We can't expect bands we love to last forever

By Lucas Gabriel

In February 2017, Black Sabbath gave what was previously said to be their final performance. The location: Birmingham, the industrial city where the band emerged in the mid-sixties, initially under the name Earth.

To speak of the band's importance in the history of music, not just Rock or Heavy Metal, is redundant. Anyone with even a basic understanding knows that it may not have been immediately grasped, but they truly changed the landscape of the time and created something to be remembered. This began with the macabre riff of the track "Black Sabbath ," the first track on their self-titled debut album.

A whole concept of a new heavy sound that would be refined over the following decades was incorporated into the music. There were all sorts of changes in lineup, popularity, and sales. But the band remained consistent for almost five decades.

In 2015 they announced what would be their final tour, news that left many people saddened, orphaned by those considered the fathers of Heavy Metal.

Recently, in an interview, the master Tony Iommi denied this, saying that it wasn't exactly the end of the band and that they would continue. Now we are left to wonder: what if it really was the end of Black Sabbath? Or better yet: when it really is the end of the band, what will our reaction be?

We can't expect people nearing seventy to keep working like twenty-year-olds. We can't expect bands we love to last forever; they are human beings who will one day reach their breaking point and can no longer work.

There will never be another Black Sabbath. But there will be great bands that will keep the flame of rock alive

The music industry is still partly run by real people, people who grow old. Not by immortal robots willing to play non-stop for centuries. One of life's great truths is that everything ends someday. As difficult as it is to accept this, it's necessary to realize that our idols can't continue working just to satisfy a certain group that thinks not about the artist, but about their own personal satisfaction.

Yes, just like you, I also wish my favorite bands were eternal and could make albums and perform shows forever. But I know that can't happen. Being aware that the end will come one day can help you better appreciate every moment you have.

I was at the band's last show in Brazil. More specifically, at the packed Morumbi stadium in São Paulo. A solid concert, without any major surprises or novelties. Just what everyone was expecting to see. Everything was there: From Ozzy Osbourne's characteristic vocals and his usual charisma, to Tony Iommi's precise and immortal riffs, accompanied by all the class of Geezer Butler's bass. And Tommy Clufetos, who may not be Bill Ward, but he really went for it on the drums, proving he was a great choice to fill the position. (Besides, of course, the hidden Adam Wakeman on keyboards)

There will never be another Black Sabbath. But there will be great bands that will keep the flame of rock alive. Bands that are emerging every day, waiting for a chance to be recognized, to have their place in the sun, and to break people's prejudice against new sounds. A prejudice that prevents an entire cultural movement from flourishing, largely committed by a nostalgic and closed-minded majority.

Just open your mind and heart and let things unfold. Just as every minute a person dies in the world, a person is born. Let time pass and change. Remember the past fondly, live the present intensely, and look to the future.
Black Sabbath, if the end ever comes, thank you for everything, you will be eternal in history and in our hearts.

*This text was written by a Wikimate and does not necessarily represent the opinions of the site's authors.