Hold onto your bat heads, folks – GLOBAL MERCHANDISING SERVICES, the bigwig merch maestros behind every band tee you’ve ever spilled beer on, just locked down a small army of licensing partners for the OZZY OSBOURNE empire. Why? Because the Prince of Darkness himself is throwing a retirement bash called “BACK TO THE BEGINNING” on July 5, 2025, at Birmingham’s Villa Park. Spoiler: It’s gonna be louder than a lawnmower in a library.
For the first time in two decades, the OG BLACK SABBATH lineup (yes, that lineup) will reunite, joined by a who’s-who of rock’s most unhinged: METALLICA (still outrunning napster jokes), GUNS N’ ROSES (Axl’s clock management skills not included), TOOL (expect 20-minute songs and existential merch), SLAYER (back from retirement like a horror movie villain), PANTERA (now featuring Zakk Wylde’s beard as a separate entity), and others. Oh, and GLOBAL MERCHANDISING is slinging anniversary gear for Ozzy’s albums, including “Blizzard Of Ozz” turning 45 – which, fun fact, is older than most TikTok influencers.
Ozzy himself croaked out this emotional nugget: “This is going to be a very emotional show for me. How lucky am I that I get to share the stage one last time with many of the friends I’ve known and toured with throughout my career and do it in the city where it all began? And especially, to be able to say goodbye and thank my fans, who are the ones that gave me this unbelievable life, means more to me than anything. This is my way of giving them one last epic night of madness. We’ve also got some amazing new merch from Global Merchandising that I know you’re going to love, including some limited-edition items. Get ready, Birmingham — this is going to be legendary!”
Speaking of merch, GLOBAL has partnered with over 40 companies to turn Ozzy into a walking billboard. Highlights include:
* Lugz (Worldwide) – Boots for stomping to “Iron Man”
- The Great Frog (Worldwide) – Jewelry to make your grandma faint
- Zippo (Worldwide) – Lighters for… uh, concert ambiance
- Funko (Worldwide) – A cute Ozzy POP! figure (bat snack sold separately)
- McFarlane Toys (Worldwide) – For when you need Ozzy menacing your bookshelf
- Rubber Road (Worldwide) – A duck dressed as Ozzy. Yes, really.
- …and enough apparel brands to clothe a small metal nation (see: Hot Topic’s stock spike).
Lisa Streff from GLOBAL added, without a hint of irony: “Ozzy Osbourne is a rock icon whose influence spans generations. We are thrilled to expand his licensing program with top-licensees and retailers who will bring fans an incredible range of products as we celebrate his legendary career this year.”
Quick history lesson: Ozzy went from Birmingham kid to bat-biting legend with BLACK SABBATH, then solo fame via albums like “Blizzard Of Ozz” (featuring “Crazy Train,” aka every guitar store’s anthem). He later became reality TV’s favorite dad on “The Osbournes”, survived the 2000s, and somehow won a Grammy in 2022 for “Patient Number 9”. Dude’s been inducted into the Rock Hall twice – once for Sabbath, once solo – which is rarer than a sober Motley Crüe concert.
So mark your calendars, Birmingham. It’s the end of an era, served with a side of merch you’ll definitely regret not buying in 20 years.
