This past week, Black Sabbath, the grandfathers of metal, announced that their final tour will begin in early 2016.  Guitarist and founding member Tony Iommi, who was diagnosed with lymphoma in early 2012, stated that his “body won’t take it much more” in a recent interview with Birmingham Mail.

Convinced that this will absolutely be their final tour, the band wants to say their farewells and play a show for fans that covers everything from their early days in Birmingham to the present.  Iommi confessed that they won’t be playing any material from their Dio days—just material from when Ozzy was part of the group.  In addition to their hits, the band intends to play some of their rarely performed songs during this tour.  Iommi told Birmingham Mail that the group has been writing songs since their last album, 13, but they haven’t recorded any of them.  Whether or not this new material shows up in their setlists is something we will have to discover for ourselves!

The tour is expected to last about a year, but the Chicago date is one of the first.  The show will take place at the United Center on January 22^nd.  The band has not yet specified when the tickets go on sale, but you can get more information here.