LAMB OF GOD's RANDY BLYTHE Admits He Was 'Terrified' At 'Back To The Beginning' Concert: 'I Was Extremely Nervous'

In a new interview with Oran O'Beirne of Fistful Of Metal magazine, LAMB OF GOD frontman Randy Blythe reflected on "Back To The Beginning", the now-legendary, all-star heavy metal benefit concert that took place in July 2025 at Villa Park in Birmingham, United Kingdom. Headlined by Ozzy Osbourne, it marked the final live performance of his career and the first time the original BLACK SABBATH lineup had played together since 2005.

Given the magnitude of the moment and the significance of the occasion, O'Beirne asked Blythe if nerves crept in before taking the stage at "Back To The Beginning" or if experience allowed him to treat it like just another show.

"Dude, I was terrified", Randy admitted. "But you know what?! Every single other band was. From MASTODON, who opened the show, to METALLICA. I know this for a fact, because I talked to everyone. We were all, like, 'Holy shit! We are so nervous.'"

Asked if this was one of those rare moments where nerves go beyond the usual pre-show adrenaline, something closer to genuine stage fright given the weight of the occasion, Blythe paused for a short moment before answering. "Well, it wasn't 'stage fright' I was experiencing that day," he explained. "The last time I actually experienced stage fright was years ago when we played Download festival in 2007, the first time we played the festival. I walked out there and saw the size of the crowd and I was, like, 'Holy shit!', but after a while, I got into it and felt like I could run through a brick wall. With 'Back To The Beginning', it wasn't stage fright, as I said, but I was extremely nervous. I'll never forget walking to the stage with my girlfriend to see METALLICA and we were walking alongside Lars [Ulrich, METALLICA drummer]. They were getting ready to go on and he looked at us and said, 'Holy shit, I've never been so nervous in my entire life.'"

Blythe continued: "We all knew this was going to be Ozzy's last show. It's not gonna be like KISS where it's, like, 'One more final run'. Hell, KISS will probably be touring when I'm dead and gone. But with this show, we all knew that this was the final one for Ozzy because of his health. So, nobody wanted to be the band that got up there and fucked up. We were all asked to be there by Ozzy and Sharon [Osbourne, Ozzy's wife and manager] by way of Tom [Morello; RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE guitarist and music director for the 'Back To The Beginning' concert]. He texted me and said, 'SABBATH and Ozzy will be doing their very last shows and they have put in me in charge of organizing all the bands, and I'd like to know if LAMB OF GOD wants to be part of it', and I was, like, 'Yes! Let me check with my guys if they're free, but if they're not coming, then I'm coming.' Luckily, we were not in the middle of a tour and it all worked out."

Randy added: "It was an incredible day and definitely one of my top shows that LAMB OF GOD ever played because there will never be another show like it."

Blythe went on to talk about LAMB OF GOD's history with BLACK SABBATH and Ozzy over the years. "We toured with the original SABBATH lineup, and also SABBATH with [Ronnie James] Dio on vocals, as well as touring with Ozzy," he said. "SABBATH was the first heavy metal band, and we play metal, so being able to play the very last show with the founders of the genre we have based our lives and careers on, was, and always will be, the highest honor. Something like this only happens once in a lifetime. Because metal is a relatively young genre, so how lucky are we to be there with the guys that started the whole thing to say goodbye?, he asked rhetorically. "I got to talk to Ozzy a week later because Frank Bello and Scott Ian of ANTHRAX, and myself, were doing a Comic-Con event in Birmingham, as was Ozzy, so we got to hang out with him in the green room for about half an hour and just thank him for inviting us to play the show. I remember that he was still really happy that the final gig went so well. The whole experience was so incredibly special."

Featuring cover stars IRON MAIDEN and stories on VENOM, EXODUS, UFO, NAPALM DEATH, CORROSION OF CONFORMITY, RAINBOW, HELLRIPPER, METAL CHURCH, DARKTHRONE, AT THE GATES and much more, Fistful Of Metal issue No. 23 is out now in all good newsagents, including Barnes & Noble (Canada & America),WH Smiths and HMV (U.K.). You can also order your copy online via fistfulofmetal.co.uk.

Hours after performing it at "Back To The Beginning", LAMB OF GOD shared an official studio recording of its cover of BLACK SABBATH's "Children Of The Grave" on streaming music services.

When the track was first made available, LAMB OF GOD guitarist Mark Morton said in a statement: "LAMB OF GOD being invited to perform with BLACK SABBATH at their final show is one of the greatest honors of our career. As an offering to the celebration, we've recorded our take on their classic 'Children Of The Grave', a protest song with lyrics that are as relevant today as they were in 1971 when the original was released.

"BLACK SABBATH invented heavy metal and in doing so, they changed the world," Morton continued. "This genre that they created brings immeasurable joy to fans all over the world. We are so grateful to have the heavy metal community to call our home, and so grateful to BLACK SABBATH for the gift of their music that they've given to all of us."

At "Back To The Beginning", 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 Iommi, Butler and Ward 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 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.

Ozzy's death certificate revealed that he died on July 22, 2025 of a heart attack. The certificate filed in London also said Osbourne suffered from coronary artery disease and Parkinson's disease.

A private funeral service for Ozzy was held on July 31, 2025 on the 250-acre grounds of the house the legendary BLACK SABBATH singer and his wife bought in 1993 in Buckinghamshire, England. Only 110 of the singer's friends and family members attended the service, including his SABBATH bandmates, Robert Trujillo (METALLICA),Rob Zombie, Zakk Wylde, Marilyn Manson and Corey Taylor (SLIPKNOT).

The day before the private funeral, thousands of fans gathered in the streets of Birmingham to pay tribute to Ozzy. Sharon, along with their children Aimée, Kelly and Jack, joined mourners for the emotional tribute.