Billy Corgan Proposes Annual Charity Concert in Memory of the Late Ozzy Osbourne
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A Tribute Born from One Final Show
Billy Corgan has shared an idea to honor Ozzy Osbourne with an annual charity concert. The Smashing Pumpkins frontman believes such an event would help keep the Black Sabbath legend’s memory alive while doing good for others.
Earlier this month, Ozzy performed for the last time at his farewell concert, Back to the Beginning, at Villa Park in Birmingham. The show raised nearly $200 million for Cure Parkinson’s, Birmingham Children’s Hospital, and Acorn Children’s Hospice. It was a powerful night, made more meaningful by the fact that the original Black Sabbath lineup played together for the first time in over two decades.
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A One-of-a-Kind Event
The concert featured a strong lineup of artists. Bands like Metallica, Tool, Guns N’ Roses, Slayer, Pantera, and Gojira all took the stage—and none took payment. Billy Corgan was part of the show as well. Speaking on the Klein Ally Show on KROQ, he said, “I almost think there should be an annual Ozzy concert where we just come together and do a charitable event.”
Corgan explained why he believes this would be meaningful. “When you have the biggest artists in the world coming to play a tribute to somebody, and they are playing truncated sets, Tool played for 20 minutes, Guns N’ Roses played for 35 minutes, I mean, headlining bands are not used to playing small sets. Everybody worked together to make a one-of-a-kind, monumental event.”
Keeping the Spirit Alive
He added that it could take place every year in Birmingham or at a site chosen by Sharon Osbourne. “The legacy of that togetherness would continue,” he said, suggesting that the unity shown at the farewell show could carry forward.
Corgan believes that artists from all over would jump at the chance to be involved. “I can’t imagine the list of artists that wouldn’t want to be involved,” he said, pointing to how strong the response was from the rock world.
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The Power of Rock Music
Reflecting on the show, Corgan described it as a reminder of rock music’s strength. “Pop could never, ever compete with what we saw that day. Pop is massive, and we get it, we know it, everybody runs around and talks about it because it’s the gossip, but rock can not be beat.”
Tony Iommi also spoke with ITV News about the event. He shared how much it meant to Ozzy. “This is what we built up for, for that big ending where he could see all the people and we could all see all the people, and close it in that way.”
