TONY IOMMI Reveals the BLACK SABBATH Songs That Were Rehearsed but Cut From the Final 'BACK TO THE BEGINNING' Setlist

Summary

• Tony Iommi reveals Black Sabbath rehearsed seven songs for their reunion show, but only performed four.
• Songs like Fairies Wear Boots and Black Sabbath were cut due to time limits and Bill Ward’s long absence from touring.
• The show marked the final live appearance of the original Black Sabbath lineup, raising over a $190 million for charity.

Tony Iommi says Black Sabbath had a longer setlist in mind for their recent reunion show, but time and circumstances forced them to cut it short.

During a new interview with Eddie Trunk on SiriusXM’s Trunk Nation (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET), the legendary guitarist opened up about the band’s final performance together at the charity event Back To The Beginning. While fans saw four classics performed onstage, War Pigs, Iron Man, N.I.B., and Paranoid, that wasn’t the full plan.

“We had seven songs that we’d gone through,” Iommi said. “Then it went down to six… and we ended up doing four.”

A Different Setlist Behind the Scenes

According to Iommi, Sabbath also rehearsed Fairies Wear Boots and their self-titled track Black Sabbath. Both were dropped from the set due to a mix of time constraints and drummer Bill Ward’s long absence from the stage.

“It was a little difficult for Bill ’cause he hadn’t played them for so long,” Iommi explained. “Geezer and I, of course, we played them on the last tour. And Bill hasn’t toured, don’t forget, for a long time.”

This was the first time the original Sabbath lineup had played together in two decades. The last time all four members, Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward, shared a stage was in 2005.

Concerns About Ozzy’s Endurance

The show, held at Villa Park in Birmingham, was split into two parts for Ozzy. First, he performed a solo set with his own band, seated on a throne due to his ongoing health struggles. Then he returned for Sabbath’s final set.

Iommi admitted he wasn’t sure Ozzy should do both.

“I said to him I didn’t think he should do [the solo set], because I didn’t want him to get burnt out by the time he’d come with us,” Iommi said. “But he didn’t, and he did his own set.”

Ozzy’s solo portion included I Don’t Know, Mr. Crowley, Suicide Solution, Crazy Train, and Mama, I’m Coming Home. That’s five songs before stepping back out to front Sabbath, something that had his bandmates a little worried.

“Geezer, myself, and Bill thought that he should have a longer break,” Iommi added.

The Curtain That Didn’t Work

Originally, Sabbath had planned a big theatrical entrance. A curtain would rise to reveal the full band already onstage. But during the final soundcheck, things didn’t go as planned.

“The curtain didn’t work,” Iommi said. “They thought best not to use it ’cause it was windy.”

So they improvised. The band entered individually, with Ward already seated at his drum kit, Iommi and Butler walking onstage, and Ozzy being wheeled out on his throne. The stage itself was rotating, adding one more challenge to manage.

“We were making it up as we went on,” Iommi said with a laugh.

One Last Performance With Bill

The 2025 event was especially meaningful for fans because it brought Ward back into the fold. He had not been part of Sabbath’s 2017 farewell tour or the final concert that was filmed for The End: Live In Birmingham.

Iommi originally resisted the idea of another reunion after that 2017 show, saying he felt The End was already the proper send-off. But charity brought him back.

“That’s why I said in the first place I didn’t wanna do it,” he said. “We’d already done the final show before… and that was called The End. As far as I was concerned, that was it. But because it was for charity, it was a great reason to do it.”

Imperfection Was Expected, and Fine

As for how it all went down, Iommi said he was satisfied, even if the performance wasn’t perfect.

“We’re in our seventies and late seventies, so you can only do so much,” he said. “And to expect perfection from everybody is just impossible at the moment.”

Still, the crowd of over 40,000 didn’t seem to mind.

“They did what they could do, and everybody was fine about it,” he added. “The audience would know that and accepted that. They weren’t expecting us to go on and be absolutely just brilliant players. We played as we played and as we are now.”

And Yes, Bill Took His Shirt Off Again

Trunk also asked Iommi about a light-hearted moment fans noticed: Bill Ward played shirtless, like he often did in the old days.

That sparked a classic Bill story from rehearsals.

“We went in to eat at the studio, and Bill got his shirt off,” Iommi recalled. “Geezer was just about to have a sandwich. He went, ‘Oh, Bill, put your shirt on. You’re putting me off the sandwich.’”

Iommi also joked that Bill looked like Gollum. “And I don’t think he knew who Gollum was,” he laughed.

A Fitting Farewell

Back To The Beginning raised more than a $190 million for Cure Parkinson’s, Birmingham Children’s Hospital, and Acorn Children’s Hospice. The event was livestreamed to more than five million viewers worldwide, with additional proceeds coming from ticket bundles and auction items like signed guitars and rare memorabilia.

Hosted by Jason Momoa and curated by Tom Morello, the all-day lineup also featured Metallica, Slayer, Pantera, Lamb of God, and Anthrax.

Ozzy wrapped up the night with a heartfelt message: “It’s the last song ever. Your support has enabled us to live an amazing lifestyle. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.”

A cake appeared. Fireworks went off. And just like that, Black Sabbath said goodbye, again, this time with Bill Ward by their side.

No curtain. No encore. Just four songs, seven rehearsed, and one @#$%! big moment in heavy metal history.

🤘

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