Black Sabbath: 02, Birmingham

ALMOST A WEEK LATER and my ears are still ringing – and I don't know if it's due to the rousing response of the audience or the brain-pummelling volume of the band. Either way there is no doubt that Sabbath's intimate hometown show was an undisputed success, and the controversy surrounding the no show of drummer Bill Ward was eclipsed by the crowds undisguised joy at seeing a beaming Tony Iommi up onstage looking unbelievably healthy for someone who undergone an intense session of chemotherapy.