Black Sabbath’s star-studded farewell concert Back To The Beginning is to be livestreamed on pay-per-view by Mercury Studios.

The content studio has secured exclusive rights to produce and livestream the 5 July charity show from Birmingham’s Villa Park in partnership with streaming technology partner Kiswe.

Billed as “the greatest heavy metal show ever”, Back To the Beginning will feature Ozzy Osbourne’s swansong on the live stage as Black Sabbath’s original lineup reunite for the first time in over two decades. The concert sold out in under 16 minutes back in February.

Produced by Live Nation, the all-day event will also feature performances from acts such as Metallica, Guns N’ Roses, Tool, Slayer, Pantera, Gojira, Halestorm, Alice In Chains, Lamb Of God, Anthrax, Billy Corgan, Tom Morello, Mastodon, Rival Sons, Fred Durst and Chad Smith. It will be hosted and compered by actor Jason Momoa.

“We had such an overwhelming demand from fans from around the globe, who couldn’t get tickets to the show”

“We had such an overwhelming demand from fans from around the globe, who couldn’t get tickets to the show, and they took to social media, pleading with us to broadcast a livestream of the show,” says Sharon Osbourne. “Being this is such a historic event, we just couldn’t let them down.”

Tickets for the global livestream cost £24.99 (€30) and offering access from 3pm, plus the option to rewatch the concert in its entirety for another 48 hours. A livestream and T-shirt bundle is also available for £54.99 (€65).

“Mercury Studios are incredibly proud to be involved in capturing this monumental milestone at Villa Park,” adds Kelly Sweeney, MD of Mercury Studios. “Back To The Beginning’ will be an unforgettable experience, and our aim is to deliver this moment to fans worldwide, wherever they are, so they don’t miss out on seeing music history being made.”

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Guns N’ Roses, Tool and Rival Sons have joined the mammoth bill for Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath’s farewell show.

Tickets for heavy metal celebration Back to the Beginning, which will be hosted and compered by American actor Jason Momoa, sold out in less than 10 minutes of going on general sale on Friday (14 February).

More than 150,000 fans reportedly joined the online queue at 10am, with the cheapest tickets available at £197.50 (€237.40), while general admission standing started at £262.50 (€315.50).

The all-day charity event will take place at Villa Park, Birmingham, on Saturday 5 July. Black Sabbath’s original lineup – Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward – will top the star-laden bill, marking Osbourne’s final performance and the first time the quartet have played together in 20 years. Osbourne will play his own short set before joining with Black Sabbath for his final live bow.

The concert will also feature sets from Metallica, Slayer, Pantera, Gojira, Halestorm, Alice In Chains, Lamb Of God, Anthrax and Mastodon.

Post Malone has announced the European leg of his biggest international headline tour to date

In addition, it will include a supergroup of musicians, as Andrew Watt, Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers), Dave Ellefson, Vernon Reid (Living Colour) and Whitfield Crane (Ugly Kid Joe) will join Billy Corgan (The Smashing Pumpkins), David Draiman (Disturbed), Frank Bello (Anthrax), Fred Durst (Limp Bizkit), Jake E Lee, Jonathan Davis (Korn), KK Downing, Lzzy Hale (Halestorm), Mike Bordin (Faith No More), Rudy Sarzo, Sammy Hagar, Scott Ian (Anthrax), Sleep Token ii (Sleep Token), Papa V Perpetua (Ghost), Tom Morello (Rage Against The Machine) and Wolfgang Van Halen.

Morello, who is also serving as music director for the concert, previously declared: “This will be the greatest heavy metal show ever.”

In other new tour news, Post Malone has announced the European leg of his biggest international headline tour to date. Post Malone Presents: The BIG ASS World Tour will arrive at 11 venues across the continent this August and September.

Beginning 12 August in Prague, Czech Republic at Airport Letnany, the Live Nation-produced trek – which includes support from special guest Jelly Roll on select dates – will stop at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, UK and GelreDome in Arnhem, the Netherlands, among others, before concluding at Estadio do Restelo in Lisbon, Portugal, on 14 September.

Malone’s full list of European tour and festival dates is as follows:

8 August: Untold Festival, Cluj-Napoca, Romania

10 August: Sziget, Budapest, Hungary

12 August: Airport Letnany, Prague, Czech Republic

13 August: Frequency Festival, St. Pӧlten, Austria

15 August: Bittersweet Festival, Poznań, Poland

16 August: Lovestream Festival, Bratislava, Slovakia

18 August: Parkbühne Wuhlheide, Berlin, Germany

21 August: Darius and Girenas Stadium, Kaunas, Lithuania

23 August: Horsens & Friends at Nordstern Arena, Horsens, Denmark

27 August: IDays Milano, Milan, Italy

29 August: Zürich Openair, Zürich, Switzerland |

30 August: Superbloom, Munich, Germany

3 September: Paris La Défense Arena, Paris, France

5 September: Heinz von Heiden Arena, Hanover, Germany

7 September: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London UK

9 September: GelreDome, Arnhem, Netherlands

12 September: Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, Barcelona, Spain

14 September: Estadio do Restelo, Lisbon, Portugal

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Ozzy Osbourne is reuniting with Black Sabbath to headline an all-star UK stadium concert Back to the Beginning, celebrating the creators of heavy metal.

Billed as “the greatest heavy metal show ever”, the charity event will take place at Villa Park in the band’s native Birmingham on Saturday 5 July. It will also feature sets from Metallica, Slayer, Pantera, Gojira, Halestorm, Alice In Chains, Lamb Of God, Anthrax and Mastodon.

Black Sabbath’s original lineup – Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward – will top the bill, marking Osbourne’s final performance and the first time the quartet have played together in 20 years.

Formed in Birmingham in 1968, the metal legends have sold more than 75 million albums worldwide. The group called it a day following their 2016/17 The End Tour, which featured Osbourne, Iommi and Butler and grossed $US85 million at the box office from 81 concerts across North America, Europe, Oceania and Latin America.

“It’s my time to go Back to the Beginning….time for me to give back to the place where I was born,” says Osbourne, who announced his retirement from touring in 2023. “How blessed am I to do it with the help of people whom I love. Birmingham is the true home of metal. Birmingham Forever.”

“This will be the greatest heavy metal show ever”

The all-day Back to the Beginning will also feature a supergroup of musicians, with acts so far including Billy Corgan (The Smashing Pumpkins), David Draiman (Disturbed), Duff McKagan & Slash (Guns ‘n Roses), Frank Bello (Anthrax), Fred Durst (Limp Bizkit), Jake E Lee, Jonathan Davis (Korn), KK Downing and Lzzy Hale (Halestorm).

Also confirmed are Mike Bordin (Faith No More), Rudy Sarzo, Sammy Hagar, Scott Ian (Anthrax), Sleep Token ii (Sleep Token), Papa V Perpetua (Ghost), Tom Morello (Rage Against The Machine), Wolfgang Van Halen and Zakk Wylde, with more names to be announced shortly.

“This will be the greatest heavy metal show ever,” says music director Tom Morello.

Tickets go on sale on Friday 14 February. All profits will go to Cure Parkinson’s, Birmingham Children’s Hospital and Acorn Children’s Hospice, a Children’s Hospice supported by Aston Villa.

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Ozzy Osbourne has cancelled his long-delayed farewell tour and retired from touring, saying he is “not physically capable” of going out on the road.

The 74-year-old Black Sabbath vocalist’s No More Tours II run launched in North America back in the spring of 2018, with a European leg scheduled for 2019 pushed back due to medical reasons.

The arena shows were finally set for May/June 2023 after further postponements, but have now been pulled entirely.

In a letter posted on his social media channels, Osbourne says his retirement announcement is “probably one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to share with my loyal fans”.

“I have now come to the realisation that I’m not physically capable of doing my upcoming European/UK tour dates, as I know I couldn’t deal with the travel required”

“As you may all know, four years ago, this month, I had a major accident, where I damaged my spine,” says the metal legend. “My one and only purpose during this time has been to get back on stage. My singing voice is fine. However, after three operations, stem cell treatments, endless physical therapy sessions, and most recently groundbreaking Cybernics (HAL) Treatment, my body is still physically weak.

“I am honestly humbled by the way you’ve all patiently held onto your tickets for all this time, but in all good conscience, I have now come to the realisation that I’m not physically capable of doing my upcoming European/UK tour dates, as I know I couldn’t deal with the travel required.

“Never would I have imagined that my touring days would have ended this way. My team is currently coming up with ideas for where I will be able to perform without having to travel from city to city and country to country.”

Osbourne brought the curtain down on his touring days with Black Sabbath six years ago in his native Birmingham, UK. The 2016/17 The End Tour featured founding members Osbourne, Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler and grossed $US85 million at the box office from 81 concerts across North America, Europe, Oceania and Latin America.

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Virtual blockchain-based world Decentraland has announced details of the second Metaverse Music Festival (MVMF), which will include a virtual performance by Ozzy Osbourne.

Set for 10-13 November, the free four-day event will feature “uniquely curated community genre stages” and Web3-enabled, immersive music experiences, presented by digital asset platform Kraken.

The first 100 acts have been confirmed for the festival – a virtual world made up of permanent, shared, 3D virtual spaces – which debuted last year. Performers will include Vladimir Cauchemar, SNH48, Spottie WiFi, Atarashii Gakko!, Amadis & The Ambassador, FMaija Kauhanen, Handshaking, Akira the Don, DJ Eddy Temple-Morris’ band Losers, 2AM, Erika Krall and Lian Gold, who will star on the centrepiece Tower of Babel stage, set in “a cyberpunk city of the future”.

Music festival Ozzfest is also coming to Decentraland, featuring Osbourne himself and other acts soon to be announced, while music brand Limewire will host one of the main stages with an exclusive avatar performance and music video premiere from Soulja Boy. The artists playing at MVMF have worked with community designers in Decentraland to create one-of-a-kind swag options and soon-to-be-announced specials.

The inaugural Metaverse Music Festival, held in October 2021, attracted 50,000 unique attendees

The inaugural Metaverse Music Festival, held in October 2021, attracted 50,000 unique attendees to see artists such as Deadmau5, 3LAU, Paris Hilton, RAC, and Alison Wonderland.

Producer, songwriter and DJ Dillon Francis has also collaborated with Vegas City to bring a state-of-the-art Dillon Francis mega club to Decentraland. Francis will open the festival with a special set that will be projected on several screens throughout the club all weekend.

In addition to a variety of new metaverse experiences, other attractions will include a Jerry Garcia Acoustic Stage, MultiNFT Techno Parkour Stage, a pop-up nightclub by web3 music network MODA DAO and the OG stage featuring Decentraland’s most prolific musicians and event promoters.

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Ask any of his friends, colleagues and clients about Rod MacSween and you soon learn the true meaning of the term enigma. 2019 marked his 50th anniversary in live music, but aside from receiving an honorary doctorate from his alma mater, the University of Exeter, the year passed without too much fanfare for MacSween, who simply got on with the business of booking tours and festival slots for his astounding roster of headlining clients.

“He’s married to ITB Ltd – that’s his real passion,” states Colin Newman of accountants and business advisors SRLV, whose relationship with MacSween dates back the entirety of those 50 years. “His dedication to his clients is incredible and I think that’s what still drives him.”

ITB partner, Barry Dickins, agrees. “Rod lives to work, while I work to live. You could not find two people more unalike than Rod and I, but it works, and he has helped to make me a rich man. He’s one of the best agents of all time and if I was a manager, I’d definitely want Rod to be my agent.”

Early years
Born in Southampton, England, Rod grew up with his siblings in the New Forest on England’s south coast. His surname (and Scottish roots) hail from the remote Isle of Lewis, where, in days gone by, he would regularly visit the family croft – a farm smallholding.

“His parents were both academics, so I think they were ecstatic when he decided to study chemistry and statistics at Exeter University,” says Diana Pereira, MacSween’s long-time assistant at ITB. “I don’t know if that’s where it comes from, but nobody knows numbers like Rod does. He remembers the tiniest details from deals decades ago and he even remembers the dates and capacities of the rooms.”

“His dedication to his clients is incredible and I think that’s what still drives him”

Dickins adds, “He’s very private – we’ve been in business together for 42 years, but we’ve probably had dinner outside of a working relationship about three times. But I’ve learned a few things about him over the years.”

Talking to IQ for ITB’s 40th anniversary celebrations in issue 76, MacSween acknowledged the chalk-and-cheese nature between him and Dickins. “We don’t see an awful lot of each other, but we each have much respect for what the other does,” he said. “We have always remained friends and been there for each other, as partners should be.”

Backtrack to 1969 and MacSween’s passion for music was evident. No sooner had he enrolled in university than his fellow students elected him social secretary of the Students’ Guild. He held that post for three years, bringing the likes of The Who, Pink Floyd and Robert Plant’s first group, Band of Joy, to play on campus, where 1,800 students would regularly pay £1 each to pack into the venue to benefit from MacSween’s latest booking coup.

Recalling those early days when picking up his honorary doctorate, MacSween said, “I brought The Who to Exeter on 1 May 1970 and they performed the whole of Tommy plus some hits. After the gig, Roger Daltrey and Pete Townsend went back to London, but Keith Moon and John Entwistle stayed, so I took them out to a nightclub and with my meagre funds I bought two bottles of champagne. Keith Moon was so overwhelmed that a student had bought him champagne that he went out and ordered a crate. Many years later, in 1992, I told that story to Eddie Vedder as a new client and the singer of Pearl Jam, and Eddie [later] told me, ‘Rod, that was the day I trusted you.’”

Agent Mike Dewdney, who has been at ITB for 31 years, observes, “That’s the thing about Rod, he’s a great storyteller, and he has hundreds of amazing stories to tell. He’s a fascinating man – like a cross between Peter Stringfellow and Inspector Morse.”

“He’s very private – we’ve been in business together for 42 years, but we’ve probably had dinner outside of a working relationship about three times”

Career moves
While his sister, Catriona, followed their parents’ path into academia, Rod turned his back on chemistry and statistics to start working life as a booking agent.

“The first time I came across Rod, he was working for Johnny Jones in a room where Johnny would sit on a riser, like a teacher, and Rod was sitting in the lecture room, along with another agent and an assistant,” recalls Live Nation chairman of international music, Thomas Johansson.

Meanwhile, Dickins’ early career saw him at the Malcolm Rose agency, then moving to work with powerful agent/promoter Harold Davidson, who later sold to MAM. “In 1975, I was in the rock department at MAM with John Giddings and Ian Wright; Rod, at that time, was at the Bron Agency with Steve Barnett, and I was hearing some good things about him – he was a hustler and a really good agent,” says Dickins. “I was a director at MAM, so I had a meeting with him and offered him a job, but Rod wanted more money than I was on, so that was the end of that.”

Having attracted a number of such offers, MacSween eventually agreed a deal to work with Don Arden’s Jet group of
companies. That role introduced him to Arden’s daughter, Sharon, who a few short years later married another longtime confidant and MacSween client, Ozzy Osbourne.

“[Sharon] was working with her father at the time,” MacSween recalls. “We, and then Ozzy, became great friends. With all their help, ITB was set-up in 1976. Barry came and joined as a partner in 1978.”

“Rod’s the best agent in the world, and in terms of financial relevance, he’s been the best in the world for many, many years”

Business manager Colin Newman says, “I was working with Don Arden as a junior accountant and that’s how I first met Rod and Sharon. I remember that Rod was the agent for the Electric Light Orchestra, who were Jet Records’ biggest act.” Dickins brought the likes of Fleetwood Mac, Neil Young, The Kinks and Joni Mitchell to the fledgling ITB set-up, while MacSween’s other acts included Steve Hillage, Kiki Dee, Roy Wood’s Wizzard, and Whitesnake.

“When I took over management for Whitesnake, for some reason Rod and I were not speaking,” says Wizard Promotions founder Ossy Hoppe. “I asked the band’s lawyer, Tony Russell, to invite Rod to his office so he could meet the new manager and when Rod turned up and saw me, he said, ‘I may as well go home now.’ But I told him he was keeping the band, because he was a great agent, and we’ve never fallen out again. In fact, he’s my son, Oliver’s, godfather.”

“[Sharon] was working with her father at the time,” MacSween recalls. “We, and then Ozzy, became great friends. With all their help, ITB was set-up in 1976. Barry came and joined as a partner in 1978.”

Setting a trend for the company’s managing partners, ITB’s office set-up started out uniquely. “We’ve never had offices next to each other, but when we first started working together, the gulf was even bigger – Rod was in Tilney Street and I was at the other end of Mayfair in Hanover Square,” says Dickins. “It was a few months before me moved into the same building together when I found a whole floor in Hammer House in Wardour Street. So Rod set-up at one end and I took the other end. It’s been like that in every office since.”

Although Arden was involved, he rarely visited the ITB premises, allowing Dickins and MacSween to get on with the job of building the business. “Don was a silent partner, but I was tasked with keeping an eye on the finances for him,” explains Newman, who subsequently arranged the management buyout of the company on behalf of Dickins and MacSween in the 1980s, and remains the financial advisor for ITB, the Osbournes, and numerous other music clients to this day. That puts him in a great position to rank MacSween’s achievements. “Rod’s the best agent in the world,” he states. “And in terms of financial relevance, he’s been the best in the world for many, many years.”

Creating an empire
Until the management buyout of ITB, ownership of the company…

Continue reading this feature in the digital edition of IQ 88, or subscribe to the magazine here

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Worldwide concert tours by Ozzy Osbourne and Elton John have been disrupted this week, as the stars battle with poor health.

Earlier today (18 February), Ozzy Osbourne cancelled the North American leg of his upcoming No More Tours 2 tour – which had been rescheduled from last year – “to recover from various health issues”.

“I don’t want to start a tour and then cancel shows at the last minute, as it’s just not fair to the fans,” reads a statement on the singer’s website. “I’d rather they get a refund now and when I do the North American tour down the road, everyone who bought a ticket for these shows will be the first ones in line to purchase tickets at that time.”

Osbourne was due to start the Live Nation-promoted tour in Atlanta at the end of May. A run of European tour dates starting in October 2020 are currently due to go ahead as planned.

Another artist to experience health-related issues this week is Elton John, who was forced to leave the stage during a show at Auckland’s Mount Smart Stadium in New Zealand on Sunday night. The singer had been diagnosed with walking pneumonia – a milder strain of the illness – earlier that day.

“I don’t want to start a tour and then cancel shows at the last minute, as it’s just not fair to the fans”

Chugg Entertainment, which is promoting Elton John’s upcoming shows in New Zealand and Australia, has confirmed that the star’s two remaining Auckland dates will be postponed to 2021.

“Despite the best efforts of a performer who never wants to disappoint his fans, upon further consultation from doctors and specialists, it has this evening been decided that Sir Elton John’s two remaining Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland, performances will be rescheduled to Friday 15 and Saturday 16 January 2021,” reads a press statement.

The rescheduled dates extend the singer’s mammoth Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour, which was due to conclude at London’s O2 Arena on 17 December 2020. Tickets for this year’s postponed shows will be valid for the dates in 2021, with those unable to attend next year able to request a refund via Ticketmaster.

Ill health has also troubled Madonna recently, causing the cancellation of 11 of the 93 dates on her Madame X tour. The singer called off three shows of her recent 14-show residency at London’s Palladium theatre due to injury.

“As you all know I have multiple injuries and have had to cancel shows to give me time to recover,” said the artist in a statement.

Photo: Ernst Vikne/Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0) (cropped)

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Lawyers for Ozzy Osbourne have agreed to drop their lawsuit against AEG after the US venues giant ended its ‘Staples Center Commitment’ tying booking between Staples Center in LA and the O2 in London.

The long-running ‘booking war’ between AEG and Madison Square Garden Company (MSG) reached its conclusion earlier this month after Jay Marciano, chairman and CEO of AEG Presents, confirmed the company is no longer block booking its LA Staples Center and London O2 venues.

The Black Sabbath frontman had previously sued over the policy, which the suit said was a “explicit”, “brazen” violation of US competition (‘antitrust’) law.

Welcoming the end of the legal action, AEG says in a statement: “This dismissal with prejudice is a victory for AEG. We were fully prepared to see the case through to vindicate our policy, but now that Osbourne has decided to dismiss with prejudice, the case is over.

“Our policy was an appropriate, lawful and effective competitive response to Irving Azoff’s pressure tactics seeking to force artists into the Forum [by requiring them to also play Madison Square Garden]. If those tactics resurface, we will redeploy our policy as needed.

“It is no surprise that once AEG refused to back down, Azoff, MSG and Live Nation became eager to drop the case as soon as possible”

“The Osbourne suit was instigated by Azoff and paid for by MSG and Live Nation. It was hatched on the back of an artist who we believe had no idea what he was biting off. The suit was a transparent public-relations ploy that failed to pressure AEG into backing down from a booking policy that was an effective competitive response to the MSG–Forum tie.

“It is no surprise that once AEG refused to back down, Azoff, MSG and Live Nation became eager to drop the case as soon as possible. They dismissed the case with prejudice after realising AEG would aggressively defend it, costing them tens of millions of dollars and posing a source of embarrassment once their questionable tactics were exposed in the course of discovery and trial.”

Unsurprisingly, and in characteristically outspoken style, Sharon Osbourne, Ozzy’s wife, soon offered a rebuttal of the AEG line and instead claimed victory for Osbourne/Azoff/MSG.

A full statement, sent to Rolling Stone, reads: “We know Mr. Anshultz [sic] (aka “Daddy Big Bucks”) is living in his billionaire bubble, but the fact is that Ozzy sued AEG for the right to perform at the O2 in London. We won the case and Ozzy’s show at the O2 went on sale on September 5 for a show next year (February 11, 2019)–so in my world that means we won the case. Ozzy is playing the O2 without having to play the Staples Center, which is all that mattered to us. From the start of this dialogue in February, this has been a battle about respect for the artists and their personal preferences. It wasn’t then and isn’t now a battle between promoters, which is how this is being portrayed by the recent statement from AEG claiming this as a “victory.”

“To say this suit was ‘instigated by Azoff and paid for by MSG and Live Nation’ … is untrue and disrespectful to Ozzy, myself and the entire team”

“To say that this “suit was instigated by Azoff and paid for by MSG and Live Nation,” and that “it was hatched on the back of an artist who we believe had no idea what he was biting off,” is untrue and disrespectful to Ozzy, myself and the entire team working on this tour. Whatever differences you have with Irving Azoff, don’t presume you know who instigated the lawsuit or you know anything about Ozzy Osbourne, because you obviously don’t know anything about Ozzy’s history or mine. So stop with your hubbildy, bubbuldy BULLSHIT and your little pissing contest with Live Nation and MSG.

“Regarding the allegations in the AEG statement that this “suit was a transparent public relations ploy,” if that was indeed the case, why then did AEG rush out a statement of victory? While we, throughout this process, until now have only made one statement around the initial filing.

“Ozzy’s preference was to perform at The Forum, a venue that has been a part of his music history for more than 46 years. From the start, this was not a battle solely for Ozzy, as much as one for other artists who were being forced to abide by these rules and regulations. Let’s not all forget why you’re here … the artists.

“The only thing remotely interesting in your statement was your pitiful attempt at humor with your quote that Ozzy “had no idea what he was biting off.” If you’re interested, Ozzy and I have got something nice for you [to] bite on … our assholes … see ya loser!”

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Ozzy Osbourne has brought legal action against for AEG for its block booking policy between The O2 and Staples Center, alleging that forcing artists to play both venues is an “explicit”, “brazen” violation of US competition (‘antitrust’) law.

In a class-action lawsuit filed yesterday in the US district court for central California, lawyers for Osbourne (real name John Michael) claim AEG’s policy of requiring acts who want to perform at the 20,000-cap. O2 Arena in London to also play Staples Center (21,000-cap.) in LA – allegedly dubbed the ‘Staples Center Commitment’ by AEG – is an “unlawful tying arrangement that unfairly leverages AEG’s dominance in greater London to distort and deter competition in greater Los Angeles”.

It is the latest twist in the long-running ‘booking war’ between AEG and Madison Square Garden Company/Live Nation – the latter of which has a similar tying of Madison Square Garden in New York and the Forum in LA – and marks the first legal action challenging the practice. A complaint lodged by Live Nation in the UK aimed at ending the so-called Staples Center Commitment was dismissed by the Consumer and Markets Authority (CMA) last December.

Osbourne (pictured), represented by San Francisco’s Latham & Watkins, aims, “on his own behalf and for all similarly situated artists, to prohibit AEG from enforcing the Staples Center Commitment”. The suit also seeks legal fees and “all other relief the court may deem proper and just”.

“The harm to competition from the Staples Center Commitment is profound, immediate and irreparable”

“The harm to competition from the Staples Center Commitment is profound, immediate and irreparable,” alleges the suit, “and must be enjoined”.

The lawsuit follows follows an open letter sent by Osbourne’s wife, Sharon, to AEG last month demanding the end of the block-booking policy and accusing AEG of “bringing artists into a power struggle you’re having with your competitor, Live Nation”.

After revealing AEG had sent Osbourne’s tour promoter, Live Nation, an agreement which “clearly states that Ozzy cannot play at The O2 in London unless we legally agree to play at Staples Center in Los Angeles”, Sharon warned: “If you do not confirm the date for Ozzy at The O2 in London then I will be forced to take legal action against AEG [Presents] without delay.”

Court documents make clear The O2 is at the centre of the dispute, with Latham & Watkins’ Daniel Wall, Timothy O’Mara and Andrew Gass describing the arena as “a singular concert venue – the only indoor arena in London with the capacity to host major concerts. The O2 is a ‘must-have’ venue for the top international touring artists, as witnessed by the steady stream of marquee artists who play The O2 annually.”

“This suit is without merit and we will vigorously fight it”

AEG – which also operates Wembley Arena (12,500-cap.) and the Eventim Apollo (5,039-cap.) – is, therefore, “a clear monopolist in the market for arena-sized venues in greater London”. That’s a situation set to continue for at least the next few years, although Madison Square Garden Company’s hotly anticipated new MSG Sphere London venue will shake up the market when it opens sometime around 2020.

In a statement provided to IQ, Jay Marciano, chairman and CEO of AEG Presents, responds: “This suit is without merit and we will vigorously fight it. We welcome a closer look at the global live entertainment market and, specifically, our practices and the practices of our competition.

“AEG has always worked hard to put artists first. At the same time, we must respond to the actions of those we compete with, specifically Live Nation and Madison Square Garden. Fighting for a level playing field is fair competition at its core.”

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Heavy metal pioneers Black Sabbath capped off their 49-year career with a final, hometown show at Genting Arena in Birmingham, UK, on Saturday night.

Their farewell tour, aptly titled The End, saw the band – comprising founder members vocalist Ozzy Osbourne, guitarist Tony Iommi and bassist Geezer Butler, with only original drummer Bill Ward opting not to take part – play 81 shows in Europe, Australasia and North and South America, beginning last January. The health of Iommi, who has lymphoma, was cited as the reason for quitting touring, although Osbourne will continue to play as a solo artist.

At the final show, Osbourne bowed out with a simple “Good night, thank you so much” following the last song, ‘Paranoid’.

“For Black Sabbath to perform their final show back in the city where it all began is a very apt end”

The Genting, which welcomed 14,500 fans (among them deputy Labour party leader Tom Watson) to the concert on Saturday night, says it was a “great honour” to be the venue for the Sabs’ final show.

Guy Dunstan, general manager of the NEC Group’s Arenas, said before the show: “This is a monumental evening that will go down in history, and I am very thankful that the Genting Arena has had the opportunity to be a part of it. For Black Sabbath to perform their final show back in the city where it all began is a very apt end to what has been an outstanding career for the band.”

Sabbath are represented in the UK by Rod MacSween of ITB.

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