Black Sabbath’s Geezer Butler Discusses Anxieties of Final Gig: ‘I’m Already Having Palpitations’

With just two months to go until Black Sabbath perform their final-ever live show, founding bassist Geezer Butler has admitted to some intense anxieties ahead of the gig.

The band’s final performance will take place as part of the Back to the Beginning concert, which takes place in Birmingham, England on July 5. The event will see the band’s classic line-up – comprising frontman Ozzy Osbourne, guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Butler and drummer Bill Ward – play live together for the first time in two decades, while the likes of Metallica, Slayer, Anthrax, Alice in Chains, and myriad others also join the bill.

While Osbourne hasn’t performed a full set since Dec. 31, 2018 – two months before his diagnosis of Parkinson’s – he’s previously tempered expectations for the upcoming gig, noting he isn’t “planning on doing a set with Black Sabbath,” but rather “little bits and pieces” with the group. “I am doing what I can, where I feel comfortable,” he explained. 

Speaking to The Guardian ahead of the July event, Butler admitted that while he’s unsure of how the performance will roll out, or how Osbourne’s health may affect the show, the lofty expectations behind such a gig have left him feeling immensely anxious.

“I’m already having palpitations,” he noted. “In fact, I had a nightmare last night. I dreamed everything went wrong on stage and we all turned to dust. It’s important that we leave a great impression, since it’s the final time that people will experience us live. So it has to be great on the night.”

Elsewhere in the interview, Osbourne again pointed out that Black Sabbath aren’t planning on performing a full-length set. “We’re only playing a couple of songs each,” he explained. “I don’t want people thinking, ‘We’re getting ripped off’, because it’s just going to be … what’s the word? … a sample, you’re going to get a few songs each by Ozzy and Sabbath.”

Though Osbourne also noted he has been undergoing extensive training as part of his preparation for the show, the end result will undoubtedly be far different to what fans may have hoped for, but as much as he can handle given his health circumstances.

“I’m used to doing two hours on stage, jumping and running around,” he said. “I don’t think I’ll be doing much jumping or running around this time. I may be sitting down, but the point is I’ll be there, and I’ll do the best I can. So all I can do is turn up.”