I'm 48 hours away from seeing Black Sabbath again. Is it The End? According to the band it most definitely is. Tony Iommi's health has taken its toll on his ability to tour heavily, and the band's collective age is over 150 years old, so it is forgivable. I'm a little saddened that it isn't a proper reunion, as Bill Ward is not a part of the lineup for assorted reasons. I am very happy, however, that I am on the floor, and not seated. Sitting down watching Black Sabbath perform just didn't feel right. Sabbath make their fans wanna move, bop flail and generally get into the groove. You can't really do that while seated in shitty stadium seating. From what I saw of their North American dates, the setlist is mainly focusing on the first two albums, which strikes me as playing it a little safe, but those albums do contain their most well know songs. I'll be wholly satisfied if Electric Funeral, Into The Void and God Is Dead are performed, Everything else will just be a bonus.
Black Sabbath came from the depths of industrial working class England and changed the world. They inspired countless other people to pick up an instrument and form a band. They created an entirely new form of music, which spawned countless other genres. They flirted with disaster for the better part of their career, and never gave up. Black Sabbath is the ultimate musical underdog, and very soon it will all be over. After hearing Black Sabbath, my life was never the same again.