Back To The Beginning - Black Sabbath's Final Concert

 

Heavy metal was born out of the industrial working-class neighborhoods of cities like Birmingham and few bands define its gritty identity better than Black Sabbath. Ozzy Osbourne grew up in abject poverty. Tony Iommi had to adapt his playing style to accommodate an industrial accident. Geezer Butler is an avid supporter of local football club Ashton Villa. Together they crafted dark hard-hitting soundscapes that birthed a new musical genre and numerous related sub-genres. Beyond the changes and controversy, their longevity as a band and in solo careers has to be admired. It is no mean feat to weather more than five decades as torchbearers for generations of metal heads. Almost a week ago, they said goodbye in a heart-felt and emotionally resonant final performance - Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne: Back to the Beginning, featuring guest performances from bands such as Anthrax, Mastadon, Pantera and Metallica. The Facebook Group shares the infectious excitement of audience members representing many different countries, but united in their love for this band and their unique legacy. There are memes, memories, and memorabilia (such as Lego edition Ozzy Osbourne). Snapshots and discussion. A mention of the millions raised for charity. 

(Edit: Adding my heartfelt condolences to all who knew and loved Ozzy Osbourne. The news of his passing adds a new dimension of poignancy to the band's last performance. - 23 July 2025)

Members: 157.1k, at the time of writing.

Trigger Warnings: None.

Go here to visit or join. 

Related Posts: 

Scotland's Turntable

Furries in Unusual Places

hippie trail

Update - This group does not seem to be active anymore. 

Female Voices of Metal

While heavy metal may seem at first glance a predominantly male genre, there are a significant number of women who do thrive as metal vocalists and the mission of this group is to introduce and showcase as many of them as possible. The information section lists a large number of female fronted metal groups by subgenre. There are 72 links to videos and over 600 images in the gallery. Threads on the discussion board include 'Epica', 'Do you know any Russians music bands??', 'Domina Noctis', 'Girls with harsh vocals', 'How did you first get hooked?', 'Metal Female Voices Festival 2007' and more.

What's great about this group: Find out more about women active in heavy metal music.

Update (24 October 2023) 

This group is still active but has opted to become a private group. It has 9,200 members. Go here to request access. 

Real men have long hair

Adopting a certain lifestyle can have both advantages and disadvantages. As a fan of heavy metal music myself, I love the way tell at a glance that someone you've never met, shares your musical preferences from their hairstyle and what they are wearing. On the down side is the way people sometimes discriminate against others on grounds of appearance. This group makes a definite statement in support of anyone male with hair past their shoulders.

Some threads deal with haircare, such as 'What Shampoo Do You Use?' and 'ever exchanged hair tips with other guys in a metal club?' as well as opinions on hair color and how to get rid of tangles. 'Hair Length' and 'Hottest Artist with long hair....(any genre of music)' focus more on the aesthetics of hair culture, while 'Ever Been Mistaken For a Chick?' 'The Art of Headbanging' and 'What made you grow your hair? Do tell your story' explore the wider view. There are well over 1,500 images in the gallery and girls are welcome, so long as they subscribe to the viewpoint that guys with long hair are the best.

What's great about this group: Stand up and be counted, if you love your hair.

Click here to go directly to 'Real men have long hair'.