Last month, Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath took the stage for the final time, performing at “Back to the Beginning” in their hometown of Birmingham, England just 17 days before Osbourne passed away.
Not only was the massive event put on to give Ozzy and Sabbath a proper farewell, but to raise funds for charity. However, those charities weren’t the only ones to benefit financially, as the concert was a significant boost to the local economy as well.
According to BBC News, a new report from the University of Birmingham shows that “Back to the Beginning” made a total of £33.8 million (or $45.5 million), with around £27.6 million (or $37.1 million) of that being retained by the West Midlands region – which includes Birmingham.
Dr. Matt Lyons, who conducted the analysis, told BBC News: “As regional economists from the University of Birmingham, we thought we would do our bit to honor Ozzy’s legacy by estimating the economic impact of his last gig.
“The impact of the Prince Of Darkness obviously goes far beyond the financial impact his gigs and TV shows have netted. Ozzy is a global legend, and his gift of incredible music, and now his final economic impact, will go on to benefit his home city far into the future.”
“Back to the Beginning” sold out in just minutes, with 20% of the 42,000 tickets sold being purchased by international fans.
There is still no confirmation regarding how much “Back to the Beginning” has raised for charity, though. Earlier figures suggested the concert raised as much as $190 million – a claim which Sharon Osbourne recently revealed is inaccurate.
“One of the things that’s frightening me is all this false press about [how], we’ve made $140 million and all of this, and I’m like, God, I wish we could have, for one gig,” Sharon said in an interview with Pollstar conducted before husband Ozzy Osbourne’s death. “It’s just ridiculous, the different stories. I went on the internet the next morning and it was like, $140 million, $160 million. And I’m like, Where does this stuff come from?”
“It takes a really long time [to arrive at the final number that will be donated to charity], because we’ve had all of the bands that we had come in and their expenses, and it’ll take a good six weeks to get the final number,” she continued.
Funds raised by the concert are set to be equally split between Cure Parkinson’s, Birmingham Children’s Hospital, and Acorn Children’s Hospice.
