The ‘Back to the Beginning’ Show Contributed £28 Million to the Local Economy

Last month, the world witnessed one of the most monumental concert experiences ever as heavy metal saw both Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath take their final bows at ‘Back To The Beginning’ on July 5. It was a huge undertaking that not only allowed the world to say goodbye to such phenomenal acts, but it also sought to raise significant funds for a number of local charities.

Though we still don’t know the exact amount that was raised for those aforementioned charities, a recent report with BBC News found that analysts at the University of Birmingham estimate the single day event at Villa Park in Birmingham, U.K. contributed a total of £33.8 million (approximately $45.5 million) in “gross economic output across the U.K.”

Additionally, those same analysts believe £27.6 million (approximately $37 million) of the total amount the show made contributed directly to the West Midlands region, which includes seven metropolitan boroughs including Birmingham.

One of the main analysts, Dr. Matt Lyons, said one of the main reasons for looking into the show’s financial impact was to pay homage to the late Ozzy Osbourne, who passed away at 76 years old on July 22.

“As regional economists from the University of Birmingham, we thought we would do our bit to honor Ozzy’s legacy by estimating the economic impact of his last gig.

“The impact of the Prince Of Darkness obviously goes far beyond the financial impact his gigs and TV shows have netted.

“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.”

In order to find out the show’s economic impact on the region, researchers used the SEIM-UK (Socio-Economic Impact Model for the UK) model, which had been used in the past to find out how other major events have impacted the U.K. and local economies.

It’s important to note that this still isn’t the official figure of how much was raised, nor how much money was donated to Birmingham Children’s Hospital, Acorn Children’s Hospice and Cure Parkinson’s. It certainly doesn’t reflect the roughly $190 million (approximately £140 million) that Rage Against The Machine and ‘Back To The Beginning’ musical director Tom Morello said was raised in the show’s immediate aftermath. That figure has been debunked by Sharon Osbourne herself, who called the figure “ridiculous.”

Still, that’s a lot of money that went directly into the economy. It just goes to show how impactful the metal community can be when we rally around a cause.