Megadeth has shed light on why they were notably missing from Black Sabbath’s recent farewell concert, ‘Back To The Beginning.’
The grand event took place at Villa Park in Birmingham on July 5, marking the iconic heavy metal band’s final performance. This historic show gained even more significance less than three weeks later when Ozzy Osbourne sadly passed away at the age of 76.
The lineup for ‘Back To The Beginning’ featured a roster of rock legends, including Guns N’ Roses, KoRn, Tool, Slayer, Pantera, Metallica, Alice In Chains, Gojira, Anthrax, and Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler, with Rage Against The Machine’s Tom Morello serving as the musical director.
However, Megadeth, one of metal’s major players, was absent from the event. In a recent interview with Burn! magazine, bassist James LoMenzo revealed the reason behind their lack of participation.
“I’ll let the cat out of the bag,” LoMenzo stated, noting that they were arguably the only band from the traditional ‘Big Four’ not invited. “The truth is, I don’t think anyone asked us, which was fine. Not everyone gets invited to every party.”
He added, “While we were in Europe last week, David [Mustaine] mentioned he had reached out to others, making it clear we were nearby and could come if they wanted us to. I’m not sure what our manager achieved in that regard, but it didn’t happen, so we went home.”
The farewell concert eventually became the highest-grossing charity show of all time, raising over $190 million for organizations such as Cure Parkinson’s, Birmingham Children’s Hospital, and Acorns Children’s Hospice.
A film documenting the concert is also currently being produced by Mercury Studios, set for release in cinemas in 2026. It’s described as “a love letter to Ozzy and the pioneering sound of Black Sabbath,” with a reported runtime of 100 minutes.
Since Osbourne’s passing, numerous music icons have paid their respects, including Oasis, Judas Priest, Metallica, Yungblud, Elton John, Ronnie Wood, Tom Morello, and Alice Cooper. Other artists, like Coldplay and Ghost, have dedicated performances in memory of the legendary musician, while fans continue to share memories and footage from his heart-wrenching final shows.
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