Where was Megadeth during the Back to the Beginning festival, which included Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath’s final concert? It was a huge gathering of heavy metal and rock icons, including Metallica, Ghost and Lamb of God, and YungBlud. As it happens, they were not invited.
James LoMenzo, bassist for Megadeth, tells writer Charrie Foglio that the band didn’t choose to be absent when their absence was noticed by fans of the legendary Big 4 thrash band. A portion of an interview that Foglio did with LoMenzo for Japan’s Burrn! magazine, which has not yet been published, was posted in the Back To The Beginning – Black Sabbath’s Final Concert Facebook group.
READ MORE: Ozzy Osbourne Says Farewell And Plays His Final Gig With Black Sabbath To A Local Crowd Of 40,000
“Hey, brother This week, I really missed having you here in Birmingham. She remarked, “It was evident that the Big Four was short one,” pointing out that Back to the Beginning featured the remaining Big Four bands, Metallica, Slayer, and Anthrax. “Charrie, I’m going to reveal the secret,” LoMenzo retorted. In actuality, I don’t think anyone questioned us, which was acceptable.
“Not everyone receives an invitation to every party,” he stated tactfully. However, David Mustaine stated that he was contacting everyone while we were in Europe last week to let them know that we were in the area and close enough to visit. Additionally, we could stay for a few days and try to sort things out if they wanted us to. I’m not sure what our manager managed to get done with that, but it didn’t get done, so we simply went home.
READ MORE: Black Sabbath And Ozzy Osbourne Will Reconvene For The First Time In 20 Years
“So I understand what you’re saying,” LoMenzo went on. “Even before everything began, people were asking, ‘What about Megadeth?'” It was hilarious to read because there was no invitation and no conversation with anyone; in fact, none of it had anything to do with it. We were celebrating Ozzy’s retirement in this exciting scenario. Is that word correct? Retirement? Isn’t that difficult to accept? In any case, the show was fantastic! It would have been a pleasure to be present.
Remarkably, LoMenzo acknowledged that he was “recording with [Black Sabbath drummer] Bill Ward” and that he “knew about the show months and months ago.”
“[Bill has] been working on his record, and occasionally I get this amazing phone call from his assistant Walter saying, ‘Bill would love to have you come down and do a song with him,’” LoMenzo revealed. You have no idea how that sounds to my mind! I’ve been working with him for a while, but it still irritates me.
Additionally, LoMenzo clarified that Ward “informed about the show.” I was fascinated, so I would ask him if he had spoken to any of the Black Sabbath guys. He replied that he spoke to Ozzy daily because Ozzy wasn’t feeling well at the time.
“By the way, it looks like we might do this last show,” he continued. Thus, it is evident that he was aware of it prior to its announcement,” LoMenzo added. “I knew that having Bill up there meant a lot to all the guys in Black Sabbath, so I was excited when it came to fruition.”
“I don’t see it as controversy or anything,” LoMenzo concluded. I am aware that we were noticeably absent, but no one was invited.
Step into the ultimate entertainment experience with Radii+ ! Movies, TV series, exclusive interviews, live events, music, and more—stream anytime, anywhere. Download now on various devices including iPhone, Android, smart TVs, Apple TV, Fire Stick, and more!
