More about: Black Sabbath

Black Sabbath descended upon British Summer Time at Hyde Park last night, delivering the kind of monumental performance that exceeded the expectations of even the most loyal of fans. Not only do the heavy metal pioneers still have it, their showmanship and overall sound has arguably matured since their 1970s heyday, much like a fine wine, and if this truly does turn out to be their final gig as Sabbath it’ll be a mighty shame – nobody likes to waste fine wine, but at least they’ll go out on a tremendous high.

Earlier in the evening the sun-kissed audience, which felt almost twice the size of last’s night Arcade Fire gig here, were treated to brilliant extended sets by Faith No More and Soundgarden, both headliners in their own right. Mike Patton led Faith No More, all dressed as priests, through a greatest hits set including funk metal belters ‘From Out Of Nowhere’, ‘Epic’ and closer ‘We Care A lot’, plus the surprise world premiere of two new songs. Chris Cornell (armed with one of the greatest ever voices) and Soundgarden then performed their seminal album Superunknown - which is celebrating its 20th anniversary - in full, declaring it’ll be the final time they do so.

When Black Sabbath finally arrive to the air raid sirens of opener ‘War Pigs’, backed by towering screens, they are greeted by a roaring hero’s welcome. The sound is perhaps the best of any Hyde Park gig in recent memory, with Tony Iommi’s otherworldly riffs and Geezer Butler’s rumbling basslines sounding crushingly heavy. Ozzy Osbourne’s wail might not be as powerful as it was once, but it certainly isn’t as “lost” as many would have you believe.

The hits come thick and fast, including blistering renditions of ‘N.I.B.’, ‘Fairies Wear Boots’, set closer ‘Children Of The Grave’ and, of course, ‘Iron Man’ with that ubiquitous riff, while new track ‘God Is Dead?’ from last year’s surprisingly successful comeback album 13 is already starting to sound like a classic.

As the ageing Prince Of Darkness scampers around the stage, demanding crowd participation that is duly delivered, its evident that this isn’t just another show – Ozzy is visibly ecstatic tonight, especially during the encore of ‘Paranoid’, with his eyes wildly lit up and fixed on the audience, flashing smiles of genuine appreciation and humility. This felt special.

More about: Black Sabbath