Ozzy Osbourne’s final concert gave his hometown’s economy an impressive boost of £28 million, according to a new report. Just days before his death, aged 76, the Prince of Darkness took to the stage for a final time and it had a lasting impact on the town’s finances.
The benefit concert, which took place at Villa Park in Birmingham on July 5 sold out 42,000 tickets in minutes – 20% of tickets were purchased by international fans, with prices ranging from £197.50 to £834. Now, a new analysis from City-Region Economic Development Institute (City-REDI) at the University of Birmingham has found that the godfather of heavy metal’s final concert, Back to the Beginning, contributed £33.8 million in gross economic output across the UK – £27.6 million of which was retained in the West Midlands.
Dr Matt Lyons, who conducted the analysis, said: “Ozzy was a proud Brummie and his legacy can be seen across the city. When you step off a train at New Street station, you are greeted by Ozzy the Bull, named for the legend himself after 2,000 names were put forward.
“Black Sabbath and Ozzy are credited as inventing the heavy metal genre when they started out playing in The Crown Pub on Station Street in Birmingham. As regional economists from the University of Birmingham, we thought we would do our bit to honour Ozzy’s legacy by estimating the economic impact of his last gig.”
He continued: “The impact of the Prince of Darkness obviously goes far beyond the financial impact his gigs and TV shows have netted. Ozzy was always an ambassador of Birmingham, and in passing, becomes a symbol of the city’s working class resilience, creativity and ability to reinvent itself. The naming of Black Sabbath Bridge and Ozzy the Bull shows the civic embrace of Ozzy that transcends fandom of metal music.
“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.”
To estimate the economic impact of the concert, the researchers used the SEIM-UK (Socio-Economic Impact Model for the UK) model and considered ticket sales, estimates of inward tourism spending on hotels, transport, food and other discretionary spending.
The analysis showed that including the additional areas of indirect and included impacts resulted in Ozzy’s Back to the Beginning concert contributing £33.8 million in gross economic output across the UK, £27.6 million of which specifically impacted the West Midlands.
This analysis did not include £140 million raised for the charities Cure Parkinson’s, Birmingham Children’s Hospital, and Acorn Children’s Hospice through shares of livestreams and merchandise sales.
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