Tool’s Maynard James Keenan and Adam Jones have talked about what it was like performing at Ozzy Osbourne’s final gig, Back to the Beginning - and how it felt hearing the news of Ozzy’s passing.
The two joined Loudwire Nights earlier this week (August 26), for a yarn with host Chuck Armstrong.
“It was devastating,” Jones said, speaking about Ozzy’s death. "At the same time, it was kind of this gut feeling of harmony, that we had been a part of sending him off and so there was a little bit of ... I don't know. Sorry, it's still kind of emotional, the whole legacy and how it affected each one of us."
Jones also shared how surreal it’s been going from hearing Black Sabbath as a kid to actually playing Ozzfest and getting to know the Osbourne family: “They’ve been nothing but cool and supportive of our band.”
As for the Back to the Beginning gig, Tool took on Black Sabbath’s Hand of Doom for their cover of choice - a song Keenan’s been pushing to do for years.
“I’ve been wanting to do it for a long time,” he said. “It took Ozzy almost dying for me to get these guys to do it.”
Even though Keenan performed at Ozzy’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction last year (2024), he admitted the nerves were real this time too.
When asked if he felt more calm performing at Back to the Beginning, he replied, “Fuck no.”
"The Rock Hall, he's literally 20 feet away, starting at the side of my head while I fuck up one his best Blizzard of Ozz songs and then this one, it's slightly out of my range, so I'm just gripping nuts to make sure I hit the notes. And the same thing here, he's staring at my head."
Jones felt the same, saying, “I really got anxiety, but almost in a good way ... But it was great. I'll never forget it. It's a total core memory and an honor."
Elsewhere in the chat, the two were asked what’s on the horizon for 2026.
"We want to get another record out and play, do what we do," Jones said.
"The three of us have been jamming. I don't know if you go, oh, the writing process has started. It's always there. Between preparing for an upcoming tour or whatever we're doing, there's points where someone goes, oh, I got this and I got this. But I think we're going to dive deep soon."
There’s also a chance Tool will release a Black Sabbath-esque song in the future - Jones said he’s come up with a riff that Keenan pointed out sounds like Sabbath.
"I'll probably bug those guys again about trying to turn that into a future Tool song," Jones said.
"I've got lots of riffs, we put them together, tear them apart and try to make something that we're all into."
After Back to the Beginning and with Ozzy’s passing still weighing on them, Keenan hinted that it might push Tool to move faster on their next album.
"You know, life is short. You just got to fucking do it now. There is no waiting. You don't know what's coming tomorrow. You got to do it now. So that's what we're doing."
You can listen to Maynard James Keenan and Adam Jones’ chat with Loudwire Nights here.
