Ozzy Osbourne still wants Black Sabbath to play one last show, Geezer Butler confirms

Posted On December 12, 2024December 12, 2024

Geezer Butler has reiterated that Black Sabbath vocalist Ozzy Osbourne is keen to play one more show with the group before he finally retires.

The two members had previously discussed the possibility of a final one-off reunion show, which Osbourne had agreed to. However, due to the Black Sabbath singer’s health issues over recent years, nothing has been made official and it still remains to be seen whether the group will reunite for one last farewell.

In a recent interview with Lifeminute, Butler confirmed that the two are still regularly in contact about the idea of reforming.

In the interview, Butler discussed conversations with Osbourne, claiming “he’s dying to still get out there and play, and he suggested, at his very final concert, for the four of us to get up on stage and maybe do three or four songs together.”

Despite the ideas circulating about a reunion performance at Osbourne’s farewell concert, Butler insisted that this would be all the band would do together and that there would be “definitely no more tours.”

In May, Osbourne shared on his podcast, The Madhouse Chronicles, that the final Black Sabbath show to date in 2017 was disappointing to him, and that he was “sad” about the absence of drummer Bill Ward, who had left the band in 2012.

Their last show at the NEC Arena in Birmingham featured Osbourne, Butler, guitarist Tony Iommi, and drummer Tommy Clufetos in place of the departed Ward. The singer further stated on his podcast that he felt Black Sabbath were “unfinished,” and that “if they wanted to do one more gig with Bill, I would jump at the chance.”

In 2019, Osbourne, now 76, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, which he revealed publicly in 2020 on US chat show Good Morning America. The current state of his condition is unknown, and whether he will be able to commit to performing at this moment in time depends on whether doctors are able to approve his plans.

His last public comments on his condition came in November 2023, when he revealed to Rolling Stone that he might have to “accept the fact” that he may not be able to return to performing.

What have the other members of Black Sabbath said about a reunion?

Earlier in 2024, Tony Iommi commented on a broadcast of Trunk Nation with Eddie Trunk on the SiriusXM radio station that “it would be nice to do a one-off, if that ever happens.”

While he was enthusiastic about the possibility of performing with his former band once again, he was realistic about the circumstances of playing a show with the heavy metal group again.

Iommi commented that he wouldn’t be committing to a reunion show for financial reasons, insisting that it would be “a nice thing to actually do.” However, he also quickly dismissed any possibility of a full tour, citing his own personal health struggles as a barrier to playing more than just one show. “I have to look at it realistically at my age,” commented Iommi, adding, “I can’t go out and do a two-year tour like we were doing before.”

Drummer Bill Ward, who has been absent from the band longer than the other members, has also given his approval to the idea of playing one more Black Sabbath show.

In a post to X, he wrote: “Bill Ward checking in regarding all the updates on a possible Sabbath show in England. I’m in for playing some of everyone’s old favourites. Loved playing them then, I’d love to play them one last time.”

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