According to what Tony Iommi recently said in an interview on “Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk,” there was an offer for a one-off Black Sabbath reunion show at this year’s Power Trip festival. As Iommi revealed, he was the only one to be contacted about it and had to take down this offer.
During the chat, the legendary guitarist was asked about the matter and whether there were talks about doing a one-off show. He then explained (transcript via Blabbermouth):
“Yes, there was. But I didn’t, at that point… It’s hard, because Ozzy’s [Osbourne] been going through a lot of stuff lately. He’s in hospital and out of hospital, and he’s really been fighting it; he really wants to get out there.”
However, despite Ozzy’s wish to perform live, Iommi just couldn’t see this happening:
“But in my mind, it’s very difficult to sort of say yes. I’ve gotta think of the people in the band as well. I’ve gotta think of Ozzy, if he’s gonna be all right to do a show and whatever.”
“So I wasn’t that comfortable with it. But I didn’t know Ozzy [chuckles] would be doing it on his own. But it’s great. I hope he can do it and that it’ll be really good. He really wants to do it.”
“And he’s really trying to pull to get himself back. He’s had to go through such a lot of hard stuff lately. It’s such a shame, really. But he’s still fighting there.”
When further asked to confirm whether he was contacted about doing the Power Trip festival and whether he turned down this offer, Iommi confirmed that this is, in fact, true. As he explained:
“Yeah. Sort of, yeah. I mean, we hadn’t approached the others as far as doing it. They might have said no. But it didn’t get much further than me, really. But, yeah, that’s the way it is.“
The problem, as Iommi explains, is that he wants it to be a top-notch show:
“If you’re gonna go out, I want to do a good show. I want to go out on the top and do it. I don’t wanna just go and slap something together. And I’m not saying it would have been, but it could have been difficult.”
Tony further added that he isn’t against the idea of doing a one-off show. However, it’s obvious that, at their age, there are some risks that would put the show quality in jeopardy. As he puts it:
“I’ve certainly done the Commonwealth Games [in Birmingham last August] with Ozzy, and that sort of happened. But to do a full show, you’ve gotta make sure everybody’s in good shape because people are gonna remember you by that show.“
“And I don’t want our reputation to go downhill all of a sudden. If something goes wrong or somebody can’t make it and we have to cancel…“
“‘Cause I don’t know everybody’s health; I don’t know how Bill’s [Ward, Sabbath drummer] feeling these days. You just don’t know. So I’d like to be sure. If you’re gonna do anything, it’s gotta be good or [you should] not bother.”
Black Sabbath did their final concert back on February 4, 2017. Taking place in the band’s hometown of Birmingham, England, it featured Iommi, Osbourne, and bassist Geezer Butler from the original lineup. They were accompanied by drummer Tommy Clufetos who was replacing Sabbath’s original drummer Bill Ward who had a falling out with the rest of the band over contract disagreements.
But even if Tony and Ozzy decide to actually go out there and do a show, it’s highly unlikely that it will happen under the Black Sabbath name. In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, Geezer Butler said that he doesn’t want to do “anything anymore” and that he’s retiring. The only thing he’s willing to do now is promote his autobiographical book “Into the Void.”
As Geezer further added, this idea came to mind while he was touring with his new band Deadland Ritual before the COVID-19 pandemic even started:
“I didn’t realize how hard starting from scratch is, especially when you’re used to your own plane and staying at the Four Seasons and the Ritz Carlton… and then you’re back in little clubs and getting on a bus together. It just didn’t suit me.”
Photo: Shane Hirschman (Black Sabbath – Lollapalooza 2012)
