Black Sabbath’s farewell tour is going to be livestreamed to fans across the globe. Ozzy Osbourne, Geezer Butler, Tony Iommi and Bill Ward are going to be reuniting for the first time in 20 years, with more fans being given the chance to see the sold out show from the comfort of their home. With this new approach to live music events in mind, are more metal bands going to start adopting live streams as a way to reach a bigger audience with their farewell tours?
Black Sabbath are Paving the Way for Metal
Heavy metal farewell shows aren’t often streamed. Part of this comes down to the fact that older bands are hesitant about streaming as a whole, but Black Sabbath look to be changing that. This marks one of the biggest acts in metal embracing a rapidly evolving technology on a global stage. Metal might be a genre rooted in live experiences, but Black Sabbath’s new show could well redefine how bands say their goodbyes. Even though farewell shows are certainly a thing in metal, with Slayer using it for their final shows and Motley Crue also embracing them (even though they eventually returned to the stage once again), it seems that the landscape could be changing.
This trend has been coming for quite a long time as well. Broadway and West End shows are no longer just available to those who can attend in person, with some shows offering hybrid tickets where people can stream shows live, as well as getting a ticket to the live production. Lounges TV also offers live and on-demand comedy from emerging talent.
In addition, you also have live-hosted bingo rooms. When you play online bingo live like Bargain Bingo, which runs from 8 pm until 10 pm, you get the option to stream the game with live presenters. With tickets being 5p or less, it shows how much of a demand there is for ticketed streams as a whole.
We Could See Other Bands Capitalise on the Opportunity
Slayer wrapped up their final world tour in 2019. They didn’t offer an official live stream, and they didn’t offer any kind of global access. Fans had to rely on YouTube videos as well as social media clips. Other than attending in person, this was the only way to experience the show. Even though they have recently reunited and carried out a string of festival dates in 2025, it highlights a very important issue.
Fans want ways to relive experiences. Providing a live stream, especially if that is put onto a DVD eventually, could help bands to capitalise on their farewell shows while also helping to ensure that their music continues to make an impression, long after they stop touring. It will certainly be interesting to see where bands in the metal genre take this new technology platform in the future.
