I’ve been told that this is legitimate, and is happening. As I’d been telling everyone all along, the Black Sabbath “The End” tour will end in Birmingham in January 2017. This poster with dates is real.
Black Sabbath UK Tour January/February 2017 pic.twitter.com/VKWAcwlSKe
— Anthony Spencer (@AnthonyDelonge) June 8, 2016
The end of this tour should be in Birmingham, but it is the not the same as the Reunion gigs of 1997 (Which I attended). For me Black Sabbath ended 1997/1998 with the Reunion/Last Supper tour and unless Bill Ward rejoins that’s the way it will be as far as I am concerned. This present incarnation of Sabbath has been a messy affair, and although the output has been very good, it is a shame that this could not be ended with the original line up. I am not convinced this is the end of the matter and will not be surprised to see Sabbath reappear in the near future. A live CD/DVD would be a good conclusion to this incarnation but without all the gimmicks of bonus tracks etc.
I agree to at least some degree with many of your points, but a live CD/DVD without ‘all the gimmicks of’ bonus tracks etc. is 1 thing I must disagree with.
Ted
Bill Ward played with Sabbath in 2001 and 2005 so I don’t get where they ended in 1997/1998. It’s a pity Bill’s not playing now, but it is what it is. I too was at the Reunion gigs. I was also there several times in the 1970s and right through the 80s and 90s. Sabbath have never played better than they have the last 4 years.
Occassional concerts after the Reunion era are not the same as a tour or Reunion (Ozzfest et all).
Plus they were all festival shows. You don’t get a full show from ANYONE at a festival.
They played reg. tour in Europe in 2005, seen them in Czech Republic -Ozzy, Tony, Geezer nad Bill, full gig, 1,5 hour so i don’t think that they ended in 1998
For me, the end was 2005 in Camden, NJ.
I had a ticket for this year’s concert, but I didn’t go.
Without my wife (now my ex-wife) AND, of course, Bill Ward, it seemed kind of pointless.
13 isn’t much of a Sabbath album, without Ward.
And Ozzie’s BFM (as in Big_Mouth) hasn’t helped my sentiments exactly.
After all, he so badly screwed up the Never Say Die Tour, that it took me about 25 years to forgive the guy.
I’d did miss seeing Tony and Geezer.
They just need to cut all the crap and get Bill back where he rightfully and respectfully belongs! We , the fans deserve it after all the years of money, blood , swear, tears poured into them , for support . Including long time fans and others !
I for one would like to see a live DVD/CD release of the last Black Sabbath shows. I’m from the US and just couldn’t afford to get to England (or the ticket price!) for the last shows – though I did have really great seats for the show I could attend here. I was VERY disappointed that Black Sabbath chose to do a different set overseas than the one they did here in the States. Most especially since here they chose to omit what is in fact my favorite song: Under The Sun. Why they did this is a mystery to me. Sure, including a shortened live version on the tour CD available at the show was nice – but not at all the same as performing it live for the US fans.
February*
Yeah great news,What a Joke how we in the UK are so important to the band that we get a massive 7 date tour that forgets Sheffield and lots of other places all together while the USA get god knows how many shows, just compare this so called special tour with the last UK tour and look how special this one is , just goes to show you that the ones who made them what they are mean so little to them , as I thought all along when tour dates were being released that this would be the case , so I will not being going to see them on this final get richer tour ,But who cares Sabbath just proved they don’t give a rats ass about us in the UK
Why on earth would they play in Sheffield? They are playing a short trek up the M1.
You realise every single state in the US has a greater population than little old Sheffield lol. They could sell out 10 gigs on the trot in places who have the population.
If you are not prepared to travel to a major area, you will miss major events
We have the opposite situation here in Seattle (Washington State). We have to travel to godforsaken little shit-holes in order to see the big touring rock acts. And I refuse. So I don’t go to shows anymore.
Anthony You answered every state in the US as a greater population than Sheffield , well I should expect so, seeing as a state is not a city, plank !! This The End Tour is all about Greed mate, nothing to do with playing one final tour for the fans , and if Sheffield is such a small place then why did they play here on the previous tour ? If what you say is a good enough reason to miss Sheffield and many other UK Cities then why bother playing the uk at all , as most states in the US are bigger than any City in the UK as you pointed out !! I think it was more about just giving us a mini tour just to say they played here , they should not have bothered coming at all , the tours an insult to the UK fans it is such a small tour !!
I will not go this time , I think the prices say it all ,Greed of the highest order , I got to see them last time for at least £20 less a ticket , they can stick those tickets were the sun don’t shine this time !! Sabbath where once a great Band ….Not anymore …It’s only about the Money now !!
I can hear you all the way from Oz. I have noticed over the last few years, that certain big name artists do not travel around old Blighty that much playing concerts! Iron Maiden, David Gilmour & now Sabbath. It makes me wonder why & I am reading about that from out here in the middle of nowhere!
RJ Dio once asked in an interview (back in the 80″s after Sabbath and him ‘parted company’) why the band only tours the U.S. anymore. The answer now – 30+ years later – is the same as the answer back then and you allude to the same thing in your comment: M-O-N-E-Y.
Ted
This is not Sabbath… without Bill…. Sabbath is not Ozzy’s solo band…Hail Martin….Hail Dio… Hail… Gillen
Sabbath is Iommi!!!
Whatcha complaining about? They played this cool show in Sheffield 45 years ago! Almost the same set list too…
BLACK SABBATH
1971-01-14
SHEFFIELD ENGLAND CITY HALL
Vinyl Rip
A1 War Pigs
A2 Into The Void
A3 Iron Man
A4 Black Sabbath
B1 After Forever
B2 Wicked World
B3 Faeries Wear Boots
B4 Paranoid
i once took 7 hours train ride to see Sabbath in different country:-) wanna see them? move your butt:-)
Jeez, the guys just can’t win, can they? Here are the final Birmingham dates everyone was so worried about. I’m betting February 3rd will also be filled in as an additional date depending on the demand…which should be quite heavy.
I was wrong about the 3rd, thought it was maybe an ‘overflow’ date but they’re not doing two dates in a row anywhere (let alone three). Have fun at the shows!
If they truely gave a rats ass about all their fans World Wide, then Bill Ward needs to be back where he rightfully belongs , to indeed finish/end the Official Ending of Black Sabbath .
Just got my tickets for Leeds, Cost £336 for four tickets. The whole family is going. Bloody expensive.
That’s What you deserve for having supported Ozzy….Hail Iommi !!!
Clean it Joe…!!!
Bill once said he didn’t remember having recorded Heaven and Hell album… he was lying…
Once for all… Please… for me this band ended in 1995…!!! Please… bring Martin back to
vocals… Ozzy is a just a creation of Sharon…
Sabbath is Iommi and Iommi is Sabbath
Raymond Gillen from Heaven!!!
A bit rich to say that you have been telling people this all along. This site has not even kept current with tour dates since 11/11/11.
I just dont feel like watching them here in brazil….!!!
Black Sabbath without Bill is black Sabbath
tears for a lonely boy…Remember tomorrow…!!! Maiden!!!!
Time to move on Tony. You proved your point by keeping the Sabbath name alive through all the changes and I thank you for that. Obviously the band means more to you than money since you stayed even when times were tough and some Sabbath “fans” jumped off the band wagon when Ozzy was replaced. Ozzy did his thing and Sabbath did theirs. Divided the fan base somewhat with Ozzy winning most fans over by his wife’s marketing prowess and bringing Ozzy more into the mainstream. Ozzy went commercial while Sabbath stayed the course with Iommi steering the ship. Through all the changes, Sabbath has ended up right where they started BUT without one key ingredient. No Bill in the band, no Sabbath reunion. Like I said before, when Sabbath moved forward without Ozzy, it was Ozzy who said that unless the four ORIGINAL members were in the band it wasn’t Sabbath. 13 was a good but not a true SABBATH album without Ward. Again Ozzy has stated that he may have listened to Sabbath post Ozzy but he didn’t consider it a Sabbath album. Maybe Bills health is in question or a contract disputes caused all the crap. Don’t know and don’t care. Back in 1970 when I discovered Sabbath, I saw them as a wake up call to all the crap going on in the world. Ya times have changed and so has the band. You can tour forever but you will never be able to duplicate the past. End it however and wherever you feel fit Ozzy, Geezer and Tony. Getting Bill involved somehow would put the band to rest properly once and for all. If that happens the fans in attendance would have something to cherish forever. Close the Black Sabbath book Tony and get back to making new music with different people. The End. RIP Sabbath.
I grew up where Sabbath grew-up, I know how that whole landscape makes itself present in the sound. They should ‘End’ where they began. Sabbath B’ham Odeon ’78 was my first ever gig. Sabbath 2017 in Brum will be my 12 year old daughter’s gig – and their last: perfect. They speak like me. Birmingham could only ever have been the final stop.
Sabbath with your daughter will be special. I took my then thirteen year old daughter to Ozzfest in Milton Keynes in 2001. Three songs in to the set she turned and said “they are good dad”
I will be in Brum for the final show – going to be emotional.
Damien is a bad movie… just erase it joe… is a bad influence for igonant people…
Jesus forever!!!!
Pardon? What’s that about?
I saw them in NYC at beginning of the year.(an extremely short set by the way…they dropped 2 song from a week earlier and this was MSG !!!) .and now seeing them three times in August. Mostly because of Iommi and Geezer. This was marketed as their biggest live production ever….and it disappointedly is not. The 1997 Reunion tour probably was. There were more songs in the set and more albums represented. All I hear is that Ozzy can’t sing songs from the last 4 albums. Rubbish. There are slower tempo songs he can handle…and since they have a guy on keyboards who they announce during band intros…they can certainly play songs from those albums. Shock Wave, A Hard Road, You Won’t Change Me could be introduced. And if Sab fans can tolerate Tony Martin trying to sing Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, we can put up with Ozzy singing it. When I heard “biggest production ever” I thought everyone of the original 8 albums would be represented. Instead we are getting the same Volume 4 tour set since 1998 with a slight change in the line up of songs. I will be excited to see these guys play for the last time even if it the same 12 songs I have been hearing since 1998.
Bill Ward should at least close the final show with Paranoid. His playing defined Sabbath but seems to have lacked in later shows. Believe me, I am the biggest Bill Ward fan.
Agreed my friend ! Huge Bill Ward fan here in the states !
Something occurred to me today when I was out getting some lunch and Paranoid came on the radio. Everybody feels, to some degree, that Bill really ought to be on the drum stool especially during this their final tour. I get it, I even feel that way myself…but only a little. What occurred to me was this: exactly how good a drummer do they really NEED given the rather pathetic and limited (limited in difficulty and complexity and scope) set list they are playing right now? I think Tommy is a little OVER-qualified for this shit if you ask me. Spiral Architect, A National Acrobat, Megalomania, and anything from Volume 4 would almost DEMAND that Bill be part of this. As it is, Bill’s talent would be wasted on this, as Tommy’s talent IS being wasted on it. February can’t get here soon enough, this charade needs to be over. Soon.
Craig, I disagree that Clufetos is over qualified. He has the same beat for every song. He is a good time keeper and a good drummer for maybe someone else , but not Sabbath
One of the reasons Rob Zombie got rid of him was that he said every song is sounding the same, so I will let Ozzy steal him if he wants. Clufetos lacks the heavy jazz influences and that of Bill Ward. That what Bill brought to Sabbath from day one, to help make the great sound of Sabbath is not there with Clufetos.
Hi Chad, I am totally unfamiliar with Tommy’s playing before his involvement with Black Sabbath. I like his playing with Sabbath, and have nothing to compare it with. I keep losing perspective when it comes to Ozzy, complaining about his limitations and lack of range. If someone had asked him if he’d still be singing War Pigs 45 years later, he’d have said something like “Are you out of your fucking mind? I’ll probably be dead!” or something of the sort. He’s gotta be approaching 70 like the other three (not Tommy, obviously). I hope they’re having fun out there, only a few gigs left now.
Who’s Tommy?
No Bill, no ticket sale.
Really sad way to end Black Sabbath.
I have seen Black Sabbath way back in 1990 (Leicester, England) and it was quite good!
I saw the second last tour in Australia (circa 2012) and it was rather average. Didn’t bother going to their last tour in Australia 2016. Without Bill Ward its sad for me!
Bill Ward was a great drummer in his time (very underrated!).
Ozzy $$$ its sad! I like to remember Black Sabbath in the good ole days!
Its a shame Bill Ward cannot be there for the last shows in Birmingham. Life is too short!
Black Sabbath played what they said was their final-ever gig together in their hometown of Birmingham, U.K. on Tuesday, March 7th 2017. Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and touring drummer Tommy Clufetos appeared to make it official, posting their obituary on Facebook with the hashtag, #TheEnd.
On a personal note, while I’ve been preparing myself for this for over a year now, seeing it in print has made it actually real now. All my life there’s been some form or another of a Black Sabbath, and the reality of them not being there is going to be a somewhat sad empty hole in my love of Hard Rock & Metal. All I can say at this point is Thank You for being the largest part of the soundtrack of my life, guys. Your music will live on long after you & myself are gone. All Hail Black Sabbath, now and forever.