“I watched Tony a lot. We became friends. It was emotional – not in a ‘pinch me!’ sense, but realizing how on-point he was – and how much he was not phoning in that performance”: Rival Sons’ Scott Holiday on what it’s like to open a Black Sabbath show

If you caught Black Sabbath’s The End tour, which lasted from 2016 to 2017 and spanned 81 shows over six legs, there’s a good chance you caught Rival Sons opening for them. But even if you didn’t, that tour remains a significant pride point for Rival Sons’ fuzz-laden guitarist, Scott Holiday – and it’s why Rival Sons are a part of Back to the Beginning.

“I got to see a lot,” Holiday says about his time on the road with his heroes. “It’s rare that you get to spend that much time with a band that has been that legendary for that long. It was a heavy feeling to think you could be that deep into your career and be so totally focused on delivering those old songs. It was really inspiring. It was an energy.”

Rival Sons were the openers for Black Sabbath during their final tour. Is that why you got the call for Back to the Beginning?

“We were on tour with Sabbath for 13 months and were actually the only opener for their last official tour. Right after we finished that tour, we presented them with their Grammy Lifetime Achievement [award], where we played some Sabbath songs, spoke in front of everybody and did that whole thing with them, too.

“So we’ve been friends with them, and when they reached out, of course, we were obliged and wanted to be a part of it.”

What did you learn from sharing the stage with Sabbath?

“I watched Tony a lot. We became friends, which was amazing. It was emotional for me. Not in a ‘Pinch me!’ sense, but just realizing how on-point he was and how much he was not phoning in that performance. I felt moved by it, like, ‘Wow… he’s really keyed-in every night. He’s really focused, dedicated and still totally there.’”

Was being on the road with Sabbath as wild as it’s made out to be?

“Everybody looks at these guys, and they have assumptions. I would tell people, ‘You don’t understand who these guys are. These guys are grandfathers. They’re family men. They’ve been wealthy for a long time because of music. These aren’t kids doing devil-worshiping music in their basements.’ [Laughs]

“These were grown men with insanely successful careers who made boatloads of money and became totally adjusted family men. They were warm people. It was a nice, warm atmosphere.”

Can you recall the first time you heard Black Sabbath and how it made you feel?

“I remember hearing those early records by digging through my parents’ records and cassettes. The first Sabbath album I heard was Paranoid, and heavy metal was established. So I wasn’t like, ‘Holy shit, what is this?’ There was already Metallica and heavy music happening that was thrashy, so Sabbath was much more of a rock feel to me as a kid.

“But I distinctly remember putting on [Black Sabbath] at my parents’ house, listening to it in headphones, holding that cover and feeling like, ‘This is spooky. This is frightening.’ What they came up with, the image and the sound, made me feel uneasy.”

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You’re a riff writer and fuzz fan. Was Tony Iommi a big influence on you?

“Definitely. Black Sabbath played a role in that. I’d say that Electric Funeral was probably the first riff I learned to play. That was kind of the building blocks. It’s just the simplest, early head-banging, kind of devil-y, amazing and cool energy they created.”

Is there a chance Rival Sons will play Electric Funeral at Back to the Beginning?

“I know what songs we’re gonna play – but I don’t think I’m allowed to say it… but I might dip into my history a little bit. [Laughs] I think we’re just going to do two songs. We’ll do one of ours, and one of [Sabbath’s].”

What does it mean to be a part of their final ever show?

“It’s great! I don’t know how much we’re going to get to see of them playing together. I’m like everybody else, just wondering, ‘How much is Bill going to get up and do? How much can Ozzy even get up and do?’ It may just turn out to be much more of a tribute with them there and then them popping in here and there.”

• This article first appeared in Guitar World. Subscribe and save.