David Draiman gets booed by crowd during Black Sabbath farewell performance amid political comment backlash

Disturbed frontman David Draiman was booed when supposedly celebrating at Villa Park in Birmingham on July 5. Performing at the star-studded farewell concert of Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne, entitled Back To The Beginning, David Draiman was asked to join a supergroup formed by Tom Morello of Rage Against The Machine.

He took the stage to pay tribute to the metal gods by performing cover songs of Ozzy's Shot In The Dark or Sabbath's Sweet Leaf, but his efforts did not receive a rosy reception everywhere. It was evident that some diehard fans in the audience were disapproving of his performance during his set, maybe because David Draiman placed a new edge on the old songs that did not go down well with the purists.

Here’s a clip of David Draiman getting booed. The serotonin it gives me is indescribable. pic.twitter.com/T7YEkNNs2z

— Alia (@TheAliaLink) July 5, 2025

Nevertheless, David Draiman shoved his way through the icy reception and remained determined to his tribute as the rest of the night proceeded and other rock icons made their sampled respects. The farewell concert had a controversial reception, but it stands as an epic send-off to the godfathers of heavy metal as it confirmed they still can evoke sentiments, albeit positive or negative.

The political controversy

American singer David Draiman’s surprise appearance at Black Sabbath’s legendary farewell show turned into more than just a musical moment, it was one of those times when politics split the tight-knit heavy metal community in two. David Draiman has been leading Disturbed with an outspoken attitude and rebellious style for decades, but following the 2023 Israel-Gaza war, his outspoken attitude was suddenly not applied to things inside a theater, but to world politics.

Of Jewish descent and never afraid to talk about his heritage, David Draiman has become one of the most vocal pro-Israel voices out there in the rock community, which has led him into direct conflict with some of his fan base and large parts of the music industry as a whole.

His choice to visit Israel and participate in photo shows with the IDF troops and sign artillery shells with a message filled with expletive-laden rants and directed at Hamas proved to be the last straw to many detractors.

They considered it a highly provocative one, more so considering the devastating civilian toll of the existing war. To David Draiman, it was a statement of support with what he perceives as his people fighting back, yet it was likened to those cheering at the sidelines without realizing the amount of human casualties involved.

Tensions rose even higher when he publicly called on Billie Joe Armstrong to talk about the Jewish perspective, after Green Day's headline Coachella show tis year where Armstrong changed song lyrics to support the Palestinian cause, sparking worldwide buzz.

Therefore, when David Draiman appeared on that stage in Birmingham, with legends in tow in the form of Jake E. Lee, Mike Bordin and Scott Ian to support him, there were boos not because he did not do justice to classics like Shot In The Dark, but because of his political views which some felt were taking too much precedence over the music. But predictably enough, David Draiman did not cringe.

And his unsolicited idea-starter of "We gonna start this?" was not merely a signal to the band, but a reminder that he is not about to back off what he believes and believes in, no matter how vociferous the dissent may be.

David Draiman just got booed…😳😳 He repsonded: ‘We gonna start this!?’ pic.twitter.com/FJDZgNYp2H

— Punt Road (@punt_rd) July 5, 2025

To the fan in the audience, it was an ambivalent swirl of jubilation and unease, a retroactive finale on the epoch-defining legacy of Black Sabbath, the brashness of which was blighted against the unvarnished conviction that, in music, politics, and ideology, few worlds co-exist.

Who is David Draiman?

David Draiman is an American heavy metal vocalist and composer, who has achieved most prominence as the dominant, polarised vocalist of the succession of Disturbed, one of the largest metal groups to appear at the end of the 20th century and the start of the 21st.

With his trademark powerful baritone voice and dramatic delivery along with strong stage presence, having produced such popular rock hits as Down with the Sickness, Stricken, and Indestructible, David Draiman firmly placed them at the top of the rock charts across the world.

Outside Disturbed, he has pursued other musical ventures, including the industrial metal band Device, and he has gained notoriety in part due to outspoken discussions of mental health conditions and world affairs, sometimes causing controversy within and beyond the rock world.

His relationship with Black Sabbath is based on influence and heritage, and not a direct membership, as so many metal musicians have named Sabbath as the precursor of the genre's sound and attitude. That linked up perfectly when he was asked to form part of an all-star performance in the final show given by Black Sabbath at Birmingham, along with such classic players as Jake E. Lee and Scott Ian, among others.

With such a milestone act, David Draiman emphasized how influential Black Sabbath's work sounds once again, even to the next generation of performers in the metal world.

David Draiman being booed at Black Sabbath's last show showed how people's thoughts about an artist's political stance can come into play on stage.

Even though he was there with famous rock and metal stars for a big tribute, his support for Israel, which had been in the news, caught the crowd's eye more than his music. This event showed how a live show can mix with bigger matters, making the audience react in ways that are about more than just the music.

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