The original lineup of Black Sabbath reunited with Ozzy Osbourne in 1997. The quartet consisted of Osbourne, guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler, and drummer Bill Ward.
The reunion began publicly during the 1997 Ozzfest tour, where Iommi, Butler, and Osbourne performed while Mike Bordin of Ozzy’s solo band handled the drums because Ward was unavailable. In December 1997, Ward rejoined the others, completing the original quartet for recording and performances.
The reunited lineup recorded two shows at Birmingham’s NEC, which became the live double album Reunion, released in 1998. The group then toured intermittently through the early 2000s. A common mix-up is 2011: that year brought another major Black Sabbath reunion announcement, but Ward ultimately did not participate in the final studio-album lineup. Earlier brief appearances also occurred at Live Aid in 1985 and an Ozzy concert in 1992, but 1997 marks the formal reunion associated with Ozzfest and the later Reunion album.