BLACK SABBATH's Tony Iommi Talks About Final Show Concerns: 'The Unknown Worries Me'

Summary

• Black Sabbath’s final concert Back to the Beginning set for July 5 in Birmingham, England.
• Tony Iommi concerned about unpredictable factors, including Ozzy Osbourne’s physical limitations.
• The show will stream globally via pay-per-view, with replays available for 48 hours.

Tony Iommi, the ever-present architect of Black Sabbath, isn’t exactly sleeping easy as the band’s farewell inches closer. Set for July 5 in Birmingham, England, the hometown gig isn’t just another concert. It’s the final bow for the original lineup, a lineup that hasn’t shared a stage together in two decades.

Speaking to Music Week, Iommi laid his cards on the table. The stakes? High. The risks? Plenty.

“It’s going to be something huge if everything lands properly. My worry is what we can’t predict. We don’t have the luxury of rehearsing like we would on a normal tour. There’s a lot of moving pieces with this one.”

Part of that uncertainty revolves around Ozzy Osbourne’s health. His battle with Parkinson’s disease limits what fans can expect from his stage presence.

“People remember Ozzy pacing back and forth, but that’s not happening this time. Whether he’ll be standing, sitting, or parked on a throne, even I don’t know.”

Despite the swirling unknowns, Iommi isn’t letting nerves steal the entire show.

“Once we hit that first note, muscle memory kicks in. We’ve been here before. Even in past tours, there’s always a bit of anxiety before the start. Eventually, we fall into the groove and it all comes together.”

The show, branded Back to the Beginning, won’t be limited to the lucky few inside Villa Park. A worldwide pay-per-view stream will bring the final chapter of Black Sabbath’s career directly to living rooms. Viewers will also have a 48-hour window to catch replays after the live broadcast.

About Black Sabbath

Black Sabbath is a British heavy metal band formed in 1968 in Birmingham, England. The original lineup consisted of Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward.

The band is widely recognized as one of the pioneers of heavy metal, with early albums such as Black Sabbath (1970), Paranoid (1970), and Master of Reality (1971) shaping the genre’s early sound.

Throughout their career, Black Sabbath sold over 75 million albums worldwide. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006 and received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019.

The upcoming farewell concert marks the final performance by the original lineup.

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