Tool frontman Maynard James Keenan has said it may take “modern miracles” to get Ozzy Osbourne onstage for Black Sabbath‘s final ever concert.
Dubbed ‘Back To The Beginning’, the final Sabbath date at Birmingham’s Villa Park on July 5, boasts a massive, star-studded line-up. Along with Tool the likes of Metallica, Slayer, Pantera, Alice In Chains, Gojira, Anthrax, Smashing Pumpkins‘ Billy Corgan, Guns N’ Roses, and KoRn are set to perform.
Although Osbourne recently revealed that he was “in heavy training” for the concert, he has had muliple health issues and he previously told fans that he would only be “doing little bits and pieces” with Sabbath at Villa Park amid his health issues.
Now, in a new interview Loudwire Nights, Keenan has said it could be a struggle for Osbourne after seeing him at the Black Sabbath frontman’s induction at the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame last year.
“I think for me, seeing Ozzy moving around at [the Rock Hall ceremony], the idea of him playing a show at all, if we’re being honest, the conversation about going to do the song was like, ‘We’ll have this conversation, but, ahh… I don’t know that this [concert] gonna happen,’” he said.
“And even now, I’m cautious about saying, ‘Yeah! All in, he’s gonna do it.’ Because man, I don’t know what kind of modern miracles we’ll come up with to get him on stage to do the songs, but this is gonna be a challenge for them. So, I’m honoured to be a part of it, but I’m kinda preparing for the worst – but hoping for the best, as they say.”
The Tool frontman said he had heard rumours about the concert at the induction.
“The conversation first came up when I was at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, hanging out with Wolfgang [Van Halen] and some of the guys, I think even [Metallica bassist] Robert Trujillo,” he said.
“We were on the travel over there, just going, ‘OK, well, there’s a rumour about the Black Sabbath show.’ I was like, ‘Well, let’s do something.’ So I kinda had planned a song to do and all of a sudden I’m at home and I get the call, ‘Hey, Tool‘s been asked to do a song,’ and I’m like ‘Fuck.’ Now I have to call back Wolfgang and those guys and go, ‘I’m going to do it with Tool, sorry.’”
Osbourne’s longtime collaborator and guitarist, Zakk Wylde, recently teased that the Prince Of Darkness may perform from a “throne that flies over the stadium” at the historic event.
The frontman previously revealed that he now “can’t walk” as a result of Parkinson’s, but Sharon Osbourne assured fans that his illness “doesn’t affect his voice”.
When speaking to NME alongside Tony Iommi at Villa Park in February, she said her husband was doing “really great” at the time. She told us that Ozzy was feeling “very emotional” about the last Sabbath show, and that it was “what he wants”.
“He wants to say thank you to everybody,” Sharon told NME. “He didn’t have that chance because of his illness, but now he does have the chance.”
Tom Morello will be performing and serving as the gig’s musical director, and has said he is “honoured” to take on the role. He recently teased some “huge superstars” as “surprises” for the Birmingham show.
