Halestorm singer/guitarist Lzzy Hale has commented on being the only woman booked to play at Black Sabbath’s final show.
The Pennsylvania-born musician will take the stage both with her band and as part of an all-star ‘supergroup’ at the Back To The Beginning concert at Birmingham’s Villa Park on July 5.
The show will mark the final performances of both Sabbath’s original lineup and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. Despite it having dozens of bands and artists on the poster – including Metallica, Guns N’ Roses, Slayer, Gojira and more – Hale is so far the only non-male set to take the stage.
Talking to Audacy Music, the frontwoman says being the sole woman there is an “honour”.
She continues (via Blabbermouth): “I was talking to my friends Taylor Momsen [of The Pretty Reckless] and Amy Lee [of Evanescence] and Maria Brink [of In This Moment] and all of my sisters in this genre, and they’re all so proud of me.
“And I said, ‘Hey, girls, I’m carrying you with me. You’re gonna be there in spirit. I’m gonna make you girls so proud.’ And so it’s this beautiful event that everyone gets to look forward to. I’m so glad they’re doing it.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Hale reveals that, when she got the email from Ozzy’s wife/manager Sharon Osbourne about taking part in Back To The Beginning, it took her two days to respond.
“I’m like, ‘Is this real?’,” she explains. “It’s wild! I’ve been a Black Sabbath fan since I was 11. The first riff I ever learned on a guitar was Heaven And Hell by Black Sabbath.”
Earlier this month, Hale appeared on a Women Of Metal roundtable hosted by Spotify, where she spoke with Lacuna Coil’s Cristina Scabbia and Spiritbox‘s Courtney LaPlante about their experiences being female in a genre as male-dominated as metal.
Halestorm released their new single, Darkness Always Wins, last week. The band are set to put out their sixth studio album, the follow-up to 2022’s Back From The Dead, this year. Dave Cobb (Chris Stapleton, Brandi Carlile, etc.) is the producer.
Halestorm have a packed touring schedule for the summer. They’ll be playing select dates with Iron Maiden in Europe from May to June, as well as headline shows and festival slots. Shortly after Back To The Beginning, they’ll start a North American tour with Volbeat. See all dates and get tickets via the band’s website.
