Ozzfest Farewell

Japanese promoter H.I.P. announced last week that the next Ozzfest Japan will take place Nov. 21-22 at the Makuhari Messe Convention Center outside of Tokyo. At the same time, festival organizer Sharon Osbourne said via a promotional video that the Japan event will be headliner Black Sabbath‘s “farewell” show. 

Photo: Matt Sayles/Invision/AP
Tony Iommi, Ozzy Osbourne and Geezer Butler at the 56th annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles.

When her husband Ozzy Osbourne revealed last fall that Black Sabbath was going into the studio to record a new album, he mentioned that the attendant tour would be the group’s last. At the time, it wasn’t clear how viable such a strategy was since guitarist Tony Iommi was undergoing treatment for lymphoma, but apparently he’s well enough for the tour.

In other concert news, Paul McCartney has added one show to his current Japan Tour schedule in April. The 72-year-old Beatle will play Budokan Arena April 28, marking the first time he has performed at Japan’s most illustrious hall since he did so with the Beatles in 1966. Last year, McCartney also made a last-minute addition to his Japan tour with a Budokan show but it, as well as the whole Japan Tour, was canceled when he became ill.

The pricing will be different for the Budokan show. His other concerts cost 14,000-18,000 yen ($116-$150), but Budokan tickets will start at 2,100 yen ($17.50), the same ticket price for the 1966 Beatles concert, though limited in this case to people younger than 25. The rest of the seats range in price from 40,000-100,000 yen ($334-$835).

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