Watch: Tony Iommi makes surprise appearance at Black Sabbath ballet show
Iommi later wrote on Instagram that he was “honoured” to be involved.
Image: Katja Ogrin / Getty Images
Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi made a surprise appearance on stage at Black Sabbath – The Ballet during its opening show which kicked off on 23 September, in his home city of Birmingham, UK.
Iommi played guitar for the closing performance, which features the band’s iconic hit Paranoid, and received bows from the rest of the dancers at the end.
Sadly, Iommi has confirmed he will not be making regular guest appearances, but has shared that he was “honoured” to have been involved in the show. Led Zeppelin’s Robert Plant and drummer Bev Bevan were also in the audience, according to Guitar World.
You can watch footage from the performance below, including the bows and rumble of applause from the rest of the dancers as they close the show:
Black Sabbath the Ballet! Amazing
Posted by Michaela Porter on Sunday, September 24, 2023
Tony iommi.So great to see tony onstage again tonight.He came on in the end and did paranoid..Brilliant night.
Posted by Michael Suilleabhain on Saturday, September 23, 2023
“Thanks to everyone who supported us at the Ballet, we had a great premiere last night. I’m honoured to be involved with these talented dancers,” he wrote online after the show. “I’m afraid I won’t be joining every performance.”
The ballet is hosted in Birmingham for a total of five shows this month (ending on 30 September), before moving around to other venues across England. The showcase features eight classic Sabbath songs adapted for the stage – Paranoid, Iron Man, War Pigs, Black Sabbath, Solitude, Laguna Sunrise and Sabbath Bloody Sabbath.
Iommi previously said about the ballet, “Black Sabbath have always been innovators and never been predictable, and it doesn’t come any more unpredictable than this. I’d never imagined pairing Black Sabbath with ballet, but it’s got a nice ring to it!
“I performed alongside some of the dancers at the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony and they had an incredible energy, so I’m happy to go along for the ride with them, and see you on the other side.”
Find out more via the Birmingham Royal Ballet website.