In a recent interview with The Mercury News, Tony Iommi stated that he would like to play with Black Sabbath again, but he can’t see that happening. Asked about the possibility of another Black Sabbath tour at some point in the near future, he laughed and replied: “I wouldn’t think so. But it’s a strange thing with Sabbath — how many times we thought we were with Ozzy [Osbourne], then we had [Ronnie James] Dio, then back to Ozzy, then Dio again, and then Ian Gillan and Tony Martin and Dio and back to Tony Martin. It’s gone backwards and forwards at different stages. So, you just never know … I think it’s highly unlikely that we’d get back onstage again. It certainly wouldn’t be touring. We’d only do so many shows, if anything. I would like to play with the guys again. But I can’t see that happening”.
And Iommi continued: “The reason we stopped touring in the first place was basically my fault, because I had to be careful of my health. When you book a tour — and it’s always an 18-month tour — it doesn’t sound a lot when you talk about it at first. But when you get out there, and you are touring, it’s bloody hard work. And it wasn’t particularly good for my health, because of the blood cancer. So, I said, ‘Look, you know, this should the last tour, I think.’ But I really do miss it. I really miss playing onstage. I miss seeing the audience”.
