As Black Sabbath prepare to take their final bow, the weight of legacy hangs heavy, as bassist Geezer Butler recently admitted.
The original lineup — Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward — will reunite on July 5 at Birmingham’s Villa Park. Billed as Back to the Beginning, the event promises not just nostalgia but closure, wrapping up a half-century of heavy metal with a benefit concert whose proceeds will support Parkinson’s and children’s charities. It’s a meaningful sendoff, but behind the scenes, emotions are complicated.
“I’m already having palpitations,” Butler shared in an interview with The Guardian. “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.”
That nervous energy isn’t just Butler’s burden. Even though the reunion has been months in the making — announced back in February — it’s a culmination of fragile reconciliation, timing, and deep personal stakes.
The road to this moment began with a few texts and phone calls. Ozzy Osbourne and Bill Ward had already reconnected, sparked in part by Osbourne‘s health struggles. As for Butler, Osbourne joked that the location of the gig — Aston Villa’s home stadium — might have helped nudge the die-hard fan back to the fold: “My first thought was: that’ll make Geezer fucking happier.”
Not everyone was immediately sold. Tony Iommi admits he was reluctant. “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. But I’ve been convinced, because we’re doing it for a reason.”
Still, despite the emotional and charitable motivations, uncertainties remain, especially around Ozzy Osbourne‘s health. The lineup hasn’t played together since 2005, and even now, there’s no clear plan for how the show will be staged. “I think Ozzy might be on some kind of throne,” Iommi says. “But I’m in the dark as much as anybody else.”
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