Why Judas Priest Won't Be at Ozzy + Black Sabbath's Farewell Show

While much of the metal world will be playing Ozzy and Black Sabbath's Back to the Beginning farewell show in July, Judas Priest have not been among the names listed (outside of former Priest guitarist K.K. Downing). During a recent chat with Metal Hammer, singer Rob Halford explained the band's absence on the bill.

Why Aren't Judas Priest on the Ozzy-Black Sabbath Farewell Show?

Judas Priest hail from Birmingham and have had a long relationship with Ozzy and his metal brethren in Black Sabbath, so why aren't the band part of the bill?

According to Rob Halford, scheduling conflicts have gotten in the way. Judas Priest are set to play the same day with Scorpions in Hannover, Germany, having booked the gig prior to the Ozzy-Sabbath announcement. And it should be noted that this isn't just an ordinary tour date for Scorpions either.

"I had no idea it was happening," Halford confesses to Metal Hammer.

""We’ve known this guy Ossy Hoppe - he’s like god in Germany for metal. He came in to see me at one of our last shows and says, ‘Would you consider doing something really special and important? I’m putting on the Scorpions for their 60^th anniversary, in their hometown. Would you work with the band?’ And I was just like, ‘Done! We’ve got no plans it’s all good.’"

The Scorpions 60th Anniversary show is currently set for July 5 at Heinz Von Heiden Arena in Hannover, Germany.

“It all got announced and was a big deal – Scorpions and Priest – and suddenly I get this phone call [from Sharon Osbourne]: ‘Robbie, I know you’ve got this gig with Scorpions, but could you consider coming over to do a thing with Ozzy and the guys, he’d love to see you,’” continued the singer.

According to Halford, Sharon even offered to fly the band from Germany to Birmingham, but it just didn't pan out.

My mind went to Phil Collins when he did Live Aid, where he got on the Concord from London to Philadelphia to play two gigs in two places," Rob says. "He was there before he left, thanks to the timezones!" But Halford says the safety concerns of rushing between the two performances weighed on him.

“Even with a private plane, there’s a word called ‘technical’, where something could go wrong, or the weather that time of year could cause problems… I was absolutely gutted," he adds.

But while Judas Priest won't be in attendance, Halford is happy to see Downing on hand to represent "the spirit of the band."

"All my mates are going to be there though, great bands and artists,” he concludes. “It’s a wonderful and epic moment for Sabbath and heavy metal – it re-emphasizes that Birmingham is where metal came from.”

About Ozzy + Black Sabbath's Back to the Beginning Show

Rage Against the Machine's Tom Morello is serving as the Musical Director for the event, and he's helped put together a lineup that includes Metallica, Guns N' Roses, Slayer, Tool, Pantera, Gojira, Halestorm, Alice in Chains, Lamb of God, Anthrax, Mastodon and Rival Sons playing sets while also honoring Ozzy and Sabbath during the day-long concert event.

In addition, there will be special performances uniting Billy Corgan, David Draiman, Duff McKagan, Fred Durst, Lzzy Hale, Jake E. Lee, Jonathan Davis, K.K. Downing, Mike Bordin, Papa V Perpetua, Rudy Sarzo, Sammy Hagar, Slash, Sleep Token II, Morello, Andrew Watt, Chad Smith, David Ellefson, Wolfgang Van Halen, the members of Soundgarden, Steven Tyler and host Jason Momoa taking place throughout the day.

The performance is set for July 5 at Villa Park in Birmingham, England.