K.K. DOWNING Was 'Nervous' For His 'Back To The Beginning' Performance: This Was 'The Most Important Show In Metal Ever'

Former JUDAS PRIEST guitarist K.K. Downing, who performed PRIEST's "Breaking The Law" and BLACK SABBATH's "Snowblind" at last Saturday's (July 5) "Back To The Beginning" event at Villa Park in Birmingham, United Kingdom, alongside Billy Corgan (THE SMASHING PUMPKINS) on vocals, Tom Morello (RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE) on guitar, Adam Jones (TOOL) on guitar, Rudy Sarzo (QUIET RIOT, OZZY OSBOURNE, WHITESNAKE) on bass, and Danny Carey (TOOL) on drums, took to his social media earlier today (Tuesday, July 8) to share a few photos from the concert, and he included the following message: "Incredible!!! That is the only word for what has just taken place!

"All throughout rehearsals and up to soundcheck I was thinking is this really at all possible? There were amplifiers, speakers, pedal boards, and miles and miles of cables everywhere, and hundreds of people all going in tons of different directions. I had to ask myself 'could I actually be a bit nervous?' Hell yeah! I was, this is going to be the most Important show in rock and metal ever!!! Then when I arrived on the day, the show was already under way, and when I got to my dressing room I was notified that the show was running 20 minutes ahead of schedule. This was truly in itself a very rare achievement.

"I cannot praise everyone enough that was involved with organizing this wonderful event. The curtain went up for me and my amazing bandmates and everything had come magically together, this event was truly in the hands of top professionals.

"I would like to thank the band — Adam Jones, Danny Carey, Rudy Sarzo, Billy Corgan, and last but not least the event's musical director Tom Morello, who really did dedicate himself to this show over so many months.

"I cannot end without saying a massive thank you to Sharon, Ozzy, Tony, Geezer, and Bill for making all of this possible, and for their great contribution to a very worthy charity.

"I think King Charles III of England should now prepare to award Sharon and the Mighty BLACK SABBATH each a very well-deserved knighthood."

When Downing's participation in "Back To The Beginning" was first announced in February, he said in a statement: "This will be an incredibly emotional and historic event! The final farewell to the ultimate gods of metal. BLACK SABBATH and Ozzy will return to their home in Aston, Birmingham, the very place where it all began, and I am deeply honored to be part of this momentous occasion, paying my respects and tribute.

"I vividly remember growing up in the suburbs of Birmingham, England, over 50 years ago and witnessing the emergence of this band that would pioneer a genre of music that had never been heard before. It was more than just music — it was the sound, the performance and the atmosphere that created a phenomenon that was irresistible to fans, and I was one of them. I know firsthand the immense impact BLACK SABBATH has had on the world.

"BLACK SABBATH has carried the flag and the mantle of our beloved music for a lifetime, for this I know we will always be sincerely grateful.

"This event will undoubtedly be one of the most significant and important moments in rock and metal history, and I look forward to standing alongside the fans and fellow musicians to honor the legacy of BLACK SABBATH in the city where it all began."

According to The Guardian, "Back To The Beginning" was livestreamed to more than five million fans worldwide (with peak audience of 5.8 million fans watching the livestream).

Ozzy played a five-song set with his solo band — consisting of guitarist Zakk Wylde, bassist Mike Inez, keyboardist Adam Wakeman and drummer Tommy Clufetos — before being joined by fellow original BLACK SABBATH members Tony Iommi (guitar),Geezer Butler (bass) and Bill Ward (drums) for four classic SABBATH songs: "War Pigs", "Iron Man", "N.I.B." and "Paranoid".

Ozzy's solo set consisted of four songs from Osbourne's 1980 solo debut album "Blizzard Of Ozz" — "I Don't Know", "Mr. Crowley", "Suicide Solution" and "Crazy Train" — along with his 1991 "No More Tears" ballad "Mama, I'm Coming Home".

The 76-year-old heavy metal singer, who has Parkinson's disease, sang while seated on a black throne and appeared overcome with emotion at times. "You have no idea how I feel. Thank you from the bottom of my heart," he told the crowd.

At the end of SABBATH's set, Ozzy said: "It's the last song ever. Your support has enabled us to live an amazing lifestyle, thank you from the bottom of our hearts." Osbourne was then presented with a cake, while fireworks lit up the stadium from overhead.

A message on screen then read, "Thank you for everything, you guys are fucking amazing. Birmingham Forever," before the sky lit up with fireworks.

More than 40,000 fans attended the event, which also saw performances from METALLICA, SLAYER, PANTERA, LAMB OF GOD and ANTHRAX, among others. Profits from the show will be shared equally between the charities Cure Parkinson's, Birmingham Children's Hospital and Acorn Children's Hospice.

There was also an online auction benefiting those charities. Items up for bid included two Gibson guitars signed by performers, a GUNS N' ROSES pinball machine, several gold record and CD displays including BLACK SABBATH's "Paranoid", LED ZEPPELIN's "Physical Graffiti" and METALLICA's "Master Of Puppets", plus more than a dozen travel packages.

A livestream of the daylong event was announced in June. While it was called a livestream, the video was delayed two hours from the in-arena start time.

Livestream tickets were priced $29.99, which got you live viewing and access to video for 48 hours. The livestream and T-shirt bundle was priced $64.98. It got you event viewing and a "Back To The Beginning" T-shirt.

"Back To The Beginning" was captured, produced and distributed by Mercury Studios ("One To One: John & Yoko", "American Symphony", "Metallica Saved My Life"). Mercury has partnered with Kiswe — the global D2C streaming partner behind the record-breaking BTS concert livestream — to deliver this moment of music history to fans across the globe.

The all-day event at Villa Park, produced by Live Nation, was hosted and compered by American actor Jason Momoa.