Wolfgang Van Halen chooses an odd time to let Black Sabbath down

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One could ponder over what thoughts might have been running through Wolfgang Van Halen’s mind. He had earlier agreed to perform at Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath’s farewell concert in Birmingham, England on July 5. As a guitarist, he was set to join a supergroup consisting of the likes of Tom Morello, Billy Corgan, David Ellefson, among others.

The team was entertaining, primarily as a way to celebrate Sabbath. This wasn’t intended to be a lasting endeavor; instead, it was meant for enjoyment. It would have been quite delightful to witness their performance.

Unfortunately, fans attending or streaming the event at Villa Park won’t get to see WVH perform as he has regretfully had to cancel due to a scheduling conflict. His band, Mammoth, will be supporting Creed on their upcoming tour, which kicks off at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky.

Wolfgang Van Halen’s timing for backing out of the Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath farewell show is strange

The performance date seems unusual. However, Creed and Mammoth are set to embark on their tour starting July 9, which makes it four days after Ozzy and Sabbath’s farewell show. There appears to be no practical reasons for WVH to skip the concert since he isn’t scheduled to play the following day.

Absolutely, if he was in another location, he would have managed to return to the U.S. before the performance. It’s possible that he has prior rehearsals to attend before the tour starts, but given his extensive experience in the music industry, he should be aware of its dynamics. Since he’s not a new member of his band, there’s no need for undue importance on these rehearsals.

It might be reasonable to speculate that there are underlying issues. Maybe the guitarist felt dissatisfied about the placement of the supergroup in the final concert lineup. Or perhaps he had a disagreement with another member in the group. Alternatively, it could just be that he didn’t want to attend.

It seems clear that one scenario is: despite Judas Priest probably wanting to attend the farewell event more than anything, they cannot due to a previously scheduled concert on the same day. On the other hand, Van Halen is opting out of the performance, even though he was aware of Mammoth and Creed’s performance dates in advance.

Everything seems to indicate a lack of respect and self-centeredness, which I hope is just a straightforward explanation for his absence at Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath’s final concert. Perhaps it’s something less serious, like an unavoidable commitment, rather than something more concerning, such as illness.

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2025-06-28 15:00