On February 4 , 2017, Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi, singer Ozzy Osbourne and bassist Geezer Butler took the stage for one last sold-out show together in their hometown of Birmingham, England. 

For those unable to attend the band’s grand finale, the performance was captured for posterity by Dick Carruthers, the director behind classic concert films like Led Zeppelin: Celebration Day and The Who Live at the Royal Albert Hall. Titled The End, the DVD / Blu-ray documents the entire show, plus offers fabulously intimate studio performances of material not featured on the tour.

Guitar World columnist Brad Tolinski recently spoke with Tony Iommi about The End, an excerpt follows.

Did you take any special care to choose the final setlist?

"We knew we wanted to play the classics, so we didn’t really play anything off the final album, 13. I would’ve liked to have played some of the songs that we haven’t performed for many years like 'Hole In The Sky' or 'Symptom Of The Universe', but we could only do songs that Ozzy could still sing. That’s no disrespect to him. When we recorded those songs originally 30 years ago, the keys were so high there was no chance in hell that he could still hit those notes. But it would’ve been nice to have had them in the set."

Did you consider detuning your guitar so it would make it easier for him to hit the notes?

"Because I detune already, the strings would’ve been too low, like rubber bands. We detuned with Ronnie James Dio on the last two tours we did with him, but that was just a semi-tone. But let me be clear, nobody was upset with Ozzy. It’s impossible for anyone his age to sing like they did as a kid."

On the live concert film, you perform a medley of greatest guitar riffs like “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath” and “Supernaut”. Was that an opportunity to sneak in a few songs that Ozzy couldn’t sing, but the fans wanted to hear?

"Absolutely. And we wanted to play ’em! So, we figured we do them as an instrumental even if we couldn’t play the whole song. It seemed like a good compromise."

To read the complete interview, visit this location.

Black Sabbath recently issued their new multi-format release, The End, which captures the final destination of the band's touring adventure - an unforgettable farewell show at the Genting Arena in Black Sabbath’s hometown of Birmingham. Filmed on February 4th, 2017, The End captures the legendary lineup celebrating their storied career, marking the closure of a monumental chapter in rock history.

The End can be ordered at both Eagle Rock and Music Vaultz.

With a hit packed set list including "Iron Man", "Paranoid", "War Pigs" and many more, the high production values, visual effects and pyrotechnics wowed fans, as the band delivered the most emotionally charged show of their lives. “Because it was Birmingham, it was a special night for us,” said Tony Iommi. “It was great to look out and know that all these people have come to see us. What a great feeling. There’s nothing like it”.

All visual formats feature special bonus material of the band playing a selection of their favorite songs not played on tour. These intimate live sessions at Angelic Studios were recorded in the days after their final live performance, and mark the band’s final studio recordings. Geezer Butler said, “It will never be ‘The End’ for me. I’ll always be a part of Sabbath, and Sabbath will always be a part of me”.

Formats and tracklistings:

DVD+CD and Blu-ray+CD

DVD and Blu-ray tracklisting:

"Black Sabbath"
"Fairies Wear Boots"
"Under The Sun" / "Every Day Comes And Goes"
"After Forever"
"Into The Void"
"Snowblind"
Band Intros
"War Pigs"
"Behind The Wall Of Sleep"
"Bassically / N.I.B."
"Hand Of Doom"
"Supernaut" / "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath" / "Megalomania"
"Rat Salad" / Drum Solo
"Iron Man"
"Dirty Women"
"Children Of The Grave"
"Paranoid"

Extras - The Angelic Sessions:

"The Wizard"
"Wicked World"
"Sweet Leaf"
"Tomorrow's Dream"
"Changes"

CD tracklisting - The Angelic Sessions:

"The Wizard"
"Wicked World"
"Sweet Leaf"
"Tomorrow's Dream"
"Changes"

Double CD and Triple Vinyl tracklisting:

"Black Sabbath"
"Fairies Wear Boots"
"Under The Sun" / "Every Day Comes And Goes"
"After Forever"
"Into The Void"
"Snowblind"
Band Intros
"War Pigs"
"Behind The Wall Of Sleep"
"Bassically / N.I.B."
"Hand Of Doom"
"Supernaut" / "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath" / "Megalomania"
"Rat Salad" / Drum Solo
"Iron Man"
"Dirty Women"
"Children Of The Grave"
"Paranoid"

Limited Deluxe Collector’s Edition

The End on DVD and Blu-ray:

- The End on double CD
- The Angelic Sessions on CD (all housed in gatefold card sleeves)
- A 32-page perfect bound book on heavyweight stock
- A metal Winged Demon pin badge
- A replica The End tour laminate
- 3 Plectrums (all housed in a DVD-height two piece rigid mirror board box)

"Iron Man" video:

"War Pigs" video:

"N.I.B." video:

"Paranoid" video: