BLACK SABBATH “THE END TOUR” – CONCERT REVIEW

As soon as I heard Black Sabbath announce The End Tour, I knew it was an event I had to bear witness to. If this was truly the last chance I had to see the band perform live, there had to be a scheduled date in my future. Once I noticed a show in Las Vegas, I knew it was the perfect opportunity to see the masters of doom one last time.

When I walked through the Mandalay Bay lobby I was first greeted with the massive horde of metalheads all sporting their own Sabbath apparel each with different logos, album covers, demons etc. Soon the crowd began to split into two separate groups: the merchandise line and the waiting area outside the entrance door.

I never saw a line for band merch as long as the one for Sabbath. Luckily, the concert didn’t start for another 45 minutes and that’s how much time it took to make my purchase. Afterwards, it was time to find my seat. Through the swarm of fans, I finally reached the purple-lit auditorium. A large banner stretched from one side of the stage to the other labeled: Black Sabbath.

The night had just begun…

The openers of the show were also a big attraction for me. Rival Sons is a group I’ve had nothing but respect for since I heard their material. Very fitting for them to get the gracious opportunity since they are one of the few bands today to play 70’s style hard rock.

When they started their set, they rung out a string of heavy numbers like Electric Man, Secret and Pressure and Time. Although it is ironic for Sabbath to have another young band over-qualify themselves as an opening act, Rival Sons delivered a kick ass performance and earned their spot on stage.

After their set, an entirely different dynamic was in the air…

When the room exploded with cheering fans and a video begun playing on the banner, I knew I was in for an historic night. A short clip of a demon hatching out of an egg and breathing fire onto the band’s logo was a great way to get the show rolling.

Soon after, the banner fell and all four members were now visible onstage, blasting their opening tune: Black Sabbath. Although I was worried about Ozzy’s vocal capacity beforehand, I was quickly reassured once I noticed his consistency between songs.

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And how did the rest of the band sound…? Absolutely unimpaired!

Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler were nothing short of spectacular. Both members served such an impressive live show. They continued to blow my mind as they sounded so identical to the albums without missing a beat. And who could forget Tommy Clufetos?

Despite the controversy between Sabbath and original drummer, Bill Ward, I was amazed at the sight of seeing Clufetos take charge onstage. He delivered a very physical performance without coming close to being exhausted. And we all know there aren’t any Sabbath songs that don’t require heavy pounding.

Although many aren’t satisfied with the absence of Ward on drums, I was beyond impressed with Clufetos’ playing and I couldn’t imagine anyone else who deserved his spot in the band.

One of the pinnacles of the concert was seeing all of the fans know every word to every song especially the “Oh no, God please help me!” segment in the opening number. Other classics such as War Pigs and Snowblind had most audience members harmonizing in sequence with Ozzy.

It was also a pleasure to hear personal favorites of mine live including Into The Void and Dirty Women. Hearing these songs in person reminded me of the greatest aspect of a live show which is knowing each and every note, chorus and tempo change before it actually happens.

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After a tremendous encore of Paranoid, the band did their final bow as the arena cheered in exhilaration, knowing they had seen the final chapter of Sabbath’s career. I was astounded, because I knew this wasn’t just a successful band retiring their trademark name. This was Black Sabbath in a healthy state, serving justice to their reputation proudly without showing a sign of age. I consider it a check off the bucket list to be able to see the Godfathers of Heavy Metal say goodbye.

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