During the final live performance of Black Sabbath, titled Support to the Beginning, which took place on July 5, 2025, at Villa Park in Birmingham, Tobias Forge stepped onto the stage not as the lead vocalist of Ghost, but in his solo persona as Papa V Perpetua. This moment was significant: the original members of Black Sabbath — Ozzy Osbourne,Tony Iommi,Geezer Butler,and Bill Ward — reunited for one last time in their hometown,marking a poignant conclusion to a genre they profoundly influenced.
This performance held special meaning for Forge , who has frequently enough creditedBlack sabbath as a pivotal influence on his career. He chose to perform “Bark at the Moon,” a track from Ozzy Osbourne’s solo repertoire rather than one from Black Sabbath’s catalog. This unexpected choice was not only surprising but also not his initial preference.
In discussions with Planet Rock before and after this landmark event, Forge revealed that he had initially considered performing deeper cuts from Black Sabbath’s discography—such as “Am I Insane” from their album Sabotage—but many of these classic or lesser-known tracks were already claimed by other artists. He wanted to avoid lengthy instrumental sections that lacked vocals during his set.
“There are plenty of Black Sabbath songs with lyrics followed by two minutes without any singing,” he noted.”I’m not trying to mock anyone; I just can’t stand there pretending to clap along for two minutes.” this consideration played an essential role in shaping his song selection process leading up to the performance.
“I was thinking about what I could perform: ‘Can I do this?’ ’No.’ ‘Is this already taken?'” he explained further.
A standout choice included a track from 1975’sSabotage album that Black Sabbath themselves performed only twice throughout their career.”One song I really wanted to do was ‘Am I Insane,’ as it represents my childhood,” said Tobias. “tracks like that hold immense significance for me.”
< p > Still, Forge delivered an remarkable rendition of “Bark At the Moon.” Check out some photos and footage below!
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