Black Sabbath Might Reunite For One Last Show — But Should They?
Recently, Ozzy Osbourne got some press when he floated the idea that Black Sabbath might reunite for one show, featuring the original lineup. Unlike their final tour, and their final album, he says that this show should feature the band’s founding drummer, Bill Ward, joining Ozzy, guitarist Tony Iommi and bassist Geezer Butler. Now that , it seems like it can happen. But should it? It’s been over seven years since Black Sabbath has performed; it’s been over a decade since Bill Ward has played with them.
A quick recap: Tommy Clufetos, the drummer in Ozzy’s solo band, played on the final Sabbath tour, while Rage Against The Machine’s Brad Wilk played on 2013’s 13. 13 was the band’s Rick Rubin-produced reunion with Ozzy, and also served as their swan song.
Iommi, Butler, Osbourne, and Ward released their debut album, Black Sabbath, in the U.S. in June of 1970, which many fans see as the birth of heavy metal. They went on to release a series of classic albums, including 1970’s Paranoid, 1971’s Master of Reality, and 1972’s Vol. 4. Ozzy and the band parted ways in 1979, leading to Ozzy’s incredibly successful solo career. He was replaced by Ronnie James Dio. Ward soon left and was replaced by Vinnie Appice. Ronnie James Dio and Vinnie Appice left in 1982 to form the band Dio, leading to years of a revolving door membership in Black Sabbath.
Through the ‘80s and ‘90s, Iommi was the band’s only consistent member. This era of the band is covered, for those interested, on the newly released box set Anno Domini 1989-1995. That era of the band has its fans; but that version of the band had little in common with the version of Black Sabbath that created a subculture and changed the course of rock music in the 1970s.
The legendary version of the band – well, three-quarters of it – returned with a vengeance in 1997. When the first Ozzfest tour lineup was revealed, Black Sabbath was announced as headliners. Bill wasn’t invited to rejoin the guys: at the time, they used Mike Bordin from Faith No More, who also played in Ozzy’s solo band. The show that I saw at New Jersey’s Giants Stadium was incredible. No lie: I saw some older metalhead crying, saying, “I never thought I’d see this.” I recalled that Sabbath played the New York City club Roseland two or three years earlier: I wasn’t sure if that had sold out, and no one that I spoke to who went seemed to be too enthusiastic about it. With this tour — which saw Pantera, Marilyn Manson and Type O Negative supporting Sabbath — the band returned to their rightful legendary status. Later that year, Ward joined the band for two nights in their hometown of Birmingham, captured on the Reunion live album.
In 1998, Bill had a heart attack and was replaced by Vinnie Appice for a European tour. He returned for the U.S. tour. I was fortunate enough to interview the four of them together a year later when they released the Reunion live album and the vibe was more than genial, it was jovial. They really seemed to be enjoying hanging out together (and they seemed to be having a blast teasing Bill). He joined them for a few more Ozzfest tours. Things were (mostly) good for a few years but in 2012, Bill announced that he would not be part of the upcoming Sabbath album or any tours until he got a “signable” contract.
The final Black Sabbath tour ended on February 4, 2017 in Birmingham. Ward had a tour booked with his solo band Day Of Errors in 2017, but had to cancel. As he posted to social media, “I am OK and in good recovery at this time. However, I’ve never experienced this particular type of heart problem before, and due to its nature, I had to make the decision to cancel the dates.” Ward has barely performed live in the past decade; he’s 76 years old.
Meanwhile, Ozzy Osbourne, 75, has been active with his solo career since Sabbath ended, but various health issues have plagued him. In February 2023, Ozzy officially canceled all of his remaining tour dates, saying that he’s physically unable to tour anymore. In an interview with Rolling Stone earlier this year, when asked if he could perform again, he said, “I would love to, but I can’t stand upright. Maybe I’ll do something one day. I miss it terribly.”
Of course, there’s a difference between performing one concert and touring; part of what makes touring grueling for musicians is having to perform several nights a week, not to mention traveling. Even for Sabbath, who definitely travel in style, it’s tough. Could the four of them return to fighting shape for one last show? And would it really be the last show? Words like “last,” “final” and “farewell” hardly seem to mean anything anymore: the Who’s first farewell tour was in 1982; the idea of a “last tour” is almost a cliche.
Sabbath’s last show — February 4, 2017 — really did seem like the end. So, would one more show right the wrong of Ward’s exclusion from the last few years of the band’s history? It might. But a few things could sully this. One: if the guys just aren’t up to it. If they do one last show with Bill, but it doesn’t hold up to their shows from seven years ago, what’s the point? The window of opportunity for them to do a credible Black Sabbath concert with Bill Ward may have passed.
I saw several Sabbath shows in their final decade, both with and without Bill. Did they match the intensity of the shows that I’ve heard on recordings of their concerts in the 1970s? No, but it was a reasonable approximation and they put on a solid show. They still had it. But I’ve been to shows with artists who are clearly past their prime, and you just kind of walk out of the gig and feel bummed out. I’d hate for that to be the last Black Sabbath show.
Also, if the show is good, Sabbath, their management and concert promoters should not get greedy. Just because there is demand for something, doesn’t mean that the thing will be worth the anticipation. Yes, there’s always money to be made from a Black Sabbath tour, but there’s also something to be said about knowing when to take that final bow. If they actually do one more show, they should keep it to just that: one more show.
Back in 2003, I was fortunate enough to work on an essay included in The Black Box: The Complete Original Black Sabbath 1970-1978 box set. I conducted separate interviews with Ozzy, Tony, Geezer and Bill. At the time of these interviews, there were no planned Sabbath shows, and I asked if it would ever happen again. It occurs to me that they might answer the same way if I spoke to each of them today. Ozzy told me, “I never say ‘never’ anymore. It’s possible – I’m open for anything. If it works, it works; if it doesn’t, it doesn’t.”
Tony said, “I would hope so, at some time,” and kind of put the ball in Ozzy’s court. Bill was optimistic: “I have to keep myself in relatively good shape, if we are to tour.”
But I ended my essay with Geezer’s answer: “If we work together again or not is irrelevant to me. I’m glad we finished on a high note, and I am satisfied with that.” And I think we all need to be prepared to be satisfied with how Black Sabbath ended, even if it wasn’t perfect. Because if their proposed “final” concert is anything less than a flawless and mindblowing performance, would be a letdown. Both the band and the fans deserve better.
