Sammy Hagar has hailed the impact of Black Sabbath, claiming that the band started the “metal era”.
Sammy Hagar thinks Black Sabbath started the “metal era”.
The iconic band performed their last-ever gig at Villa Park in Birmingham on Saturday (05.07.25), and Sammy, the former Van Halen frontman, has described the star-studded concert as the “greatest metal event of all time”.
Sammy, 77, told BBC News: “Black Sabbath really kind of started all this, the metal era. Everyone looks at them like the kings, and if the kings are going to go out then we’re going to go honour them.
“Everyone that was asked to do this, shoot, you drop everything and do this. This is going to go down in history as the greatest metal event of all time.”
The gig in Birmingham saw Ozzy Osbourne perform with the original Black Sabbath line-up for the first time in 20 years.
The show also featured appearances from the likes of Metallica, Guns N’ Roses, Yungblud, the Rolling Stones’ Ronnie Wood and Steven Tyler of Aerosmith.
Meanwhile, Yungblud recently admitted to being inspired by Ozzy.
The 27-year-old star is a long-time fan of the Black Sabbath frontman, and he paid a glowing tribute to Ozzy, 76, ahead of the band’s farewell gig at Villa Park.
Yungblud – whose real name is Dominic Harrison – told The Independent earlier this month: “Since I can remember, Ozzy has always been a part of my life.
“I grew up around rock music, and he was a character to me before I even knew anything about him. I remember his hair, I remember his massive mouth, I remember his glasses from when I was three years old.
“If you know me and my family, we’re truly f****** loud – they used to call us The Osbournes. So, I kind of found solace in being similar to them.
“Growing up watching The Osbournes and the madness, I was always like that. I was always out there and crazy. To see someone being so loved and accepted with all their madness … I really found solace in a figure like Ozzy.”
