Ozzy Osbourne 'elated' Jake E Lee and Rudy Sarzo are performing at Villa Park concert
They're both confirmed for Black Sabbath's Back to the Beginning show
Last updated 6th Feb 2025
Ozzy Osbourne is “elated” that his former solo band mates Jake E Lee and Rudy Sarzo will perform at Black Sabbath’s star-studded reunion concert at Villa Park this summer.
Sharon Osbourne and Tony Iommi announced at Villa Park on Wednesday (5th February) that the original line-up of Black Sabbath – Ozzy, Tony, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward – will perform for the final time together at Aston Villa’s stadium on Saturday 5th July.
Alongside a Sabbath set and short Ozzy solo performance, there are a smorgasbord of rock and metal behemoths on the line-up including Metallica, Slayer, Anthrax, Gojira, Mastodon, Halestorm, Alice in Chains, Guns N’ Roses’ Duff McKagan, and Ghost’s Papa V Perpetua.
Speaking to Planet Rock’s Loz Guest at Villa Park, Live Nation’s Andy Copping, who booked the concert alongside Tom Morello and Sharon Osbourne, revealed Ozzy’s reaction to the line-up.
After telling Loz that the concert was two years in the making, Andy spoke about musical director Tom Morello’s involvement.
“Tom's really hands on. What a guy, great energy,” Andy enthused. “Him and I and Sharon, we got together and it was like, ‘right, let's go out and get the bands!’ So both Tom and I have been canvassing the acts. Him and I together (we’ve) just been out and we've got this bill together between us.”
Listing some of the huge names on the bill, Loz remarked to Andy that the concert is almost like a “mini-festival.”
“Yes, it is. It is going to be an all-day event,” Andy said. “You obviously mentioned the bands that are playing, but we've also got the individuals that are playing on the bill as well.
“We've got Papa (V Perpetua) from Ghost, we've got Fred Durst from Limp Bizkit, Jonathan Davis from Korn, Slash and Duff (McKagan) from Guns N’ Roses, Billy Corgan from Smashing Pumpkins, Wolfgang Van Halen… I mean the list goes on and there's still one or two other members that are going to be joining the party. We've got Sammy Hagar on there.
“Jake E Lee and Rudy Sarzo who have previously played with Ozzy, and Ozzy hasn't seen them in over 30 years, and he’s just elated that those two guys are coming in too. But he's happy about everybody getting involved, it's such a great bill.”
Rudy Sarzo was Ozzy Osbourne’s bassist between 1981 and 1982, while guitarist Jake E Lee had a longer tenure between 1982 and 1987 and he performed on the albums ‘Bark at the Moon’ and ‘The Ultimate Sin’
Commenting on how all the individual artists will perform at the Back to the Beginning gig, Andy explained: “Yeah, the plan is it’s going to be a super group, and different band members will come on and off at different points throughout that set.
“People will get to see different band members from some really high end bands playing together, which has never happened before. So, they're going to see something really special as well as, obviously, the other main bands that are on the bill.”
Tickets to Black Sabbath's Back to the Beginning concert go on sale from Planet Rock Tickets at 10am on Friday 14th February 2025.
All profits will go to the following charities: Cure Parkinson’s, Birmingham Children’s Hospital and Acorn Children’s Hospice, a Children’s Hospice supported by Aston Villa.
The real names of 100 rock stars, including Rudy Sarzo:
Cozy Powell’s real name: Colin Trevor Flooks
Alex Lifeson’s real name: Alexandar Živojinović
'Lifeson' is a semi-literal English translation of the Yugoslavian surname Živojinović, which means 'son of life'
Ginger Baker's real name: Peter Edward Baker
John 5’s real name: John William Lowery
Yngwie Malmsteen’s real name: Lars Johann Yngwie Lannerback
Rudy Sarzo’s real name: Rodolfo Maximiliano Sarzo Lavieille Grande Ruiz Payret y Chaumont
Eric Carr's real name: Paul Charles Caravello
Vinnie Vincent’s real name: Vincent John Cusano
Tina Turner’s real name: Anna Mae Bullock
King Diamond’s real name: Kim Bendix Petersen
Joey Tempest's real name: Rolf Magnus Joakim Larsson
Michael Monroe’s real name: Matti Antero Kristian Fagerholm
Mikkey Dee’s real name: Micael Kiriakos Delaoglou
Jonathan Cain’s real name: Jonathan Leonard Friga
Nikki Sixx's real name: Frank Ferrano
Steven Adler’s real name: Michael Coletti
Axl Rose's real name: William Bruce Rose
Bon Scott's real name: Ronald Belford Scott
Fish’s real name: Derek William Dick
Eddie Vedder's real name: Edward Louis Severson III
Peter Criss’ real name: George Peter John Criscuola
Freddie Mercury's real name: Farrokh Bulsara
Flea's real name: Michael Peter Balzary
Perry Farrell's real name: Perry Bernstein
Geddy Lee’s real name: Gary Lee Weinrib
Mick Mars' real name: Robert Deal
Tré Cool's real name: Frank Edwin Wright III
Courtney Love's real name: Courtney Michelle Harrison
Pat Smear's real name: Georg Albert Ruthenberg
Gene Simmons' real name: Chaim Klein Witz
Spike’s real name: Jonathan Gray
Iggy Pop's real name: James Newell Osterberg, JR.
Alice Cooper's real name: Vincent Damon Furnier
Slash's real name: Saul Hudson
Mike Dirnt's real name: Michael Ryan Pritchard
Ronnie James Dio's real name: Ronald James Padavona
Brody Dalle's real name: Bree Joanna Alice Robinson
Skin's real name: Deborah Anne Dyer
Nicky Wire's real name: Nicholas Jones
Amy Lee's real name: Amy Lynn Hartzler
Bill Wyman's real name: William Perks
Izzy Stradlin's real name: Jeffrey Isbell
Paul Stanley's real name: Stanley Eisen
Vince Neil's real name: Vincent Neil Wharton
Duff McKagan's real name: Michael McKagan
Jack Black’s real name: Thomas Jacob Black
Lemmy's real name: Ian Fraser Kilmister
John Paul Jones' real name: John Baldwin
Joan Jett's real name: Joan Larkin
Eric Clapton's real name: Eric Patrick Clapp
Siouxsie Sioux's real name: Susan Janet Ballion
Rachel Bolan’s real name: James Richard Southworth
David Bowie's real name: David Robert Hayward Stenton Jones
Little Richard's real name: Richard Wayne Penniman
Sid Vicious' real name: John Simon Ritchie
Ace Frehley's real name: Paul Daniel Frehley
Lou Reed's real name: Louis Firbank
Joe Strummer's real name: John Graham Mellor
Marc Bolan's real name: Mark Feld
The Edge's real name: David Howell Evans
Meat Loaf's real name: Marvin Lee Aday
Steven Tyler's real name: Steven Victor Tallarico
Ozzy Osbourne's real name: John Michael Osbourne
Jon Bon Jovi's real name: John Francis Bongiovi
Joey Belladonna’s real name: Joseph Bellardini
Jack White's real name: John Anthony Gillis
Bono's real name: Paul David Hewson
Sting's real name: Gordon Sumner
Billy Idol’s real name: William Michael Albert Broad
Geezer Butler’s real name: Terence Butler
Pat Benatar’s real name: Patricia Mae Giraldo
Bo Diddley’s real name: Ellas McDaniel
Muddy Waters’ real name: McKinley Morganfield
Stevie Nicks’ real name: Stephanie Lynn Nicks
Doro’s real name: Dorothee Pesch
Sebastian Bach’s real name: Sebastian Philip Bierk
Joe Perry’s real name: Joseph Pereira
Jimi Hendrix’s real name: James Marshall Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix)
Zakk Wylde’s real name: Jeffrey Phillip Wielandt
Maynard James Keenan’s real name: James Herbert Keenan
Blaze Bayley’s real name: Bayley Alexander Cooke
Biff Byford's real name: Peter Rodney Byford
M. Shadows' real name: Matthew Charles Sanders
Syd Barrett's real name: Roger Keith Barrett
Chris Jericho's real name: Christopher Keith Irvine
Ginger Wildheart's real name: David Leslie Walls
Paul Di'Anno's real name: Paul Andrews
Phil X’s real name: Theofilos Xenidis
Peter Green’s real name: Peter Allen Greenbaum
Nicko McBrain’s real name: Michael Henry McBrain
Noddy Holder’s real name: Neville John Holder
Steel Panther’s real names
Michael Starr: Ralph Michael Saenz, Satchel: Russell John Parrish, Stix Zadinia: Darren Leader, Spyder: Joe Lester.
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