Tom Morello teases “huge superstars who are gonna be surprises” for final Black Sabbath show

Rage Against The Machine‘s Tom Morello has teased “huge superstars” as “surprises” for the final Black Sabbath show later this year.

• READ MORE: Sharon Osbourne and Tony Iommi tell us about Black Sabbath’s finale: “Usually this thing is done when you’re dead”

Earlier this year, the legendary metal band announced details of what will be their last-ever live show, taking place in Birmingham’s Villa Park on July 5.

As well as containing the original line-up – Ozzy, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward – the band will also be joined by a star-studded list of opening acts and special guests, including Metallica, Slayer, Pantera, Lamb Of God, Tool, Mastodon, Alice In Chains, Guns N’ Roses, Halestorm, Gojira and more.

Now, Morello has shared further details about the upcoming colossal gig, for which he’s taken on the role of “musical director”.

Speaking to Australian Musician, the Rage Against The Machine guitarist said that “preparation” is well under way. “Where it’s at now… First of all, when we first sat down, we have a very, very simple goal, and that’s to make this the greatest day in the history of heavy metal,” Morello explained.

“And to that end, you’ve probably seen the listed setlist. And let me tell you, there’s some huge superstars who are gonna be surprises on that day too. So, the idea is to really acknowledge the importance of that band in a way that the whole world will forever know it.”

He also shared how his role in the concert came to be. “It came about [because] Ozzy and Sharon asked me to do — they surprised me one day and said, ‘There’s gonna be one more Black Sabbath show, all four original members, the last-ever Ozzy Osbourne show. We wanna have a big day of celebration and will you help curate it?’ And I was, like, ‘Well, that’s crazy. But yes, of course.’

He continued: “Heavy metal is the music that made me love music, and Black Sabbath invented heavy metal.

“And Ozzy Osbourne, by discovering the guitarist Randy Rhoads, created, through Randy Rhoads, the music that inspired me to practice eight hours a day. So I owe a great debt to Ozzy and to Black Sabbath. And it’s an honor to be a part of it.”

Speaking to NME earlier this year, Sharon Osbourne revealed they’d selected Morello as he’s “so knowledgeable on all different genres of music, but especially Sabbath.”

She continued: “He’s really passionate about everything he does and is such a great mate. He volunteered and the stuff that he’s managing to put together has been amazing. He’s going to take care of all the different bands that are playing together and arranging who does what song. It’s a huge undertaking, and he can manage it all.”

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Ahead of the gig taking place later this summer, it was also previously shared that Ozzy was looking to build up his strength for the gig and has returned to the gym ahead of the massive show.

Producer Andrew Watt, who worked with the Prince Of Darkness on his last two studio albums, 2020’s ‘Ordinary Man’ and 2022’s ‘Patient Number 9’,  shed light on his current health status during an appearance on SiriusXM’s The Howard Stern Show.

“It’s just his body is not doing what he wants it to do all the time,” Watt said, adding that he was “the real-life Iron Man”, and that “nothing has happened to his voice”, which is “as good as it has ever been”.

That update came shortly after the frontman shared an insight into his well-being recently, and said that his ailing health has meant that he will be making fewer on-stage appearances at the gig than some would hope.

“I’m not planning on doing a set with Black Sabbath but I am doing little bits and pieces with them. I am doing what I can, where I feel comfortable,” he said in an interview with SiriusXM earlier this month.

“I am trying to get back on my feet. When you get up in the morning, you just jump out of bed. I have to balance myself, but I’m not dead. I’m still actively doing things.”

Just before then, the metal icon revealed that he now “can’t walk” as a result of Parkinson’s disease. However, his wife and manager Sharon has assured fans that his illness “doesn’t affect his voice”. “Parkinson’s is a progressive disease. It’s not something you can stabilise. It affects different parts of the body and it’s affected his legs. But his voice is as good as it’s ever been,” she explained.

Last week, Osbourne’s longtime collaborator and guitarist Zakk Wylde teased that the frontman could be in a “throne that flies over the stadium”.

Sharon shared more insight into the singer’s health and voice when speaking to NME alongside Iommi at Villa Park, following the announcement of the huge show.

Here, she explained that her husband was currently doing “really great” and feeling “very emotional” about the final Sabbath show. “It’s what he wants,” she said. “He wants to say thank you to everybody. He didn’t have that chance because of his illness, but now he does have the chance.”

Sharon also told NME that ‘Back To The Beginning’ would be “just about celebrating the old music that still lives on”, rather than Black Sabbath releasing any new music. “You get to a stage in your career where whatever you do just doesn’t stand up to what you did before,” she explained. “To be able to rest on your laurels and say, ‘People still love that and it’s still selling and we can’t do better than what we’ve done’, that’s enough.”

Meanwhile, Iommi and Butler have both shared statements about the upcoming reunion on social media, while Bob Daisley – the classic era Ozzy bassist – has talked about not being invited to perform at the band’s last show.

Elsewhere, Billy Corgan clarified Sharon Osbourne’s comment that he would be joining Morello and Danny Carey from Tool on stage, telling NME: “I think it’s actually Adam [Jones] from Tool, not Danny. See, Adam, Tom and I all grew up in the same sort of general vicinity.”

The Smashing Pumpkins frontman continued: “Tom had this idea – what he calls ‘The Illinois Boys’ – that The Illinois Boys would get together and play, so that’s cool. I love it. I’m very fond and love Adam’s music and playing and I’ve known Tom for 30 years or so, so it’s a cool thing.”

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