Robert Plant revealed that he turned down an invitation to go to Black Sabbath’s farewell show in Birmingham, England, last month. The star-studded Back to the Beginning concert, which served as the final performance of Ozzy Osbourne’s career, took place at Villa Park in Aston on July 5. Osbourne died 17 days later at age 76.
In an interview with Mojo, Plant, 76, said he was personally invited to the concert by Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi, but he told him he couldn’t do it.
“I said, ‘Tony, I’d love to come, but I can’t come,’” the Led Zeppelin legend told the outlet. “I just can’t. I’m not saying that I’d rather hang out with Peter Gabriel or Youssou N’Dour, but I don’t know anything about what’s going on in that world now, at all. I don’t decry it, I’ve got nothing against it. It’s just I found these other places that are so rich.”
Plant explained that at this stage of his career, he preferred the smaller-scale feel of his band Saving Grace. “The gigs are small enough so that if nobody wants to go, it’s not the end of the world,” he said. “And so, by having that laissez-faire, easy-going attitude, instead of doing the football stadium with some old mates, there it was: we were free.”
“We’ve got to be very careful now that we make sure it stays closer to Bert Jansch than Axl Rose,” the singer added.
Of course, Axl Rose was one of many rock legends who attended Back to the Beginning. In addition to Osbourne and Sabbath, the day-long hard rock show featured Guns ‘N Roses, Metallica, Alice in Chains, Anthrax, Tool, Pantera, Yungblud, and more.
At least one other big-name band was invited and then disinvited. Osbourne’s wife/manager, Sharon, told Billboard that she was forced to remove one act from the lineup because they “wanted to make a profit” from the charity event. “And it’s not the time to make a profit,” she added, noting that people would be “shocked” to find out who it was.
Robert Plant & Black Sabbath Go Way Back
It’s no surprise that Plant was invited to Back to the Beginning. The Led Zeppelin frontman knew the group from their younger days in Birmingham. When Black Sabbath was recording their 1975 album, Sabotage, the two bands even jammed together in the studio.
“We were recording in Morgan Studios in London, and [Led Zeppelin drummer] John [Bonham] came down to see us,” Iommi told Classic Rock in a 2016 interview. “He brought Planty and John Paul Jones – Jimmy Page was the only one who wasn’t there.”
“They came in and John’s going, ‘Let’s play ‘Supernaut!’” Iommi recalled. “So, he sat behind the kit, and we started to play it. Of course, he didn’t play it right, but we just carried on and went into a jam. …We were just jamming, making stuff up. Our session went totally out of the window.”
Related: Led Zeppelin Legend Reveals Why There’s ‘No Chance’ He’ll Ever Pen His Memoir
Led Zeppelin Legend Robert Plant Reveals Why He Declined Invitation to Black Sabbath Farewell Show first appeared on Men’s Journal on Aug 14, 2025
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