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Yahoo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Black Sabbath Founding Member Tony Iommi Gives the Final Word on the Possibility of Future Shows
Tony Iommi says Black Sabbath's Back to the Beginning concert will absolutely be the end. The legendary guitarist, who will reunite with bandmates Ozzy Osbourne, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward at Birmingham's Villa Park on July 5 for their first live performance in 20 years, told BBC Midlands Today that there is no possibility that the iconic rock band will ever play together in the future. "We're never going to do this again, this will be it," Iommi, 77, confirmed. 'We're all nervous really,' the rocker admitted of the band's highly publicized final show. "This is totally different from anything else we've done, you know we've played for 300,000 people, but this is nerve-wracking." "People are coming from all over the world, and I just can't absorb it,' Iommi added. 'It's been tough, because none of us are getting younger, and to stand there for a couple of hours is tiring.' Iommi previously told Music Week he was worried about how the band's final show would go amid lead singer Ozzy Osbourne's struggles with Parkinson's disease. "The worrying thing for me is the unknown,' he said in the interview, per Louder. 'We don't know what's going to happen. …It's a nerve-wracking thing, as we'll be touching on some stuff that we haven't done for a long time,' he added. Iommi also explained that the band only agreed to reunite for the Back to the Beginning concert because it would be a charity show. "It's absolutely the end,' he said of Black Sabbath, which he formed in 1968 with Osbourne, Butler, and Ward. 'There's no way we could go out and do a tour.' Iommi's confirmation comes after longtime Osbourne guitarist Zakk Wylde expressed hope that Black Sabbath could tour again in the future with some accommodations for the singer's illness. Speaking with Rolling Stone, Wylde predicted that concert promoters will be all over the Back to the Beginning gig. 'I'm sure the promoters are going to go, 'Wow, that was pretty amazing. Let's do another world tour right now,'' Wylde, 58, predicted. 'If they do this Sabbath thing and it sounds amazing, and Ozzy sings great, and the band sounds amazing, and the only difference is Oz is just sitting down [on a throne]…Why not, right? You know every promoter's just got their fingers crossed on this one."Black Sabbath Founding Member Tony Iommi Gives the Final Word on the Possibility of Future Shows first appeared on Men's Journal on Jul 5, 2025
Yahoo
07-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
9 Best Moments From Black Sabbath & Ozzy Osbourne's Epic All-Star Farewell Show
Every end is just another beginning. As its evocative title suggests, Black Sabbath and their many famous friends' stacked one-day show, here in Birmingham's Villa Park stadium, is intended to bring the band's story to a close back where it all began: their beloved hometown. The four-piece's legacy is intrinsically tied to the city in England's Midlands, whose endless sprawl of factories once produced what Black Sabbath came to define: heavy metal. More from Billboard Bands Continue Exiting Radar Festival Following Bob Vylan's Removal Sabrina Carpenter Brings Out Duran Duran for 'Hungry Like the Wolf' at BST Hyde Park Kelly Osbourne & Slipknot's Sid Wilson Get Engaged at Ozzy's Final Black Sabbath Show The band made their final appearance on Saturday (July 5), under the banner of their original, 'classic' lineup (Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, Bill Ward), and boast a legacy that's almost impossible to quantify. They are the ground zero of heavy music, the big bang from which every metal subgenre and major act within it was birthed. As the great musicians here today continuously attest, across the course of their short and sweet sets (which all range from around 15 to 40 minutes in length): None of them would exist if it weren't for Sabbath and their music. 45,000 fans descended on Villa Park (home to Ozzy's beloved Aston Villa F.C.) to witness this final communion, whose proceedings are entirely being donated to a range of charities, including Birmingham Children's Hospital. The imposing, traditionally designed stadium makes for suitably grand staging for the day's proceedings and proves a smart marrying of two of the city's key cultural touchstones. Ahead of various other large summer gigs and their opening of a nearby 3,500-capacity named The Warehouse; Saturday's proceedings affirm the location's stature as a top-tier events space and a worthy host of this pilgrimage. While 'Back to the Beginning' and its dense array of talent on display proves to be a head-spinning feast of metal and rock music, an air of poignancy also hangs over the latter-stage proceedings. Knowing this is Sabbath and Ozzy's final performances (the latter is managing a number of health issues) imbues it with an end of an era feel, although, as the show's multi-layered title might suggest: heavy metal will continue, but forever situated in the shadow of Black Sabbath's titanic contributions. Here are nine of the best moments from 'Back to the Beginning' at Villa Park: Saturday was all about paying tribute to Black Sabbath and every single act on the bill performed at least one cover track. Openers Mastodon (who decried that the ensuing day will be the 'greatest metal show of all time') started the trend off in spectacular fashion with their rendition of 'Supernaut.' Drummer Brann Dailor handled lead vocals and did a great job of matching the famous depths of power that Ozzy summons up on that Sabbath classic. The track's closing stretch was filled out by some additional on-stage percussion from members of Gojira and Tool, setting the tone for a day of covers, collaborations and white-hot metal performances. The monster lineup of 'Back to the Beginning' celebrated metal in all its forms, from blues revivalists to thrash legends to gnarly modern masters. Lamb of God fall firmly in the latter bracket. Their intense groove metal is as anthemic as it is razor-edged, and their mid-afternoon set drags Villa Park to new levels of intensity. Frontman Randy Blythe stalked the stage like a hungry hyena, inciting countless mosh pits and thanking the four Sabbath members for 'inventing metal.' Ending with the strange sight of Blythe throwing both of his shoes into the crowd, Lamb of God's set is as short, head-spinning and satisfying as a quick pull on an illicit cigarette. One of the night's low-key heroes was Extreme guitarist Nuno Bettencourt who, between his shifts in various supergroup performances, spent more time onstage than any other musician. He joined Sleep Token drummer II and Yungblud for a rendition of Sabbath's 'Changes,' an emotionally resonant ballad that feels tailor-made to be belted out by the expressive, charismatic Yungblud. This writer happened to be in the same location as Sharon Osbourne during the performance of the track and can confirm it reduced her to floods of tears. Given the song's reflective, personal lyrics and the famous latter-day version featuring her and Ozzy's daughter Kelly, it's not hard to see why she – and the rest of us – would have found it a deeply poignant listen. The first of many legendary musician supergroup team-ups saw a rare two-track appearance by ex-Ozzy solo guitarist Jake E. Lee. Accompanied by the likes of Faith No More's Mike Bordin on drums and Megadeth's Dave Ellefson on bass, he entered the stage to enormous applause from both the crowd and his bandmates, and looked a little overwhelmed by the acclaim. In October 2024, Lee was shot in a random act of violence and placed in intensive care, but rallied back to the stage. The fondness wasn't extended to Disturbed frontman David Dramian, who was repeatedly booed whenever addressing the crowd during his brief stint onstage, before meekly departing. Google is your friend if you're wondering what might have elicited this reaction. The second supergroup slot involved a truly dizzying number of musicians intertwining with one another across an array of cover songs. The opening section of this fascinating, fun stretch of the show was a particular highlight. Blink-182's Travis Barker, Tool's Danny Carey and Red Hot Chili Peppers' Chad Smith accompanied Tom Morello and others in a deconstructed version of Sabbath's 'Symptom of the Universe,' taking it in turns to bust out fiery solos. Barker pulled out his usual tricks, but it was Smith and his tiny (compared to Carey's) kit which proved an intuitive delight to watch. Toward the end of the aforementioned second supergroup slot, a stellar lineup that includes Chad Smith, Rage Against the Machine's Tom Morello and Aerosmith's Steven Tyler came together for Led Zeppelin's 'Whole Lotta Love' and Aerosmith's 'Walk This Way.' Tyler put in a fantastic performance, exuding presence and swagger that sparked widespread admiration. Later in the evening, Guns 'N' Roses' Axl Rose also silenced his critics. His sometimes patchy live performances are well-documented, however he was in note-perfect, energetic form, particularly during a great cover of 'Sabbath Bloody Sabbath,' far from the easiest vocal performance to emulate. Palpable excitement coursed through the air prior to Metallica's arrival. Opening with a solid, if un-spectacular cover of 'Hole in the Sky,' their set immediately shifts into fifth gear with a one-two punch of 'Creeping Death' and 'For Whom the Bell Tolls.' The four-piece seem extremely up for it, bouncing around the stage, pulling out all the signature moves (from bassist Robert Trujillo's crab walking to drummer Lars Ulrich's gurning) and ripping through these iconic songs with such effortless élan you'd think they were in their practice room. not a stadium. By the time they finish the solid-as-granite masterpiece that is 'Master of Puppets,' Villa Park was crackling with paroxysms of delight. The time had come for the prince of darkness to reclaim his throne. Seated at the front of the stage in an ornate black chair (atop of which is, of course, a giant bat), Ozzy Osbourne explained to his feverish audience: 'I've been laid up for six f—ing years, you have no idea how much this means to me.' His words surmise the tone of this set, which saw him give five of his finest solo tracks a run out. He might not be able to stand, but his voice sounds immaculate, still possessing that signature volume and heft, which drives the energetic likes of 'I Don't Know' and 'Crazy Train.' Along with the frail and grateful Ozzy, another surprisingly moving sight is that of grizzled longtime guitarist Zakk Wylde stood by his side like a faithful old guard dog, or perhaps the devil's favorite minion. Of course, we end where it started. Black Sabbath's original lineup (Ozzy, guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler and drummer Bill Ward) took to the stage together for the first time since 2005, for a half-hour set that opened with 'War Pigs,' followed by 'N.I.B.' and 'Iron Man,' before closing with 'Paranoid.' Interestingly, it's bassist Butler who put on the most eye-catching performance, reminding the world of his stature as one of rock's all-time great bass players. By the time they reached 'Paranoid,' you sensed that the legends didn't have much left in the tank. However, following Ozzy's request to 'go f—ing crazy,' a plethora of mosh pits open throughout the crowd. It's short and sweet and absolutely monumental; a final explosion of metallic sound from four epochal musicians whose influence is impossible to quantify. This spectacular event did them justice and poignantly suggested that every end is merely another beginning. 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Yahoo
05-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Here's everything you need to know about Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne's final ever show
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. It's the biggest heavy metal gig of the year, if not of all time; this weekend, Black Sabbath's original four members - Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward - reunite on stage for the first time in 20 years as they play their final show together ever, back where it all began near their childhood homes in Aston, Birmingham. The show will also mark Ozzy's final ever concert appearance. And they're bringing some friends: over a dozen of the biggest names in heavy metal history will be joining them for what looks set to be a celebration, a spectacle and an emotional goodbye to the godfathers of metal. Here's everything you need to know about Back To The Beginning The Black Sabbath return will take place at Villa Park, Aston, on July 5. The venue isn't only in the band's birthplace of Birmingham, but is the home stadium for the members' beloved football team Aston Villa. Ozzy Osbourne and Geezer Butler demonstrated their love for the club last year, appearing in the reveal trailer for their 2024 kit. Iommi recently held up their colours at a photoshoot announcing Back To The Beginning. Black Sabbath retired following an extensive farewell tour from 2016 to 2017. The shows featured three of the band's four founding members – singer Ozzy Osbourne, guitarist Tony Iommi and bassist Geezer Butler – but not original drummer Bill Ward, who pulled out of the band several years earlier due to a contract dispute. Last year, Osbourne said on his podcast The Madhouse Chronicles that Sabbath's career felt 'unfinished' because they didn't bow out with Ward behind the kit. He called for a true original lineup reunion, and Iommi, Butler and even Ward all expressed interest in the idea over the following weeks. The comeback finally became official with Back To The Beginning's announcement in February 2025. The founding lineup definitely are. From the moment Ozzy Osbourne started discussing a Black Sabbath reunion last year, the idea was for it to be a proper farewell with every original member present. When Back To The Beginning was announced, it was promoted as the singer's 'final bow', meaning it's set to be his last time onstage both with Sabbath and as a solo performer. Ozzy Osbourne originally retired from touring in February 2023 and chalked the decision up to the knock-on effects of numerous surgeries, as well as his Parkinson's disease. 'As you may all know, four years ago, this month, I had a major accident, where I damaged my spine,' The Prince Of Darkness wrote on social media. 'My one and only purpose during this time has been to get back on stage. 'My singing voice is fine. However, after three operations, stem cell treatments, endless physical therapy sessions, and most recently groundbreaking Cybernics (HAL) Treatment, my body is still physically weak.' 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. Though the classic Sabbath members came together yet again in 2012, Ward quickly abandoned the return due to contractual disputes. Sabbath's 2025 show will mark the first time Osbourne, Iommi, Butler and Ward have played together since 2005. Their last full-length concert was that September in West Palm Beach, Florida, during the Ozzfest tour. As well as Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne, Back To The Beginning will feature sets from many heavy metal greats. Metallica, Guns N' Roses, Slayer, Tool, Gojira, Anthrax, Lamb Of God, Halestorm, Mastodon and Rival Sons are all on the bill. There will also be an all-star 'supergroup' playing, with Billy Corgan (The Smashing Pumpkins), Tom Morello (Rage Against The Machine), David Ellefson (ex-Megadeth), Fred Durst (Limp Bizkit) and others among their ranks. Morello will be the musical director of the event and famed actor Jason Momoa (Aquaman, Game Of Thrones) will compere. 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. After multiple pre-sales, tickets to Back To The Beginning went on general sale at 10am UK time on Friday, February 14. The BBC reports that the online queue for tickets exceeded 60,000 people, while Live Nation claims that the event sold out in fewer than 10 minutes. So, unless you're willing to keep an eye on resale sites and potentially pay exorbitant prices, your chances of getting tickets for Black Sabbath's final show are now slim-to-none. After the artist presale for Black Sabbath tickets started on February 11, The Independent reported that prices ranged from £197.50 to £834. On February 13, Birmingham Live reported that one local father spent more than £6,000 on two passes for himself and his daughter. All proceeds from Back To The Beginning will go to the charities Birmingham's Children's Hospital, Acorn Children's Hospice and Cure Parkinson's. Yes! In June, it was announced that Back To The Beginning will be streamed globally. It will begin at 3pm UK time sharp on July 5, with repeat viewing set to be available for 48 hours after the event. Tickets are going for £24.99 on the Back To The Beginning website. You can also get a ticket with an exclusive t-shirt for £54.99. It appears that the stream will operate on a two-hour time delay. Depends who you ask. There were bands who took the groove of blues rock and made it heavier before Black Sabbath came around, such as Iron Butterfly and Cream. However, it's broadly accepted that Sabbath codified the heavy metal genre with their self-titled song in 1970. Not only was it heavy, but it started metal's lengthy habit of pulling ideas from the horror genre: guitarist Tony Iommi used an ominous tritone while bassist Geezer Butler's lyrics were themed around a demonic encounter. Many journalists and musicians have thus called Sabbath the first real metal band. Black Sabbath have released 19 studio albums and are unlikely to make another. 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. 'Released just seven months after their debut, Sabbath's second album is their masterpiece,' wrote journalist Paul Elliott.
BBC News
29-06-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Black Sabbath gives Birmingham mural artist Villa gig tickets
Black Sabbath have presented a Birmingham artist with tickets to their final show during a visit to a mural he painted to celebrate the iconic band's original line-up, Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward, once again made their mark on the city as they signed the artwork, which depicts all four of the members, on Navigation Street, near Grand Central, on Saturday, Mr Murals, the man behind the piece, said Osbourne immediately recognised him and he was gifted two tickets to the band's last performance at Villa Park in July."Every single one of them took the time to speak to me and were so kind," the artist added. "It's mental, I'm still not over it." Thousands of heavy metal fans are expected to head to Villa Park on Saturday as the band hosts its Back To The Beginning concert. The gig features dozens of musicians from the industry, who will take to the stage throughout the day, however, the most exciting part is set to be when the original Black Sabbath reunite to perform together for the first time in 20 will mark the final time Osbourne plays alongside his bandmates, nearly six decades after the band formed in 1968, with the original four all growing up within a few streets of each other and a stone's throw from the Aston stadium. Ozzy is not the only member of the Osbourne family to visit the 40m (130ft) street art, his wife Sharon previously surprised the artist during a trip to the city. Mr Murals added that the band's visit had left him "on cloud nine" and said he needed to continue painting as the work was yet to be finished. "It's just mad; it's going to take a while to sink in," he said. Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
