For months, rumors of a Black Sabbath reunion swirled, with founding members Geezer Butler, Ozzy Osbourne, and Bill Ward all publicly expressing interest. Finally, the news arrived: The pioneering heavy metal band’s original lineup will share a stage one final time on July 5 at Villa Park in their hometown of Birmingham, England. However, guitarist Tony Iommi admitted to feeling a bit more ambivalent about performing with his former Black Sabbath bandmates. Here’s what finally changed his mind.
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“We’re Doing It for a Reason:” Why Tony Iommi Agreed to Black Sabbath Finale
The original Black Sabbath foursome of Geezer Butler, Tony Iommi, Ozzy Osbourne, and Bill Ward last played side-by-side in 2017, when they wrapped up their farewell tour in Birmingham. So when talk began of yet another “good-bye” show, Iommi understandably had his doubts.
“I’m the one that said, ‘I don’t know if we should do it’, because we did a farewell tour and I didn’t want to get into that thing like all the other bands are doing, saying it’s the last tour and then reappearing again,” the 77-year-old guitarist recently told The Guardian.
So what finally convinced him? “We’re doing it for a reason,” Iommi said.
That reason is raising funds for children’s charities and Parkinson’s disease, which Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne has battled since 2019.
“No one’s getting paid or anything,” said the Godfather of Metal. Instead, the proceeds from ticket sales will go toward Cure Parkinson’s, Birmingham Children’s Hospital, and Acorns Children’s Hospice.
[RELATED: Ozzy Osbourne Dismisses Doubts About His Ability To Perform at Final Black Sabbath Show]
So What’s Next For Black Sabbath?
July’s “Back to the Beginning” concert closes a six-decade chapter for the musicians largely credited with inventing heavy metal. What do its members have in mind?
Well, Tony Iommi, for one, recently headed up a Black Sabbath-themed ballet (yes, really) along with his own perfume line. According to The Guardian, Geezer Butler is hard at work on a novel, while Bill Ward says he has seven released solo albums still to unveil.
And Ozzy? Well, he and wife Sharon have every intention of retiring to their Buckinghamshire home with “some ponies and chickens, and a million dogs.”
Adds the Prince of Darkness, “It’s time for me to spend some time with my grandkids. I don’t want to die in a hotel room somewhere. I want to spend the rest of my life with my family.”
Featured image by Samir Hussein/Getty Images for Live Nation UK
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