Black Sabbath reunion set list odds

Black Sabbath, an English rock band formed almost 60 years ago, are playing one final show ‘Back to the Beginning’ to celebrate Ozzy Osbourne’s last live performance on 5th July at Villa Park, featuring all four of the original members of the band.

The original band members include frontman and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne, guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler and drummer Bill Ward. Throughout the 1980s and 90s, the band members shifted around, with Iommi the only consistent member, but all four originals will be returning for one last blowout.

Black Sabbath have been pivotal in pioneering the heavy metal genre, being inducted into the UK Hall of Fame back in 2005, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006, and most recently in 2019, the recipients of the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Grammy’s.

Below we take a look at the likeliest songs to appear on their setlist.

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Black Sabbath 1/3 (To be played first)

Black Sabbath, the song, was written back in 1969 and was included in their eponymous debut album a year later. It’s often considered the band’s best song and was the opening track in their final show back in 2017 and is 1/3 to open up proceedings yet again on 5th July.

It’s almost a given this song will be played at some point given it has featured on every single tour in Black Sabbath’s history, with odds of 9/4 for any other song to be played first.

Children of the Grave 1/5

Children of the Grave was released in their 1971 album ‘Master of Reality’ and tops the market to feature on the setlist at their reunion show in the summer at 1/5. Diehard fans of Black Sabbath widely consider Children of the Grave as one of their most iconic tracks, and quite often features in the top ten of official lists ranking the greatest Black Sabbath songs.

Musically, the song was a shift from the band’s earlier doom-laden sound with Bill Ward pumping a bit more energy into the drums. The track is often seen as a precursor to the thrash metal genre and is a staple of the band’s setlist.

Fairies Wear Boots 1/2

Fairies Wear Boots very much falls into the heavy, psychedelic category associated with Black Sabbath, featuring on their 1970 album ‘Paranoid’. This song is a mainstay in the setlist and is 1/2 to be played in their big summer reunion.

Black Sabbath jumped between genres a fair amount and reinvented their own sound on multiple occasions, but this track displays their ability to blend hard rock with more psychedelic elements, which played a huge part in influencing subgenres such as doom metal and stoner rock.

Rat Salad EVS

The final track we’re going to talk about on this list is Rat Salad, which featured in the same album as Fairies Wear Boots. This song expresses the band’s musicianship, with Bill Ward taking centre stage with his complex drumming, as the track features an extended instrumental passage.

Rat Salad is EVS to appear on the setlist this summer, and is a historic track for them so early on in their careers, as it showcased the broader talent of the band with regards to their technical ability on their instruments, beyond the dark, heavy sound they’re typically associated with.

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