Graspop Metal Meeting Announces 2016 Headliner

It's unreal, but festivals are already announcing bands for the summer of 2016. Belgium festival Graspop Metal Meeting will take place June 17-19 in 2016. Black Sabbath will headline the festival. Festival organizers released a promo video for Black Sabbath. Notably absent from the video is Bill Ward, so that basically confirms he's out period for any of the band's farewell gigs.

Graspop tickets go on sale October 15.

If you'd like to catch Black Sabbath on their farewell tour a little closer to home, the band kicks off its North American leg January 20, 2016 in Omaha, Nebraska. That leg will end on February 25 in New York City.

Comments

[Snoot]

They'll play Copenhell in late June in Denmark too.

[Him]

Personally, I enjoyed the sound of _13_ even if it occasionally sounded like it was written for Dio and _H&H_. And, while I would eagerly buy another album in that vein (even when they recycle riffs and sounds from older songs, they do a lot better than a lot of newer bands) I think it is a good idea to call it quits . . .

. . . especially without Ward. I feel lucky I saw the entire band during their time at Ozzfest years ago. Ward, sweating and slamming and looking like he was about to pass out, but still sounding mighty damn good from my vantage point. Smiling, even, when the crowd acknowledged his playing.

Don't really care who is at fault for him not being there, whether it be his health or their management or some combination of the two that is getting in the way of a true reunion. But I respect that sound of the albums with him on them (and love that he recently picked "Lonely Is The Word" off the one album he was on with Dio as a favorite of his).

My suspicion is that Ozzy will go back to the Cher-like plasticity of his recent works, Geezer will find--as he so chooses--side projects, and Iommi will focus on his health and perhaps a song or two with some of his recent collaborators (I'd love another set of tunes from him and Hughes). Ward, occupying a far smaller space in the musical tapestry, will continue his radio show (the man knows his music) and work on albums when he feels like it.

Not really a whimper for the mighty Sab. But certainly not the bang that it could have been.