BLACK SABBATH Reaches 'The End' As Band Performs Final Concert In Birmingham (Video)

After a recording and touring career spanning five decades, heavy metal pioneers BLACK SABBATH brought it to a close in the city where it all began — Birmingham, England — with the final show of “The End” tour having taken place earlier tonight (Saturday, February 4) at the Genting Arena.

Prior to the concert, SABBATH singer Ozzy Osbourne said: “Since I’ve got to this building, I’ve been happy, I’ve been tearful. Let’s see what happens.”

The band’s setlist for tonight’s gig was as follows:

01. Black Sabbath
02. Fairies Wear Boots
03. Under The Sun / Every Day Comes And Goes
04. After Forever
05. Into The Void
06. Snowblind
07. War Pigs
08. N.I.B.
09. Hand Of Doom
10. Supernaut / Sabbath Bloody Sabbath / Megalomania (medley)
11. Rat Salad
12. Iron Man
13. Dirty Women
14. Children Of The Grave

Encore:

15. Paranoid

Ozzy last week called his life with BLACK SABBATH “the most incredible adventure” and said the band had “run its course.”

“One of the proudest things I have in my heart is the fact that BLACK SABBATH wasn’t a band that was created by some big mogul,” he said. “It was four guys who said, ‘Let’s have a dream,’ and it came true beyond our wildest expectations.”

SABBATH guitarist Tony Iommi said that he wouldn’t rule out the possibility of doing one-off shows. He explained: “I wouldn’t write that off, if one day that came about. That’s possible. Or even doing an album, ’cause then, again, you’re in one place. But I don’t know if that would happen.”

SABBATH‘s “The End” tour was its last because Iommi, who was diagnosed with cancer in 2012 and is currently in remission, can no longer travel for extended amounts of time. He admitted: “It was only when I got ill, that’s when I stated getting vulnerable. Before that, I could do anything… And they’re going, ‘You shouldn’t be flying, really.’ And, ‘You shouldn’t be doing this, you shouldn’t be doing that.’ So that’s what brought that about — the end of this, really, because the constant touring does eventually get to you.”

SABBATH wrote and recorded its 2013 reunion album, “13”, and toured it all over the world while Iommi was going through treatment for his illness, with the guitarist having to fly back to England every six weeks.

Asked what he’ll do after SABBATH, Iommi replied, “I’m wondering, because it’s gonna be such a weird thing, because BLACK SABBATH‘s always been my life, ever since day one, and everything’s fell by the wayside to BLACK SABBATH — all the marriages and everything — over the band, basically, because I’m always out working and always doing this, always in the studio. So it’s gonna be pretty weird, that last show.”

The original lineup of SABBATH came together in 1969 with Osbourne on vocals, Iommi on guitar, Geezer Butler on bass and Bill Ward on drums. That lineup recorded and toured through 1978, and periodically reformed through the ’90s and 2000s for live work.

They regrouped again in late 2011 for a new album and tour, although Ward dropped out after just a few months. SABBATH has used singer Ozzy Osbourne‘s regular touring drummer Tommy Clufetos since then for live work. RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE‘s Brad Wilk laid down the drum tracks on “13”, which came out in June 2013.