Geezer Butler Struggling With “Palpitations” and “Nightmares” Over Final Performance With Black Sabbath

Although the Back to the Beginning will feature acts like Metallica, Tool, Alice Cooper, Guns N’ Roses, Slayer, and many more, all eyes will be on Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne. Wanting to bring back the original lineup of Black Sabbath, Ozzy’s dream turned into a full-blown concert celebrating both the band and heavy metal. Taking the stage one last time on July 5th at Birmingham’s Villa Park, Geezer Butler recently admitted he was struggling with nightmares over the upcoming historic show. 

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When Black Sabbath takes the stage, fans will watch as Osbourne, Butler, Bill Ward, and Tony Iommi reunite for the first time since 2005. With Osbourne suffering from numerous health issues, the concert will also mark his last solo performance. Knowing the importance of the night in music history, Butler said, “I’m already having palpitations. In fact, I had a nightmare last night. I dreamed everything went wrong on stage and we all turned to dust. It’s important that we leave a great impression, since it’s the final time that people will experience us live. So it has to be great on the night.”

[RELATED: Geezer Butler Remembers the Heartbreak That Came With Firing Ozzy Osbourne]

Geezer Butler Not The Only One Focused On The Final Black Sabbath Concert

Given the legacy that Osbourne and Black Sabbath created on and off the stage, it makes perfect sense why Butler would feel that way. And he wasn’t the only one, Tom Morello focused on making it one of the greatest shows in heavy metal history. “We have a very, very simple goal. And that’s to make this the greatest day in the history of heavy metal. And to that end, you’ve probably seen the listed setlist.”

Metallica’s Kirk Hammett also knew how important the concert was. Not too worried about the performance, Hammett only wanted to celebrate how Black Sabbath helped create a genre that allowed his own career to flourish. “If it wasn’t for those four guys, man, we might still be wandering around in the dark. But the fact that they created a genre – not only created it, but then developed it and then turned it into a few different things over the course of their career – is completely awe-inspiring to me and my peers musically.”

With legacy, passion, love, and admiration at the center, the Back to the Beginning will be more than a final bow, but a showcase of the creation of heavy metal.  

(Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)