See Black Sabbath Rehearse Deep Cuts in Tour Teaser
Black Sabbath will end their iconic run with one final tour, dubbed “The End,” which begins January 20th in Omaha, Nebraska. With the trek launching in less than a week, the metal godfathers have released a behind-the-scenes teaser, showcasing some of the deep cuts they’ll be dusting off for their long goodbye.
“We’ve picked a few of the ones we haven’t played in a long time, as well, to add to the ‘Iron Man’s and ‘War Pigs,’ which you have to do, and we love to play,” guitarist Tony Iommi says early in the clip, as the band launches into the demonic groove of “Hand of Doom,” an epic highlight from 1970’s Paranoid.
Bassist Geezer Butler says he’s particularly excited about ‘Doom,’ since the band “[hasn’t] done that since the early Seventies.” Frontman Ozzy Osbourne emphasizes that the band is “doing more classic Sabbath songs than the newer stuff.”
“Goodbye tours” have become a rock cliché over the years, with many bands announcing farewell treks before reuniting years later. But Osbourne promises “The End” is truly the end, for better or worse. “It’s not one of those ‘final tours’ but we’re gonna [come out] in five years and do another one,” he says. “This is it for Black Sabbath.”
“It’s bittersweet,” adds Butler. “It’s gonna be sad in some ways but great in another way. It’s gonna be the last time people are gonna see us, so we’re gonna give 100 percent of us every night.”
During the tour, Black Sabbath will sell a limited-edition limited edition CD, The End, which features four new tracks recorded with producer Rick Rubin during the sessions for their 19th and final LP, 13.