When Black Sabbath reuinted at the O2 Academy Birmingham stage last night, much of the audience’s focus was on guitarist Tony Iommi, still receiving treatment for lymphoma, with the first emotional chant of "Tony! Tony! Tony!" going up immediately after opening song, "Into the Void." Later, Osbourne introduced him as the "Iron Man" before the song of the same name, and a clearly-moved Iommi remained an immutable presence throughout: black-clad, smiling and infusing the most famous riffs in heavy metal history with a vitality to thrill both the veteran Sabbath fans in the 3,000-strong audience, and those born decades after they were first committed to vinyl.
Here are some photos of Tony Iommi’s new Black Sabbath tour rig.
