Black Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler has opened up about the band’s emotional final performance at the “Back to the Beginning” show — and the difficult rehearsals that led up to it. Speaking on Gabbing With Girlfriends, a podcast hosted by his wife and manager Gloria Butler, the heavy metal legend revealed how “shocked” he was to see frontman Ozzy Osbourne’s declining health, saying the singer “couldn’t stand up.”
A Poignant Farewell for Black Sabbath
The “Back to the Beginning” concert marked the end of Black Sabbath’s groundbreaking journey — a career that defined heavy metal itself. Determined to make their final appearance unforgettable, the band spent months preparing for the performance.
Butler recalled being immediately on board when asked to reunite with Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, and Bill Ward for one last time — especially since the show was held at Villa Park, the home stadium of his favorite football team, Aston Villa.
“I suppose I was just wondering how everybody would do. I knew Ozzy wasn’t in the best of health. I knew Bill hadn’t been well for a while. Tony was up for it, and I was up for it as long as everybody else was,” Butler explained.
“And I said ‘yeah’ straight away, ‘I’ll do it.’ Especially as it was at Villa Park — one of the earliest places I ever went to as a little child.”
“I Was Just Shocked to See Him Like That”
Rehearsals for the farewell show turned out to be both nostalgic and heartbreaking. Butler shared that while the band’s chemistry was as strong as ever, Ozzy’s condition caught everyone off guard.
“When we get together, it’s almost like we’ve just seen each other the week before, even though it’s been like six or seven years or whatever,” Geezer said.
“Of course, Tony was joking about Bill ’cause he kept saying he looked like Gollum. The only shocking bit was when Ozzy came in. I knew Ozzy was very ill, but I didn’t realize how ill he was.”
The bassist described how Ozzy was helped into the rehearsal room by two assistants, visibly frail but still full of humor and charm.
“Ozzy came in and was helped in by two helpers. And I was just shocked to see him like that.”
Rehearsing Around Ozzy’s Health Challenges
Despite his physical limitations, Ozzy Osbourne refused to let illness dampen his spirit. The band arranged rehearsals to make him as comfortable as possible — even setting up a chair so he could sing while seated.
“Being Ozzy, he had to crack a few jokes and things,” Butler recalled.
“They had like an armchair set aside so he could sit down to sing through the songs, ’cause he couldn’t stand up. I think we rehearsed about six or seven songs and picked out four or five.”
The band ultimately selected a handful of tracks that best fit Ozzy’s stamina and their shared comfort level, ensuring the final performance would still carry the trademark Black Sabbath power.
“We knew we could only do four or five ’cause of the time limit, and we picked out the ones that sounded the best. Ozzy could only do it once — go through the songs one time — and then he’d leave and we’d carry on getting the solos tight and the sound right.”
Falling Back Into the Old Sabbath Spirit
Even under challenging circumstances, Butler said the band quickly slipped back into their old groove. The chemistry that defined Black Sabbath for more than five decades was still there — unshakable and timeless.
“After that, we fell into the old Sabbath again,” he shared. “It just felt natural, like nothing had changed. That’s the magic of it.”
A Bittersweet Final Chapter
For both fans and the band members, the “Back to the Beginning” show symbolized more than just a farewell — it was a full-circle moment. Seeing Ozzy power through his health issues to perform one last time reminded everyone of the resilience and brotherhood that built Black Sabbath’s legacy.
As Butler’s emotional recollections show, the final Sabbath performance wasn’t just about the music — it was about loyalty, history, and the enduring bond between four musicians who changed the course of rock forever.
