We are just a little over a week away from Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath’s Back To The Beginning final concert on Saturday, July 5, at Villa Park in Birmingham, United Kingdom. However, the big show is going to be down by at least one previously announced rock star…
In a new interview with Meltdown of Detroit’s WRIF radio station, Wolfgang Van Halen — son of legendary Van Halen guitarist Eddie Van Halen — revealed that he had to exit the show due to his commitment to his band Mammoth opening for Creed on their Summer of ’99 tour.
“I, unfortunately, had to back out because the Creed tour starts the day after, and I [wouldn’t] be able to pull it off — unfortunately,” he said, as transcribed by Blabbermouth. “I’m very excited to watch it, but I unfortunately had to back out.”
Notably, Wolfgang is not the only rock musician to lament not being able to participate in the show, as Judas Priest frontman Rob Halford previously spoke publicly about not being able to make the show, according to NME, saying that he was “gutted” that he and the band couldn’t participate due to having another concert already scheduled.
He went on to share that Sharon Osbourne had offered to fly him to Birmingham, England, so he could make a special appearance at the gig, but he felt it would be too “dangerous” to risk missing his other commitments.
Halford’s comments came after Sharon revealed that Judas Priest was one of the bands they really wanted for the Back To The Beginning concert, but were not able to get. “There are two bands that we would have loved to have been there, but they couldn’t because they’re working that day,” she explained in an interview with Music Business Worldwide. “And that was Judas Priest, a local band, and Angus [Young] from AC/DC, because he’s always been a huge supporter of Ozzy’s.”
“I thought of having all the bands he’s ever had relationships with perform and maybe do Sabbath songs and Ozzy songs,” Sharon went on to say, discussing her approach to booking the concert. “I started to ask really close friends, and they were, like, ‘Sure, yeah.’”
While many fans around the world will not be able to attend the big show, it will be livestreamed via the concert website. Fans can purchase tickets here.
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