How does one set themselves up to watch the best band in the world? Who invented a whole genre and reinvented it over and over for five decades and only after five decades have finally decided their 4th/5th/6th farewell tour would indeed be the last one. You can’t prepare yourself for something life changing unfortunately.
Whatever worries we had against the band concerning such matters as ‘will we have to cattle prod them into life?’ were rebuked almost immediately, while Ozzy hasn’t got the 1971 Live In Paris singing range anymore, he can still belt out each hand picked greatest gits track that Sabbath had picked to play for two hours. Geezer’s bass growled like those two rabid rottweiler’s from The Omen while Tony’s guitar truly did sound like the records. Somehow when something is so distinctive it sounds even louder.
When you’re stood listening to eight full stack amps blasting out a guitar sound that created and defined an entire universe of music and culture, it was impossible not to headbang with the legions of fans of all ages and backgrounds. Aging metal dads with their Sunday best patched up jackets rubbed shoulders with trendy millenials, nerds raised devil horns with city boys and mothers were clapping to Ozzy’s demands instead of covering their child’s ears.
As Henry Rollins once said, "You can only trust yourself and the first six Black Sabbath albums" and the set was tailored with that sentiment in mind. Probably 95% of the favourites were played, ‘War Pigs’ hasn’t lost a single atom of power and weight it’s had for 40+ years, ‘After Forever’ has the mad-man running through a hotel with an axe urgency to it with the schizophrenic riff change in the middle shredded with total conviction and ‘Children of the Grave’ was played with the same hulking, lurching boogie that became the blueprint for every metal band to have followed in Black Sabbath’s footsteps. Special set highlights include the unholy medley of 'Supernaut'/ 'Rat Salad' / 'Iron Man' that had an insane 10 minute drum solo thrown in.
Aston’s finest played a knockout show that hasn’t lost any of the charm, welly and originality that their music is known for and it was amazing to see Ozzy full of life, gusto and humourous arrogance, telling the audience to clap whenever he wasn’t singing and ending the show by saying, "Shall the band play one more song?" They obliged with 'Paranoid' of course, a song supposedly written in five minutes as an afterthought when the second album didn’t have enough material on it, amazing how something that was cobbled together on the spot by the monolithic legends can stand the test of time and not even sound dated.
They will never play again, go see them on this tour, let a tout rip you off if that’s what it takes, you won’t regret it. Ozzy, Geezer and Tony are playing with the same fire in them that’s been burning for half a century and they’ll set your soul alight too.
Their farewell tour dates are below - tickets are on sale now and are available here.
Black Sabbath will play:
JANUARY
30-31 - London O2
FEBRUARY
2-4 - Birmingham Genting Arena
