Tobias Forge Wanted to Sing ‘Am I Insane’ at Sabbath’s Farewell

Tobias Forge wasn’t wearing his usual Ghost gear when he stepped on stage at Black Sabbath’s final ever show.

But the man behind the Papa mask still brought the reverence and theatrics we’ve come to expect. The July 5 Back to the Beginning blowout at Villa Park in Birmingham saw Forge perform Ozzy Osbourne’s ‘Bark at the Moon’ – a curveball choice from the Prince of Darkness’ solo years.

As it turns out, that wasn’t his first pick at all.

In a post-show chat with Planet Rock, Forge revealed he had his heart set on something darker, weirder – a proper Sabbath deep cut. His top choice? ‘Am I Going Insane (Radio)’ from 1975’s Sabotage – a cult classic that Sabbath themselves barely touched live. But in true festival fashion, everything worth grabbing had already been spoken for.

“There are a lot of Black Sabbath songs that have vocals, and then there’s two minutes of not-vocals,” Forge said. “I’m not trying to make fun of anyone, but I can’t just stand there like that for two minutes clapping along.”

It’s fair. You can’t exactly have the man behind one of modern rock’s most theatrical bands awkwardly air-clapping through a Tony Iommi solo. So he pivoted, picked something punchy, and gave ‘Bark at the Moon’ the Papa treatment instead.

And yeah, he nailed it (evidence above).

Forge showing up at Sabbath’s farewell wasn’t just fan service – it was full-circle. Sabbath helped invent the genre Ghost now thrives in. Forge, even under a different name, knew he was walking on hallowed ground. “That, for me, that’s my childhood,” he said of his deeper picks. “Songs like that.”

While he didn’t get to scream ‘Am I Insane’ into the Birmingham night, his presence still meant something. A generational handover. A salute from the student to the masters if you will.