Tony Iommi explains why Geezer Butler didn’t join him and Ozzy at Commonwealth Games closing ceremony

Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler
(Image credit: Brill/ullstein bild via Getty Image)

Tony Iommi has revealed why he and Ozzy Osbourne were not joined by their Black Sabbath colleague Geezer Butler for the pair’s performance at the closing ceremony of the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

Iommi and Osbourne performed a storming rendition of Paranoid, with Adam Wakeman, son of Rick Wakeman of Yes, playing bass guitar, and Tommy Clufetos on drums. Clufetos played on Black Sabbath’s The End Tour following original drummer Bill Ward’s contractual disputes.

Thank you for reading 5 articles this month**

Join now for unlimited access

US pricing $3.99 per month or $39.00 per year

UK pricing £2.99 per month or £29.00 per year 

Europe pricing €3.49 per month or €34.00 per year

*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription

Join now for unlimited access

Prices from £2.99/$3.99/€3.49

Jonathan Horsley

Jonathan Horsley has been writing about guitars since 2005, playing them since 1990, and regularly contributes to publications including Guitar World, MusicRadar and Total Guitar. He uses Jazz III nylon picks, 10s during the week, 9s at the weekend, and shamefully still struggles with rhythm figure one of Van Halen’s Panama.