If you clicked on this story, you’re probably like me and wondering: Should I go to the last Ozzy Osbourne show? The Ozzman is set to take his final bows alongside his original Black Sabbath bandmates on July 5th at Villa Park in the band’s native Birmingham, England at a day-long event dubbed Back To The Beginning. Even for a dedicated Ozzy/Sabbath fan the question remains, is it worth it? Let’s weigh the facts.

Osbourne’s poor health has been no secret this past decade and is the primary impetus for the farewell concert. In 2020, the singer revealed he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, following years of postponed and ultimately canceled gigs. After more post-pandemic back-and-forth about whether he would ever perform again, Osbourne retired from touring in 2023, only to announce a set at Power Trip five months later, before ultimately canceling the appearance. Ozzy last performed in 2022 when he reunited with Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi for “Paranoid” in Birmingham, and has not played a full concert since 2018. During his most recent live appearance at his (second) Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction, the 76-year-old remained seated on a bat-adorned throne and sounded frail as he delivered a short speech.

In the weeks since the Back To The Beginning announcement, Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne have leveled expectations for the concert. Hours after the announcement, Ozzy went on SiriusXM and revealed, “I can’t walk, but you know what I was thinking over the holidays? For all my complaining, I’m still alive.” His wife/manager Sharon contended that, though Ozzy isn’t ambulatory, “his voice is as good as it’s ever been.”

“Parkinson’s is a progressive disease. It’s not something you can stabilize,” Sharon told The Sun. “It affects different parts of the body and it’s affected his legs.”

A couple weeks later (after the show already sold out), Ozzy further clarified he won’t be performing a full set with Sabbath, “but I am doing little bits and pieces with them.” It appears that Osbourne will perform some solo songs before his Black Sabbath bandmates Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward join in for the finale—their first time playing together in 20 years.

“I am doing what I can, where I feel comfortable,” Osbourne remarked of his limited participation.

While Ozzy can only do so much, organizers have recruited a Hall of Fame-worthy lineup of hard rock and heavy metal titans to pick up the slack. Coordinated by musical director Tom Morello (Rage Against The Machine), the current lineup includes Metallica, Guns N’ Roses, Tool, Slayer, Pantera, Gojira, Alice in Chains, Halestorm, Lamb of God, Anthrax, Mastodon, and Rival Sons, plus appearances by Andrew Watt, Billy Corgan (Smashing Pumpkins), Fred Durst (Limp Bizkit), Jonathon Davis (Korn), K.K. Downing (Judas Priest), Rudy Sarzo (Quiet Riot, Whitesnake), Sammy Hagar, Scott Ian (Anthrax), Sleep Token ii, Wolfgang Van Halen, Zakk Wylde, and many others.

“It starts at noon, then you’re going to see one icon playing with another icon, doing a Sabbath song and one or two of their own songs, and people playing with each other that you never [think] you’d see,” Sharon told NME. “Tom Morello is going to play with the drummer from Tool [Danny Carey] and they’re going to have Billy Corgan with them—they’re all from Chicago so they’re all doing their bit.”

So, should you go? Well, that depends. Are you going to see Ozzy and Sabbath or are you going to see a ton of other metal bands—some of them playing Sabbath songs—plus a little bit of Ozzy and Black Sabbath? Are you prepared for the physical realities of Ozzy’s health or are you holding onto a bygone image of the Ozzman? And, perhaps most importantly, can you get a ticket? The 42,785-capacity stadium sold out within minutes on Ticketmaster, and as of publication there are no authorized resale tickets available.

Though fans have been clamoring for one final Ozzy Osbourne show for years, Back To The Beginning isn’t going to be a climactic farewell performance by Ozzy. Instead, it will be a day-long testament to what he and Black Sabbath started nearly 60 years ago right there in Birmingham. The dirge of fuzzed-out power chords, foreboding lyrics, and crushing rhythms that blasted through “Black Sabbath” on Side A of the band’s self-titled 1970 debut reverberated throughout the world, creating heavy metal and launching subgenres beneath subgenres for generations to come. Back To The Beginning is a chance for The Prince of Darkness to survey the kingdom he helped create. In reality, this show is more for Ozzy than it is for us.

So if you’re trying to see Ozzy Osbourne rock out, throw up the devil horns, and bellow his classic “Let me see your hands!” stage direction, you might want to save the money and just stay home to watch him at California Jam 1974 instead. Or listen to Master of Reality. He’ll never get old on vinyl.

Black Sabbath — California Jam — Ontario Motor Speedway — Ontario, CA — 4/6/74

[Video: Sabbath Worship in HD (Master Noise 60fps)]