This month’s Back to the Beginning concert served as an emotional farewell to Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath’s illustrious live performances, featuring a lineup of many iconic acts that came together to pay tribute. However, one of the most surprising absences was Megadeth, the legendary thrash metal band. Their longtime bassist, James LoMenzo, recently shed light on why they were not part of this momentous event celebrating Ozzy and Black Sabbath’s legacy.

James LoMenzo Reveals the Reason for Megadeth’s Absence

Considering that prominent rock and metal giants such as Mastodon, Metallica, Halestorm, Lamb of God, Gojira, and Alice in Chains participated in this historic concert, it raises questions about Megadeth’s absence. LoMenzo clarified that the band simply was not invited to join this grand event, despite the expectations surrounding their involvement.

On July 13, industry veteran Charrie Foglio shared insights in the Back To The Beginning – Black Sabbath's Final Concert Facebook group, providing a snippet from her upcoming interview with LoMenzo for the Japanese magazine Burrn!. During this conversation, she expressed her disappointment for not seeing Megadeth at the concert: “Hi brother, I sure missed seeing you here in Birmingham this week. It was noticeable that the Big Four was short one.”

This statement highlights the absence of Megadeth from the lineup of the “Big 4” bands of thrash metal, which include Metallica, Slayer, and Anthrax, all of whom were present at the concert, making Megadeth’s absence all the more striking.

LoMenzo candidly responded, sharing, “Charrie, I’m going to let the cat out of the bag. The truth of the matter is, I don’t believe that anybody asked us, which was fine.”

He elaborated further:

“Not everybody gets invited to every party. But at the same time, when we were in Europe last week, David Ellefson said that he was reaching out to everybody and telling them that we were in the neighborhood and that we were close enough to come. And if they wanted us to, we could stay over for a few days and work it out. . . . If they wanted us to. I don’t know what our manager had accomplished with that, but it didn’t get accomplished, so we just came home.”

He added, “Even before all of this started, everyone was saying, well, what about Megadeth? It was really funny to read because there was no invite and there was no talking to people, there was actually nothing to do with any of it. It was this exciting situation where we’re celebrating Ozzy in his Retirement… Is that the right word? Retirement? Isn’t that hard to believe? Anyway, the show was amazing! I would have loved to have been there.”

LoMenzo also mentioned that he had been aware of the show for quite some time, having known about it “months and months ago,” and had even been recording with Bill Ward during that period.

He further shared:

“[Bill’s] been doing his record, and every now and then I’ll get this wonderful phone call from his assistant Walter saying that, ‘Bill would love to have you come down and do a song with him.’ And you don’t know what that sounds like to my brain! It frazzles me, but I’ve been working with him for a while. And he intimated about the show. I would ask him if he had spoken to any of the guys in Black Sabbath, and he said that he spoke to Ozzy every day because Ozzy wasn’t feeling very well at that time, so I was curious. He said, ‘By the way, it looks we may do this final show.’ So he knew about it, obviously, before they announced it. I was excited when it came to fruition because I knew that it meant a lot to all the guys in Black Sabbath to have Bill up there.”

In conclusion, LoMenzo emphasized, “I don’t see it as controversy or anything. I do know that conspicuously we were missing, but nobody was invited.”

Additionally, Ellefson later shared a heartfelt reflection on his memories of the concert, further highlighting the emotional weight of the event.

What are your thoughts on Megadeth’s absence from Ozzy and Black Sabbath’s farewell performance? Are you surprised by the revelation that they were not invited, as stated by LoMenzo? We would love to hear your opinions!

READ MORE: The Most Collected Albums By 11 Big Thrash Metal Bands (on Discogs)

Other Major Absences at the Back to the Beginning Concert

Unfortunately, Megadeth was not alone in their absence from the Back to the Beginning concert. Other major acts, including Soundgarden and Motley Crue, also missed this significant event, raising eyebrows among fans and industry insiders alike.

On July 14, Loudwire reported that Soundgarden had issued a statement explaining their absence from the concert, despite Sharon Osbourne previously indicating they would be present. The reason cited was a scheduling conflict, and they shared a heartfelt message on Instagram on July 12:

“Congratulations to Black Sabbath on the grand and final pealing of their vesper bells!

Thank you for an astounding career that provided us and your legion of fans with a lifetime of beauty, horror, love, power, happiness, melancholy, and a profoundly sublime, yet viscerally rocking transcendence informed by both doom and hope. Your majestic brilliance has inspired greatness in scores of other bands, musicians, and songwriters. However, the crown will forever remain yours!”

“We are very grateful to Tony Iommi, Ozzy Osbourne, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward, as well as Sharon Osbourne and music director, Tom Morello for the honor and invitation to Soundgarden to perform at the Back to the Beginning festival! We are super bummed and regret that we were unable to coordinate the schedules of our individual and collective projects to attend and contribute to the festival. The warmth, love, and support from the Black Sabbath team has been a continuing source of encouragement and strength throughout our career.”

Regarding Motley Crue, Nikki Sixx addressed their absence on July 11, providing a brief and vague response to a fan inquiry on X (formerly Twitter), stating, “We have been having health issues within the band…”

While details were sparse, Loudwire noted that in April 2025, “Motley Crue bowed out of their appearance at May’s Boardwalk Rock Fest. They had also postponed their spring Las Vegas residency until the fall. Both moves were made to allow Vince Neil time to recuperate after a required medical procedure that took place earlier this year.”

Despite this, Sixx expressed gratitude towards Ozzy, stating, “Ozzy and Sharon gave us our first real big tour in 1984 on the ‘Shout at the Devil’ tour… They gave us the opportunity to play in front of Ozzy and actually in my opinion, broke the band. @ozzyosbourne Congrats on an amazing career and what a badass send-off. Thank you with love.”

Latest News on Megadeth, Ozzy Osbourne, and Black Sabbath

Currently, Megadeth is immersed in an international tour, with exciting upcoming dates scheduled in Denmark, Germany, Switzerland, Hungary, Scotland, and other locations from September to October this year. You can view all the upcoming tour dates and purchase tickets through their official channels.

On the other hand, Ozzy Osbourne has recently announced the release of his second memoir, Last Rites, set to hit shelves on October 7. This book will follow his 2009 autobiography, I Am Ozzy, and will delve into various health challenges he has faced over the years, preparations for the Back to the Beginning concert, and insights into his tumultuous marriage with Sharon Osbourne. Preorders for the memoir are currently available.

In addition to the monumental success of the farewell concert, Ozzy has another reason to celebrate: the engagement of his daughter Kelly Osbourne to Slipknot‘s Sid Wilson. The proposal took place backstage at the Back to the Beginning concert, with Wilson’s speech humorously interrupted by Ozzy, who jokingly exclaimed, “Fuck off. You’re not going to marry my daughter.”

For those who missed the chance to experience the Back to the Beginning concert live or wish to relive the magic, plans are already in motion for a theatrical release in 2026. Titled Back To The Beginning: Ozzy’s Final Bow, as confirmed by the Mercury Studios Instagram account, this feature-length concert film will serve as a heartfelt tribute to Ozzy and the pioneering sound of Black Sabbath. It will include a distilled version of the epic all-day event held at Villa Park, along with exclusive behind-the-scenes content and interviews from this iconic live performance.

Fans of metal are eagerly awaiting Sharon Osbourne‘s revelation regarding who was dropped from the lineup of Back to the Beginning. Speculation has been rife ever since she hinted at this decision following a “feud she had with their manager.” She has promised to disclose the details once the show concludes, stating, “I think people will be shocked.”