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The four original members of Black Sabbath were on hand Saturday (June 28th) to receive the Freedom of the City of Birmingham, the highest honor bestowed by the band’s UK hometown.
Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward each received city scrolls and medals presented to them by the Lord Mayor of Birmingham, Councillor Zafar Iqbal. The ceremony came one week prior to the band’s final concert, set to take place July 5th at Birmingham’s Villa Park.
An official description of the ceremony posted, as posted by the Birmingham City Council, reads as follows:
“The Freedom of the City honour is the one of the oldest traditional ceremonies in the country and recognises people’s exceptional service to the city. This honour recognises Black Sabbath’s significance to the cultural and musical identity of Birmingham, their strong association with the city and continued influence as pioneers of heavy metal in both Birmingham and beyond. As part of the Freedom of the City, each band member received the title of Honorary Freeman and an engraving of their names on the Freedom of the City marble board was also unveiled at the ceremony.”
Geezer Butler stated, “This is a great working class city, and we’re all working class, from Aston. We weren’t given a chance when we started out, but Birmingham has always been behind us. People used to make fun of our accents, but we’re all proud Birmingham people and we love this city. It’s one of the greatest cities ever, it’s given the world so much and we’re proud to be here.”
Ozzy Osbourne added, “I first put an advert in a music store in town. If these guys hadn’t come to my door, I wouldn’t be sitting here now. It seems to have flown by so quickly. It’s amazing. I think about my dad, who went into debt to buy me a microphone. If only he could be here now. I think he would be very proud. I’m a Brummie and I always will be a Brummie. Birmingham Forever!”
Tony Iommi remarked, “It’s a great thing to receive. Birmingham is our home, and we love what Birmingham has done for us. We’ve got the bridge and the bench, things like that. We’re very grateful.”
And Bill Ward noted, “It’s completely overwhelming. I’m so proud to be an Astonian. That’s where I got my attitude. It was a blessed – and cursed! – to meet Tony when I was 15, and I’m so proud that I got to know Geezer and Ozzy. They’re my brothers. I love them very much and we love our city very much.”
Fans who weren’t able to snag tickets to Sabbath’s final concert can watch the all-star event via a paid livestream. In addition to the final performances by Sabbath and Ozzy, the all-day lineup includes Metallica, Guns N’ Roses, Slayer, Tool, Pantera, and dozens more music acts.
English (US) · 