In front of a packed Madison Square Garden in 2009, Metallica brought their heavy metal sound to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s 25th Anniversary concert. Metal fans were having the time of their lives listening to one of thrash metal’s pioneering groups play their hits. However, Metallica had a surprise up their sleeves. The excitement of the crowd reached new heights when lead singer James Hetfield welcomed the arrival of another metal pioneer, announcing, “Please say hello to my friend Ozzy.”
Needing no more introduction, the crowd erupted as Ozzy Osbourne joined Metallica onstage. As the original frontman for Black Sabbath, considered by many to be the first-ever heavy metal band, seeing Ozzy share a stage with Metallica is sure to thrill the metal fans among our Music Man readers. Audience members went wild as the band played through Ozzy’s Sabbath-era hits ‘Iron Man’ and ‘Paranoid.’ Online fans flocked to watch the video, with it now having received over a whopping 34M views.
The musicians all looked thrilled to be performing together, giving an energetic show as they rocked out on stage. Metallica’s connection to Black Sabbath runs deep, bridging the generations of metal. Not only are they both influential bands within the genre, but Metallica has credited Black Sabbath as a direct influence on their sound. James Hetfield has credited the band for getting him interested in the genre in the first place, making their performance together all the more special.
This wasn’t the first time their paths had crossed in a significant way. In 2006, Metallica had the honor of inducting Black Sabbath into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. During the induction ceremony, Metallica decided to pay tribute to the band’s music with a cover of ‘Iron Man’. The band blended their own interpretation of the song with a faithful homage to the original, with guitarist Kirk Hammett transforming the guitar solo in his own unique thrash metal style in a twist fans will adore.
Music Man readers love to see musicians paying tribute to the bands that have come before them and influenced their sound. Even better is when those musicians come together to share the stage and celebrate their legacies together, making Metallica’s collaboration with Ozzy Osbourne a real treasure for any metalheads among us. With these iconic musicians coming together to play some of the most legendary songs in metal history, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 25th Anniversary became a concert set for the music history books as it united two generations of metal music that fans are sure to remember for years to come.
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