Black Sabbath’s Tommi Iommi has give a surprise performance at the end of the press night for the Black Sabbath Ballet in London – check it out below.
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Iommi made the surprise appearance on Wednesday (October 22) at the end of Birmingham Royal Ballet’s performance of Black Sabbath – The Ballet at Sadler’s Wells in London.
The ballet, which was first announced in 2023, has seen Iommi take a role in the creation of the ballet, working with Birmingham Royal Ballet director Carlos Acosta. The show includes eight of the band’s tracks plus new music inspired by them, all performed live by the Royal Ballet Sinfonia.
At the event in London this week, Iommi played his iconic guitar solo to ‘Paranoid’ as part of the evening’s closing number – watch it below.
Iommi’s friend and fellow guitar legend Brian May of Queen attended, and later shared video clips on Instagram, writing, “Wow! The true Father of Heavy Metal making that beautiful axe sing like a bird tonight at Sadlers Wells.
“Tony Iommi plus a 40 piece orchestra and a cast of 50 dancers – putting the icing on the cake of a great production of Black Sabbath the Ballet. Proud to call this infinitely modest and generous genius my friend.”
Black Sabbath – The Ballet is currently playing in London before travelling to the Edinburgh Festival Theatre from October 30.
It’s not the first time Iommi has appeared with the ballet. Back in 2023, at the end of the opening performance of the show, Iommi joined the cast on stage to play guitar, while others in attendance that night included the band’s bassist Geezer Butler, Sharon Osbourne and Led Zeppelin‘s Robert Plant.
Speaking about the ballet at the time, he was asked whether he thinks the ballet could inspire metal fans to become ballet fans, and vice versa, Iommi told Birmingham World: “I certainly hope so. I mean, it is a strange combination, but you’ve got to push the boat out. And, you know, hopefully, we can get everybody together.”
In other news, last week Kelly Osbourne thanked fans in Birmingham for their support while accepting a lifetime achievement award on behalf of her late father Ozzy Osbourne. Last Friday (October 17), Kelly accepted a prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award on behalf of the metal pioneer at the Birmingham Awards, and later reflected on what the city meant to him.
“Last night I had the honour of accepting my father’s life time achievement award on his behalf at the @birminghamawards,” she later wrote in an Instagram post.
“I can’t thank everyone enough for their love and support. I know that my dad was shining down on us from heaven with pride because being a #Brummy meant more to him than anything,” she continued. “He loved the city and he loved the people. This honour would have meant the world to him. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. #birminghamforever.”
The award comes in the wake of his passing in July, aged 76, just 17 days after he played one last show as the frontman of the metal band at the ‘Back To The Beginning’ concert in Birmingham. It was Osbourne’s first full gig since 2018, having undergone multiple surgeries in the following years. He also experienced other health problems, including Parkinson’s disease.
Last month, Sharon thanked fans for their “overwhelming love and support” and said she was “still finding my footing” following her husband’s passing. Jack had previously shared a “personal note” about his father in a video on his YouTube channel, while Kelly explained how she had found her “smile again” amid the “sadness and grief”.