Tony Iommi Says Black Sabbath Turned Down Power Trip Gig, Offers Update on His Health

Jon Hadusek
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The post Tony Iommi Says Black Sabbath Turned Down Power Trip Gig, Offers Update on His Health appeared first on Consequence.

Tony Iommi has revealed that Black Sabbath were approached to play a reunion set at the inaugural Power Trip festival, but he turned the offer down.

The massive fest is scheduled for October 6th through the 8th at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California — also the home of Coachella. The unprecedented lineup is stacked with some of the biggest names in rock and metal, including Guns N’ Roses, Iron Maiden, AC/DC, Ozzy Osbourne, Metallica, and Tool (get tickets here).

Speaking on Sirius XM’s Trunk Nation, Iommi confirmed that Black Sabbath were considered for the fest, but the guitarist shot down the idea himself, mainly due to uncertainties concerning the health of the original lineup members, including Ozzy. He added that he was surprised when Ozzy ended up being booked for the gig.

“It’s hard, because Ozzy’s been going through a lot of stuff lately,” Iommi said [as transcribed by Blabbermouth]. “He’s in hospital and out of hospital, and he’s really been fighting it; he really wants to get out there. But in my mind, it’s very difficult to sort of say yes. I’ve gotta think of the people in the band as well. I’ve gotta think of Ozzy, if he’s gonna be all right to do a show and whatever. So I wasn’t that comfortable with it.”

Iommi continued: “But I didn’t know Ozzy would be doing it on his own. But it’s great. I hope he can do it and that it’ll be really good. He really wants to do it. And he’s really trying to pull to get himself back. He’s had to go through such a lot of hard stuff lately. It’s such a shame, really. But he’s still fighting there.”

Still, Iommi said he isn’t opposed to Sabbath playing a one-off reunion with the original lineup, which was the idea for the Power Trip performance. This follows recent comments from bassist Geezer Butler ruling out any such reunion.

“I’ve certainly done the Commonwealth Games with Ozzy, and that sort of happened,” Iommi said. “But to do a full show, you’ve gotta make sure everybody’s in good shape because people are gonna remember you by that show. And I don’t want our reputation to go downhill all of a sudden. If something goes wrong or somebody can’t make it and we have to cancel… ‘Cause I don’t know everybody’s health; I don’t know how Bill [Ward’s] feeling these days. You just don’t know. So I’d like to be sure. If you’re gonna do anything, it’s gotta be good or not bother.”

Regarding his own health, the 75-year-old Iommi, who was diagnosed with early stage lymphoma in 2012, said he’s “up and down” but doing well overall.

“I go for my checks,” he said in the same interview with Eddie Trunk. “In fact, I was there the day before yesterday, just getting different checks again. It’s like any old person [laughs] — you have problems. But, no, all in all, it’s been pretty good. Certainly as far as the cancer side of it, it’s been — dare I say — good. I get other ailments, like your hands ache and feet and things like that. But apart from that, it’s good. And I think doing what I’m doing keeps me up. I don’t sit at home just sitting on the couch; I’m out and about doing stuff. And it’s good — it keeps you motivated; it keeps you moving.”

Iommi added that he isn’t able to do any major touring anymore, but hopes to make occasional live appearances in the near future.

“I will be going out, I suppose, doing something along the line,” he said. “I’ve been asked to do various things, and we’ll see what happens.”

Tony Iommi Says Black Sabbath Turned Down Power Trip Gig, Offers Update on His Health
Jon Hadusek

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