After all the build up and drama over the last months it was finally time for Black Sabbath to hit the stage in their hometown of Birmingham. An intimate show will undoubtedly leave plenty of people who want to get tickets without them, and it did seem that half the tickets were on ebay a few minutes after they were released. There were also fears whether Tony Iommi would be fit enough to play after his recent treatment for lymphoma and of course there was that ongoing Bill Ward saga.

Well, Bill Ward wasn’t on drums. Ozzy’s drummer, Tommy Clufetos was sat on the drum stool. The venue was, as expected, packed and most importantly after several hero’s welcomes Tony Iommi appeared comfortable throughout the set. In fact the whole band seemed more than comfortable. The sound in Birmingham Academy was excellent. Sabbath sounded heavier than imaginable but still as clear as a bell with razor sharp riffs. Ozzy’s voice also sounded better than it has been for years especially when compared to the last Sabbath reunion. The band were tight, held together by Tommy Clufetos, and one wonders whether a late settlement with Bill Ward would have given enough time to rehearse such a slick and effective show…

Anyway, the show was dubbed as a warm-up for their upcoming slot at Download Festival. The show was far from sloppy though and the fact that it was being professionally filmed indicates that the band were well sharp by the time they hit the stage last Saturday.

Demonstrating the heaviness of the sound in the Academy, Sabbath opened up with ‘Into the Void’. Tony Iommi welcomed with an almost unanimous chant of ‘TONY’ ‘TONY’ as he ripped out the slow repetitive churn of the intro. Cue more than 3000 people to simultaneously head bang with a grin from ear to ear. The crowd and the band never let up in the enthusiasm stakes with an electric atmosphere persisting right through the gig.

As for the set list, well it had everything. The classics were all there such as ‘War Pigs’, ‘Snowblind’ and ‘Black Sabbath’ to name just a few. A few surprise gems too. ‘Dirty Women’ ‘Behind the Wall of Sleep’ and ‘Under the Sun’ were all slotted into the set list as though they’d never been away.

The band finished with the predictable but essential frenzy that is ‘Paranoid’ after Tony was dubbed “Iron Man” by Ozzy and it was all over in a flash. Being the age I am, I’ve never seen Black Sabbath in this good form. I’ve seen the last two reunions and although they were good they sometimes left a bitter aftertaste as they could have been so much better. There was no such aftertaste here though. Black Sabbath were phenomenal. The thousands of smiling faces leaving the venue was proof of that alone.

Roll on Download!