In an exclusive interview with their hometown Birmingham Mail, Black Sabbath guitar legend Tony Iommi explains why this has to be the band’s final tour.

“I can’t actually do this anymore,” he admits. “My body won’t take it much more. It’s about time we draw the line, don’t you think? It’s been great but it’s time to stop now. Don’t get me wrong, I still love gigging. It’s all the travelling and the exhaustion that goes with it that’s the problem.

Iommi, who battled lymphoma, has tests in two weeks’ time to make sure the cancer has not returned.

“I don’t want that creeping back again,” he says. “And all the travelling involved in Sabbath tours increasingly takes its toll.

“That’s why we’re going out on one last tour, to say our farewells. And then it very definitely is the end. We won’t be doing it again.”

About the upcoming tour Iommi says “it’ll be a big production and we’ll be putting together a setlist that traces the band’s career from our eary days in Birmingham. All the fan favourites will be in there, and we’re looking to include some songs we’ve rarely performed live, too. All the material will be from albums on which Ozzy is the singer.”

As for a new album Iommi adds: ““I’ve been busy writing songs ever since the ‘13’ sessions,” says Iommi. “At that point we thought there might be another Sabbath album.

“But that’s up in the air now so I don’t know when or where they might appear. The tracks are ready, though.”

Read more at the Birmingham Mail.

It's the beginning of The End. It started nearly five decades ago with a crack of thunder, a distant bell ringing and then that monstrous riff that shook the earth. The heaviest rock sound ever heard. In that moment heavy metal was born, created by a young band from Birmingham, England barely out of their teens.
 
Now it ends, the final tour by the greatest metal band of all time, Black Sabbath. Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler close the final chapter in the final volume of the incredible Black Sabbath story. A video announcement can be found below.

 
Black Sabbath’s farewell tour, The End, begins on January 20th, 2016 and it promises to surpass all previous tours with their most mesmerizing production ever. When this tour concludes, it will truly be The End, The End of one of the most legendary bands in rock 'n roll history... Black Sabbath.

North American tour dates:
 
January
20 - Omaha, NE - CenturyLink Center
22 - Chicago, IL - United Center
25 - Minneapolis, MN - Target Center
28 - Saskatoon, SK - Sasktel Centre
30 - Edmonton, AB - Rexall Centre

February
1 - Calgary, AB - Scotiabank Saddledome
3 - Vancouver, BC - Rogers Arena
6 - Tacoma, WA - Tacoma Dome
9 - San Jose, CA - SAP Center
11 - Los Angeles, CA - The Forum
13 - Las Vegas, NV - Mandalay Bay Events Center
15 - Denver, CO - Pepsi Center
17 - Kansas City, MO - Sprint Center
19 - Detroit, MI - The Palace of Auburn Hills
21 - Hamilton, ON - FirstOntario Centre
23 - Montreal, QB - Bell Centre
25 - New York City, NY - Madison Square Garden

Australia/New Zealand tour dates:

April
15 - Perth, Australia - Perth Arena
17 - Adelaide, Australia - Entertainment Centre
19 - Melbourne, Australia - Rod Laver Arena
23 - Sydney, Australia - Allphones Arena
25 - Brisbane, Australia - Entertainment Centre
28 - Auckland, New Zealand - Vector Arena
30 - Dunedin, New Zealand - Forsyth Barr Stadium

More dates to be announced in October. Details on Tickets,VIP packages and more for the North American shows can be found at Livenation.com.

(Photo - Mark Weiss)