'70s Rock Legends Reflect on What They Hope Fans Never Forget Ahead of Final Concert
Ahead of their final performance, this legendary rock group is reflecting on how they want fans to remember them.
Black Sabbath, featuring original members Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward, will take the stage one last time on Saturday, July 5.
For the first time in two decades, the group is coming together for a final farewell — and they're getting sentimental about the history they've made.
'You can never know how your life turns out,' guitarist Iommi told Classic Rock. 'It's just believing in what you do and following that path. That's always what I've had, and not given up on it.'
When asked how he'd like the band to be remembered, he answered, 'For what we brought to the table. For bringing this music out and inspiring other bands to build on it.'
Other members echoed the sentiment, with Ward saying he hoped the band would be remembered for their creativity.
'For showing that it's okay to push things, to be outlandish and extraordinary and rough around the edges. We were loud and aggressive, and that's what I love about us.'
Butler added that their legacy lies in their roots, 'As four working-class blokes who defied all the odds, but had an unbreakable belief in ourselves and bonded with the greatest fans ever.'
Although the band won't be touring again, the question of recording new music came up — and the answers were hopeful.
'I'd love to do another album. I'll be direct about that,' Ward said. Osbourne agreed, sharing his desire to keep making more music.
'As far as recording goes, I still enjoy doing my own work. I also enjoy singing on other people's work. For the foreseeable future, I will keep on recording — if the projects interest me.'
This upcoming performance marks yet another chapter in a long history of farewells. Back in 1992, Osbourne announced his first retirement after being mistakenly diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, saying he wanted more time with family.
His second farewell came in 1999, when Black Sabbath headlined Ozzfest under the banner 'The Last Supper.' The branding led many to believe it was the end — until the band returned in 2001.
In 2016, following a reunion after Osbourne's solo ventures and lommi and Butler's own collaboration, they launched another farewell tour titled The End.
And in 2018, Osbourne wasn't quite ready to slow down yet. He announced a solo run, No More Tours II, in support of his album.
Unfortunately, due to health issues, the tour was ultimately canceled. 'Never would I have imagined that my touring days would have ended this way,' he said at the time.
Now, it seems he may finally get the send-off he's been working toward for the past 30 years.
'70s Rock Legends Reflect on What They Hope Fans Never Forget Ahead of Final Concert first appeared on Parade on Jul 2, 2025
This story was originally reported by Parade on Jul 2, 2025, where it first appeared.
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As his wife and manager Sharon Osbourne recently explained, the singer's health issues have only worsened since then. She told The Sun that he can no longer walk as a result of Parkinson's, despite his voice still being in top form. This has doubtlessly all played into Ozzy's decision to retire from the stage after Back To The Beginning. Back To The Beginning will feature all of Black Sabbath's original members: Ozzy Osbourne (vocals), Tony Iommi (guitars), Geezer Butler (bass) and Bill Ward (drums). The four men initially played together from 1968 to 1979, when Osbourne was fired due to his excessive substance use. The singer started a solo career while Sabbath continued, with Iommi being the only constant member. The Osbourne/Iommi/Butler/Ward lineup reunited in 1999 but disbanded again in 2006. Iommi and Butler started the project Heaven And Hell, and Osbourne went back to his solo work. 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Wolfgang Van Halen was supposed to be part of Back To The Beginning but dropped out. He explained last week that his band, Mammoth, start a North American tour supporting Creed the day after Back To The Beginning. 'I [wouldn't] be able to pull it off, unfortunately,' he said. One of the biggest gaps in the list of performers is Sabbath's fellow Birmingham metal icons, Judas Priest. Frontman Rob Halford told Metal Hammer that his band will be playing the 60th-anniversary celebrations of German hard rockers Scorpions on the same day. Nonetheless, founding Priest guitarist K.K. Downing, who left the band in 2011, will be there. See the full list of performers in the poster below. According to a recent interview with Sharon Osbourne, Back To The Beginning will start at 12 noon on July 5. 'Then you're going to see one icon playing with another icon, doing a Sabbath song and one or two of their own songs, and people playing with each other that you never you'd see,' she added. 'Tom Morello is going to play with the drummer from Tool [Danny Carey] and they're going to have Billy Corgan with them. 'Then you'll see Slash and Duff [Mckagan] and whoever they choose to play with. [Disturbed singer] David Draiman is going to come up and sing, Jonathan [Davis] from Korn is going to be here and he could be playing with [Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer] Chad Smith or whoever!' The day will end with performances from Ozzy Osbourne and the original Black Sabbath lineup. However, on his Sirius XM radio show in mid-February, Osbourne said he'll only play 'bits and pieces' with Sabbath onstage. 'I'm not planning on doing a set with Black Sabbath but I am doing little bits and pieces with them,' he said in full. 'I am doing what I can, where I feel comfortable.' This week, Tony Iommi corroborated that statement by noting that Osbourne will play "four songs" in an interview with the BBC. 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Here they are in chronological order: Black Sabbath (1970) Paranoid (1970) Master Of Reality (1971) Vol. 4 (1972) Sabbath Bloody Sabbath (1973) Sabotage (1975) Technical Ecstasy (1976) Never Say Die! (1978) Heaven And Hell (1980) Mob Rules (1981) Born Again (1983) Seventh Star (1986) The Eternal Idol (1987) Headless Cross (1989) Tyr (1990) Dehumanizer (1992) Cross Purposes (1994) Forbidden (1995) 13 (2013) There's no general consensus on what the best Black Sabbath album is, but the fan-favourites from the band's original lineup are Black Sabbath and Paranoid (both 1970), Master Of Reality (1971), Sabbath Bloody Sabbath (1973) and Sabotage (1975). Many are also partial to the band's first album with Ronnie James Dio on vocals, Heaven And Hell (1980), while Headless Cross (1989) featuring singer Tony Martin is frequently described as underrated. Classic Rock magazine recently ranked Sabbath's albums from worst to best and put Paranoid at the top of the pile. 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