While renowned progressive metal outfit Tool initially passed at the chance to help send off Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne this coming weekend, the group were eventually able to get their schedules in line to commit to performing at the ‘Back To The Beginning‘ performance.
In part, that booking stems from guitarist Adam Jones‘ lifelong friendship with Rage Against The Machine guitarist Tom Morello. The latter guitar hero has been tasked with overseeing an all-star jam session tribute to the works of Sabbath and the solo work of Ozzy at the impending concert.
Initial plans had Jones joining Morello and The Smashing Pumpkins‘ Billy Corgan onstage for a cover, however, Jones — a lifelong fan of Sabbath — found himself thankful when the rest of his bandmates eventually signed on. In a newly digitally published feature with Guitar World, Jones heaped praise on the British heavy metal pioneers, stating:
“I can’t tell you how much I’m looking forward to it. I pinch myself every day. You go, ‘When I was 16, did you ever think you’d meet these guys? Did you ever think you’d open for these guys? Did you ever think you’d have your own guitar line with Gibson? Did you ever think you’d have four Grammys?’ My life’s good, man. It’s good, and on that day, it’ll be even better.”
As for eventually getting his bandmates to lock in for the bill, Jones relayed:
“It came through Tom Morello. The four of us [in Tool] were on the phone, or texting – I can’t remember – and someone went, ‘I don’t think I can do it.’ Someone else went, ‘Okay, yeah, I think I’m gonna do this other thing.’ I think I even went, ‘Yeah, let’s not do it.’ But it was really an honor that they asked us.”
He continued:
“Months later, Tom contacted me and said, ‘Would you be down to play something with me?’ I was like, ‘Hmmm, that could be fun. Yeah!’ He goes, ‘It’ll just be me, you and Billy Corgan.’ He was thinking we could play a tune, so I said, ‘Yeah, that’s fine. But if plans change, I won’t feel bad if you decide that you don’t want me to do it – but let’s do it.’”
When asked how the whole band eventually got involved, he stated:
“I was again talking to Tom, and I went, ‘Yeah, I’m sorry we all couldn’t do it.’ He goes, ‘Well, you know Dan [Carey, Tool’s drummer] is playing with these guys, and Maynard [James Keenan, Tool’s singer] is playing with these people…’ I went, ‘I didn’t know that…’ It hit me, and I said, ‘If the three of us are there – and I know Justin [Chancellor, bass] will want to do it…’ I went back to our people and went, ‘Why don’t we just do it? We’re all going to be there.’ That’s how it happened – and why it was announced later.”
As for his love of Sabbath, Jones offered:
“I always wanted to do a compilation of music that scared the shit out of me when I heard it for the first time, Black Sabbath was like that for me. I loved horror movies, and [Sabbath] had the same temperature to me. There’s just something romantic about it. I feel lucky that there are so many songs I’m obsessed with. I still put that music on today, and I get the same thing I was getting out of it when I first heard it. I can’t say that about a lot of bands.”
Jones also credited Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi for being a big influence on him. He explained:
“It’s why I’m obsessed with drop D. The stuff he did – the tone, the playing the notes and then pulling off, you know, the open D, or whatever tuning they had that’s comparable – it was just haunting, and the riffs were so good. I could play them, but there’s a vibe, and it’s wonderful. And if you don’t hear it in Tool, you probably aren’t really into Black Sabbath.”
You can dig further into Jones‘ admiration for Sabbath over at Guitar World. As for the farewell concert, the show will take place this Saturday, July 05th at Villa Park in Birmingham, UK with the following artists booked:
Metallica
Guns N’ Roses
Slayer
Tool
Pantera
Gojira
Halestorm
Alice In Chains
Lamb Of God
Anthrax
Mastodon
Rival Sons
Morello will be overseeing a stacked collective of musicians who will be playing a series of Sabbath and Ozzy covers. Confirmed artists include:
Andrew Watt
Billy Corgan (The Smashing Pumpkins)
Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers)
Danny Carey (Tool)
David Draiman (Disturbed)
David Ellefson (ex-Megadeth)
Duff McKagan (Guns N’ Roses)
Fred Durst (Limp Bizkit)
Lzzy Hale (Halestorm)
Jake E. Lee (Red Dragon Cartel, ex-Ozzy Osbourne)
Jonathan Davis (Korn)
KK Downing (KK’s Priest, ex-Judas Priest)
Mike Bordin (Faith No More/Ozzy Osbourne)
Papa V Perpetua (Ghost)
Rudy Sarzo (Quiet Riot, etc.)
Sammy Hagar (ex-Van Halen)
Slash (Guns N’ Roses)
Soundgarden
Steven Tyler (Aerosmith)
II (Sleep Token)
Tom Morello (Rage Against The Machine)
Vernon Reid (Living Colour)
Whitfield Crane (Ugly Kid Joe)
The whole show is set to be livestreamed via backtothebeginning.com, and a portion of the proceeds will be donated to Cure Parkinson’s, the Birmingham Children’s Hospital and Acorn Children’s Hospice.
