The “Back to the Beginning,” event in Birmingham, England, which marked the final live performance by both Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath featured a whole mess of big names in hard rock and metal. So, can it be any surprise at all that Guns n’ Roses were part of the tribute? Perhaps what can be a surprise is that, for most of their set, the band chose to feature four Black Sabbath songs and only two of their own.
Taking the stage, the band launched into their set with “It’s Alright” from Sabbath’s 1976 Technical Ecstasy. The song popped up a few times on Guns sets in the 90s, usually to lead into “November Rain.” The band then played the title track from 1978’s Never Say Die, followed by “Junior’s Eyes” and “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath.” They then closed out the set with their own “Welcome to the Jungle” and “Paradise City.”
Axl Rose took to X after the show to thanks Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne for inviting him and Guns to play and expressed his joy that he finally got to meet Ozzy and the rest of Black Sabbath backstage. When asked to discuss the impact Black Sabbath had on the band, bassist Duff McKagan summed it up by simply saying, “Ozzy’s been a constant since I was about six years old.”
You can watch the four Sabbath covers from fan shot video below.
