raffling tickets, auctioning off art and band photographs, and contributions from fans. The final donation to each charity has yet to be disclosed. (Billboard)
