Black Sabbath announce final tour kicking off next year

[webfact]

Black Sabbath announce final tour kicking off next year

NEW YORK (AP) — After five decades, Black Sabbath will launch a farewell tour next year.

The heavy metal band starring Ozzy Osbourne announced dates for its The End tour, which kicks off Jan. 20, 2016, in Omaha, Nebraska.

Osbourne, guitarist Tony Iommi and bassist Geezer Butler will visit 17 North American cities before heading to Australia and New Zealand for seven shows. More concerts will be announced next month.

Original drummer Bill Ward, who had a falling out with Osbourne, is not part of the tour.

The Grammy-winning group released its self-titled debut album in 1970. They are pioneers of heavy metal music.

Black Sabbath said in a statement: "When this tour concludes, it will truly be THE END, THE END of one of the most legendary bands in Rock 'n Roll history."


-- (c) Associated Press 2015-09-04

[Tredz]

[robertthebruce]

Zimmer's at the ready....

[TheAppletons]

An aptly named bassist at this point.

[ggold]

Legendary, Hahahahahaha, Ozzy's only claim to fame is reality TV. Black Sabbath as a band never really made it big.

[Ulysses G.]

Black Sabbath's first few LPs were big enough. They were a great band back then. Personally I always liked the first one best and still listen to it every now and then.

Edited September 4, 2015 by Ulysses G.

[TommyUK1960]

Isn't about time these guys were in an old folks home? They must be 70+.

They must be short of money

[TheAppletons]

Legendary, Hahahahahaha, Ozzy's only claim to fame is reality TV. Black Sabbath as a band never really made it big.

I think Ozzy's solo albums Diary of a Madman and Blizzard of Ozz probably outsold most of what Black Sabbath did as a group. Those were pretty popular albums.

Black Sabbath's first few LPs were big enough. They were a great band back then. Personally I always liked the first one best and still listen to it every now and then.

Yep. I also enjoyed Sabbath, Bloody Sabbath.

Edited September 4, 2015 by TheAppletons

[Soutpeel]

Legendary, Hahahahahaha, Ozzy's only claim to fame is reality TV. Black Sabbath as a band never really made it big.

Sabbath created the foundation for what became heavy metal so would disagree that they never made it big, unless you one of those people who believes bring "big" is solely based on the number of records sold ?

A quick check on wiki indicates they have sold over 70 million records, ranked by MTV as greatest heavy metal band ever, second place in VH1's 100 greatest hard rock acts and rolling stone listed at 85 in the 100 greatest artists of all time

quite obviously are a Justin Bieber fan and think he is a creative genius

Edited September 4, 2015 by Soutpeel

[Ulysses G.]

Bob Dylan never had a number one single!

[MrBrilliant]

Legendary, Hahahahahaha, Ozzy's only claim to fame is reality TV. Black Sabbath as a band never really made it big.

Twaddle....70 million LP sales worldwide isn't 'making it big' or being widely recognised as pioneers of one of popular music's defining genres....?

I have a feeling this is the start of a few years tour/retire/tour/retire cycle, health issues permitting.....

[how241]

Isn't about time these guys were in an old folks home? They must be 70+.

They must be short of money

ha ha ha ....They must over 60 for sure but still rocking.

[baboon]

Black Sabbath's first few LPs were big enough. They were a great band back then. Personally I always liked the first one best and still listen to it every now and then.

Great listens indeed, but no-one should write off the likes of 'Dehumanizer', an album so heavy it took three of us to get it out of the shop...

[nidieunimaitre]

Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, Iron Butterfly, Blue Cheer, MC5, Cream,.... those were the days.

But how quickly those days ended, with hard rock turning into cabaret.

I never figured out what was (much later) the deal with the Ozzy reality show: a joke by Ozzy? a joke on Ozzy? plain money grabbing?

[ALLSEEINGEYE]

I would love to see one of those shows, great band.

[avander]

I was 14 when they put out their 1st album and I loved it along with the Paranoid, Master of Reality, Vol 4. and Sabotage.

Still got the vinyl LPs of Paranoid and Vol 4 but not sure if they are playable anymore.

I went to a live show at the Horden "Pavlova" in Sydney in '74 and thought the show was "<deleted>". I reckon they were all very, very out of it and just couldn't put it together.

It was a major disappointment to me but didn't turn me off them permanently although I never went to any other live concerts of theirs.

[ggold]

Legendary, Hahahahahaha, Ozzy's only claim to fame is reality TV. Black Sabbath as a band never really made it big.

Sabbath created the foundation for what became heavy metal so would disagree that they never made it big, unless you one of those people who believes bring "big" is solely based on the number of records sold ?

A quick check on wiki indicates they have sold over 70 million records, ranked by MTV as greatest heavy metal band ever, second place in VH1's 100 greatest hard rock acts and rolling stone listed at 85 in the 100 greatest artists of all time

quite obviously are a Justin Bieber fan and think he is a creative genius

That's probably why they were never that big in the UK and they never made it big in the USA either! MTV and VH1 are hardly a standard unless you are American. So no standard at all. I have seen Black Sabbath live, supporting Led Zeppelin. Had a couple records of theirs. In their heyday there were OK but hardly big.

I would suggest that the only reason for this tour is because of his reality TV fame as opposed to any musical fame. And maybe people over estimate his influence on rock music because of it!

bieber is the result of American musical talent which is none existent these past few decades. Manufactured pop for the dumb masses!

[nidieunimaitre]

I would love to see one of those shows, great band.

Are you referring to the reality shows?

You are lucky you never saw any of those - so you can remember Ozzy the hard rocker, not Ozzy the Senile. Unless the reality shows were a joke by Ozzy of course.

[Soutpeel]

Legendary, Hahahahahaha, Ozzy's only claim to fame is reality TV. Black Sabbath as a band never really made it big.

Sabbath created the foundation for what became heavy metal so would disagree that they never made it big, unless you one of those people who believes bring "big" is solely based on the number of records sold ?

A quick check on wiki indicates they have sold over 70 million records, ranked by MTV as greatest heavy metal band ever, second place in VH1's 100 greatest hard rock acts and rolling stone listed at 85 in the 100 greatest artists of all time

quite obviously are a Justin Bieber fan and think he is a creative genius

That's probably why they were never that big in the UK and they never made it big in the USA either! MTV and VH1 are hardly a standard unless you are American. So no standard at all. I have seen Black Sabbath live, supporting Led Zeppelin. Had a couple records of theirs. In their heyday there were OK but hardly big.

I would suggest that the only reason for this tour is because of his reality TV fame as opposed to any musical fame. And maybe people over estimate his influence on rock music because of it!

bieber is the result of American musical talent which is none existent these past few decades. Manufactured pop for the dumb masses!

70 million sales go and look it up....their sales are within a a few million of the likes of Bob Marley, The Police, Nivana, KISS, Depeche Mode, Robbie Williams and Aretha Franklin etc

So i guess none of that list fit your criteria of "big" either or never made it ?

BTW not American either

[capcc76]

Legendary, Hahahahahaha, Ozzy's only claim to fame is reality TV. Black Sabbath as a band never really made it big.

Black Sabath and his solo career were incredibly successful.. Ozzy has sold over 100 million albums and Black Sabath sold in the 70 million album range if my memory serves me correctly.

Any guitar player growing up in the 70s and 80s perhaps listened to and tried to emulate some of Ozzy's guitarist more than Jimmy Page or EVH. Randy Rhodes and Jake Lee are two of the best ever.

[capcc76]

I would love to see one of those shows, great band.

Are you referring to the reality shows?

You are lucky you never saw any of those - so you can remember Ozzy the hard rocker, not Ozzy the Senile. Unless the reality shows were a joke by Ozzy of course.

I saw Black Sabbath with Ozzy in 1999 I believe when they toured with God Smack. They both were incredible. I would seriously wonder what Ozzy will be like now. Sadly, it might be comical. The sound should be fine with pitch corrector and the marvels or modern electronics.

[nidieunimaitre]

I would love to see one of those shows, great band.

Are you referring to the reality shows?

You are lucky you never saw any of those - so you can remember Ozzy the hard rocker, not Ozzy the Senile. Unless the reality shows were a joke by Ozzy of course.

I saw Black Sabbath with Ozzy in 1999 I believe when they toured with God Smack. They both were incredible. I would seriously wonder what Ozzy will be like now. Sadly, it might be comical. The sound should be fine with pitch corrector and the marvels or modern electronics.

I was at their first European (continental) concert in 1970.

For a while I believed in god.....

[ggold]

Legendary, Hahahahahaha, Ozzy's only claim to fame is reality TV. Black Sabbath as a band never really made it big.

Black Sabath and his solo career were incredibly successful.. Ozzy has sold over 100 million albums and Black Sabath sold in the 70 million album range if my memory serves me correctly.

Any guitar player growing up in the 70s and 80s perhaps listened to and tried to emulate some of Ozzy's guitarist more than Jimmy Page or EVH. Randy Rhodes and Jake Lee are two of the best ever.

That just means 100 million people have no taste in music!

[MrMuddle]

Met them when they played Redcar in 1970, great bunch of fellas - still play their first album regularly.

[markt7081]

Legendary, Hahahahahaha, Ozzy's only claim to fame is reality TV. Black Sabbath as a band never really made it big.

Black Sabbath as a band never really made it big ?????????????

You are either too young or were too drugged up to remember, or more into Abba & the Bee Gees..

Of course they never made many number 1 hits, heavy rock wasnt mainstream, but they one of the most known heavy metal bands.

[capcc76]

Legendary, Hahahahahaha, Ozzy's only claim to fame is reality TV. Black Sabbath as a band never really made it big.

Black Sabath and his solo career were incredibly successful.. Ozzy has sold over 100 million albums and Black Sabath sold in the 70 million album range if my memory serves me correctly.

Any guitar player growing up in the 70s and 80s perhaps listened to and tried to emulate some of Ozzy's guitarist more than Jimmy Page or EVH. Randy Rhodes and Jake Lee are two of the best ever.

That just means 100 million people have no taste in music!

Sounds like someone who doesn't know the definition of making it big is now trying to save face.

Sabbath was instrumental in changing rock from happy little bluesy chord progressions to something thunderours and heavy. Grand fathers of metal. You may not like or appreciate metal as you taste in music, but there is no denying what they meant to the evolution of rock and roll.

[jjJJ1133]

One of my all time favorite bands. They were the FIRST live concert I ever saw in my life (1976 in Baltimore, Maryland).

Went out and bought a guitar after that and I've been playing ever since. So many fantastic musicians and bands came out of that era (Led Zeppelin, The Who, Free, Humble Pie, etc).

[jjJJ1133]

Legendary, Hahahahahaha, Ozzy's only claim to fame is reality TV. Black Sabbath as a band never really made it big.

Black Sabath and his solo career were incredibly successful.. Ozzy has sold over 100 million albums and Black Sabath sold in the 70 million album range if my memory serves me correctly.

Any guitar player growing up in the 70s and 80s perhaps listened to and tried to emulate some of Ozzy's guitarist more than Jimmy Page or EVH. Randy Rhodes and Jake Lee are two of the best ever.

Yep, I was one of those guitar players growing up in the 70's and Jimmy Page was and still is my all time favorite guitarist. The man is a genius with the guitar.

He probably sold more Gibson Les Pauls for the Gibson guitar company than anyone of earth.

[Don Mega]

That just means 100 million people have no taste in music!

How many other bands can claim to have been inducted into the UK music hall of fame as well as a separate induction for the lead singer (in the same year)....

Crap they must be yeah......................

[Ulysses G.]

You may not like or appreciate metal as you taste in music, but there is no denying what they meant to the evolution of rock and roll.

I'm not big on some of the latter metal bands, but the first few Black Sabbath albums and most of Led Zeppelin is great stuff IMO.