Ozzy Osbourne Would “Jump at the Chance” to Perform with Black Sabbath Again Under One Condition

Black Sabbath bowed out with their The End Tour which kicked off in 2016 and came to an end in 2017. The touring lineup featured almost the entire original lineup of the band. Unfortunately, original drummer Bill Ward wasn’t present for the tour. As a result, Ozzy Osbourne says the band never really got closure. In his mind, it’s not over until he, Ward, Geezer Butler, and Tony Iommi take the stage together one last time.

Osbourne shared this opinion on a recent episode of the web series The Madhouse Chronicles with host Billy Morrison. During the episode, they watched footage from Black Sabbath’s final show. “That must have been cool for you. How did you feel? Were you glad it was done?” he asked Osbourne.

“Yeah,” Osbourne said. “But I was sad because Bill wasn’t there. I mean, Toom Clufetos, my drummer did a great job. But he ain’t Bill Ward,” the heavy metal icon added. He went on to say that he feels that Black Sabbath’s story is still unfinished. “It wasn’t Black Sabbath that finished it. It’s unfinished. If they wanted to do one more gig with Bill, I would jump at the chance,” he proclaimed.

Black Sabbath has a history of nearly reuniting. However, contract negotiations typically end with someone else taking over Ward’s place behind the drum kit. For instance, three of the four original members came together for the 2013 album 13. It was the first Sabbath album to feature Osbourne since Never Say Die (1978) and the first to feature Butler since Cross Purposes (1994). Bill Wilks, who previously played drums for Rage Against the Machine stepped in for Ward on the album.

Ozzy Osbourne May Still See a Reunited Black Sabbath

While Ozzy Osbourne has retired from touring due to a myriad of health issues, he still plans to play one-off shows. So, barring contractual hiccups, it’s possible that Black Sabbath could get back together for a single show. However, Osbourne doesn’t envision a massive event. Instead, he has his eyes on something smaller.

“You know what would be cool? If we went to a club or somewhere unannounced and we just got up and did it,” he said. “We started up in a club.” Having the original members of Black Sabbath together on a club stage without much fanfare would be the perfect full-circle moment for the iconic band.

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