For us metalheads, this past Saturday was the official end of an era. We are now officially in a post-Ozzy and post-Black Sabbath world, with both entities having officially taken their final bows following the end of the ‘Back to the Beginning’ event in Birmingham, United Kingdom. And while it was an important moment for all of us, it was an equally important moment for a number of houses and hospitals in the Birmingham area, as it turns out the event generated nearly $200 million for those causes.
News of the amount raised was announced in an Instagram post made by Rage Against The Machine’s Tom Morello, who had served as the musical director for the event. For those that don’t remember, the concert wasn’t done to make a profit and all of the participating artists did so for free. From the very start, it was announced that ‘Back to the Beginning’ would evenly donate all profits generated to the following causes: Cure Parkinson’s, Birmingham Children’s Hospital, and Acorn Children’s Hospice.
Nearly $200 million raised is huge, but when you consider the fact that more than five million people paid to live stream the event alone at roughly $30 a ticket, that means the livestream generated upwards of $150 million. Fuckin’ bonkers.