Back to the Beginning, the all-day heavy metal festival this past July 5th that was capped off with the alleged last-ever performances by both Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath, raised more than $200 million for three charities, making it the highest-grossing charity concert of all time according to Billboard, which has kept track of such events.
40,000 fans packed Villa Park soccer stadium in Sabbath's hometown of Birmingham, England, while a reported 5.8 million watched online.
While the final amount for each charity has yet to be announced, the money will be distributed equally to Birmingham Children’s Hospital, Acorn Children’s Hospice and Cure Parkinson’s. Each charity also raised additional funds by raffling off memorabilia and tickets to the show, and through individual contributions from fans as they streamed the show.
Billboard states, "While impossible to fact-check so soon after the event... reports from Billboard and other media outlets have relied on figures provided by people affiliated with these concerts, as promoters are not required to publish the total funds raised or how much is deducted to cover expenses..."