Why Geezer Butler Didn’t Join Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi for Commonwealth Games Performance

Ozzy Osbourne and Tony Iommi's performance at the Commonwealth Games has received rave reviews. Yet, there was one major question that came from it: Where was Geezer Butler?

Iommi answered that question in a recent interview with the U.K's Birmingham Live. The Black Sabbath guitarist noted, "I don't think he wanted to come over as he hadn't been well with Covid."

Iommi added, "He'd been on holiday to Kenya and to Italy and had had an accident on a boat, cracking or breaking a rib about three weeks ago, so he was not quite in fine fettle to come over to play. It's a shame because we'd talked for a long time about the possibility of playing at the Commonwealth Games."

Ozzy's appearance at the Commonwealth Games was a surprise to many since the Prince of Darkness had not performed live since 2019. Apparently, it was also a surprise for Iommi, too.

"I never thought that Ozzy would be able to come and perform at the Commonwealth Games because of his operation," said Iommi. "And then when he said he was coming over we were asked to keep it all a secret so that nobody would know."

The 2022 Commonwealth Games were held in Birmingham, England, which is where Black Sabbath was formed.

Black Sabbath’s debut album Black Sabbath was released on February 13, 1970. To many, it’s considered the birth of heavy metal, and those “many” aren’t wrong.

No one had sounded quite like Sabbath, and in five decades, no one else has sounded quite like them since. (We can likely thank Tony Iommi losing the tips of his fingers in a freak accident at a sheet metal factory for that.)

In honor of its anniversary, here’s a “By The Numbers” look at the album.