The played Black Sabbath’s seminal hit “Paranoid”
At their UK tour finale tonight in Birmingham, Foo Fighters brought out a very special guest to help them close out the run. Birmingham native and Black Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler joined Dave Grohl and company on stage for a fiery rendition of the seminal Sabbath hit “Paranoid.” Check out the fan-filmed footage below.
This isn’t Dave Grohl’s first collaboration with the mighty Black Sabbath. In 2000, Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi released his solo album, Iommi. The record featured several high-profile singers, including Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl who performed on the song “Goodbye Lament.” More recently, Geezer Butler joined Foo Fighters on stage in 2022 for renditions of “Paranoid” and “Supernaut” along with Sebastian Bach and Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich at the Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert in Los Angeles.
On June 13 in Manchester, Foo Fighters kicked off their Everything or Nothing at All Tour at Emirates Old Trafford. The set was jam-packed with hits like “Learn to Fly,” Monkey Wrench,” “The Pretender,” “These Days,” and more. They also pulled out the There Is Nothing Left to Lose rarity “Stacked Actors” for the first time since 2010. Perhaps the night’s biggest moment, though, was the debut of a never-before-heard song – “Unconditional.”
A representative of the band told Consequence that the track was “partially written and demo’d during home studio sessions years ago – but ultimately left unfinished.”
Check out the fan filmed footage of the all-new “Unconditional” HERE.
Foo Fighters’ current UK tour wraps up tonight on 27 June at Villa Park in Birmingham. Special guests for the shows were Loose Articles, Courtney Barnett, Honeyblood, Shame, Himalayas, Hot Milk, and GRAMMY® Award winners Wet Leg on select dates. Foo Fighters’ newest LP debuted at No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart, and the UK Rock & Metal Albums Chart.
Next month, Foo Fighters will be embarking on a full United States tour. It is a full, proper tour, after sporadically performing across North America throughout 2023. The run begins with back-to-back shows at Citi Field in New York on July 17 and July 18, and wraps up on August 18 at T-Mobile Park in Seattle, Washington, where frontman Dave Grohl’s old house recently hit the market. Before that, though, the group has added a few North American shows in May.
Foo Fighters’ new album, But Here We Are, arrived last June. The album peaked at No. 8 on the Billboard 200, and topped Billboard’s Rock and Alternative Albums charts. It marked the band’s first release without late drummer Taylor Hawkins since he joined the band for 1999’s There Is Nothing Left to Lose. Dave Grohl recorded all the drums on But Here We Are.
The album garnered the band three 2024 GRAMMY® Award nominations. The LP But Here We Are was up for Best Rock Album, while the record’s lead single “Rescued” was in the running for Best Rock Performance and Best Rock Song. Metallica and Arctic Monkeys also grabbed three nods each.
Last May 21, Foo Fighters confirmed new drummer Josh Freese. On May 24, 2023, Foo Fighters made their return to the stage at the Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion in Gilford, New Hampshire. Over Memorial Day Weekend, the band perform at Boston Calling and Sonic Temple. On May 30, they played an exclusive club show opening the all-new Atlantic in Washington, D.C.
In 2021, Foo Fighters released their last album Medicine at Midnight – their final outing with Hawkins. The record hit No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and took the top spot in several other countries. The album garnered the band three GRAMMY® Awards, including Best Rock Song (“Waiting on a War”), Best Rock Performance (“Making a Fire”), and Best Rock Album.
Rock music fans are surely stoked to see Geezer Butler back on stage. Ever since Sabbath’s final tour concluded back in 2017, fans have been hoping to see the legendary band back together again. In 2022, Ozzy Osbourne performed at the Commonwealth Games. During the performance, he was joined by his Sabbath bandmate Tony Iommi, alongside drummer Tommy Clufetos and bassist Adam Wakeman. Black Sabbath’s final tour took place without drummer Bill Ward, and Butler did not join Ozzy and Iommi at the Commonwealth Games.
In 2023, another chance for a Sabbath reunion was on the table, but never came to fruition.
Last July, Tony Iommi revealed that Power Trip organizers initially approached Black Sabbath about performing at the festival with the original lineup. The band declined the offer, citing Ozzy’s ongoing heath issues as the main reason for not taking the gig. There’s was also, one can imagine, the issue of the fractured relationship between Ozzy, Iommi, and Butler with Bill Ward. Ward did not appear on the band’s final album or take part in their final tour due to contractual issues.
“It’s hard, because Ozzy’s been going through a lot of stuff lately,” Iommi told SiriusXM’s Trunk Nation host Eddie Trunk. “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, 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.”
Despite turning down Power Trip, Iommi hasn’t ruled out the possibility of a one-off Black Sabbath reunion.
“I’ve certainly done the Commonwealth Games with Ozzy, and that sort of happened, 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.”
Contrary to Iommi’s recent comments, Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler seemingly ruled out any sort of Black Sabbath reunion in the future.
In his new memoir Into the Void: From Birth to Black Sabbath – and Beyond, Butler opens up about his disconnect with Ozzy, and the band’s issues with Ward. Last week in an interview with Rolling Stone, Geezer put the cherry on top, saying of a reunion, “I don’t think Ozzy’s up for it, anyway.”
Geezer Butler, the legendary bassist and primary lyricist for Black Sabbath, released his autobiography through HarperCollins just over a year ago on June 6, 2023. The memoir has been praised for its candid, dramatic, and comprehensive recounting of Butler’s life and career. It covers his formative years in Birmingham, his pivotal role in Black Sabbath, and his later projects, providing a deep dive into both the band’s history and his personal experiences.
The memoir reflects Butler’s unique voice, as he chose to write it himself to ensure authenticity. He received assistance with research and fact-checking, particularly for the extensive touring history and significant events from the 1970s and 1980s. The book’s initial manuscript was trimmed from 500 pages to a final 300-page edition, making for a tightly edited narrative that still captures the essence of his journey.
Butler’s autobiography has garnered positive reviews from various publications, highlighting its engaging storytelling and in-depth look at his life and the band’s legacy. The book includes notable anecdotes about encounters with other rock legends like Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, and Frank Zappa, and provides insights into his lyrical inspirations drawn from horror, religion, and the occult.
In support of the book, Butler has participated in several events, including an appearance at the NAMM show in Anaheim and a special interview event titled “Filling the Void” with comedian Brian Posehn. These events offered fans a chance to hear Butler discuss his memoir and life experiences directly, as well as participate in Q&A sessions and book signings.
For those interested in exploring the detailed and personal account of one of heavy metal’s pioneers, Into the Void offers a comprehensive and honest look at Geezer Butler’s significant impact on music history and his personal reflections on a storied career.
Last summer, Black Sabbath released a new vinyl box set, Hand of Doom. The release features eight of the band’s classic albums, released from 1970 to 1978, on picture disc vinyl. Limited to just 4,000 copies, Hand of Doom exclusively in North America via Rhino and Warner Music Canada.
Comprising some of the band’s most powerful albums ever produced, Hand of Doom features the complete, original Black Sabbath collection on picture disc for the first time. The highly collectible set contains the band’s debut album Black Sabbath (1970), as well as the multi-platinum Paranoid (1970), the platinum albums Master of Reality(1971), Vol. 4 (1972), and Sabbath Bloody Sabbath (1973), the gold-certified Sabotage (1975), alongside Technical Ecstasy (1976) and Never Say Die! (1978).
The boxed set includes each album’s artwork printed on Side A. The self-titled debut, Vol. 4, Technical Ecstasy, and Sabbath Bloody Sabbath feature the original back album artwork on Side B. Paranoid, Master of Reality, and Sabotage features an album-era photo of the band. The collection also includes a large color poster of the band taken in Los Angeles during the summer of 1972 while the band were recording Vol. 4.