In a new interview with Meltdown of Detroit’s WRIF radio station, Wolfgang Van Halen — son of legendary VAN HALEN guitarist Eddie Van Halen — was asked about his previously announced participation in BLACK SABBATH‘s special “Back To The Beginning” final concert on Saturday, July 5 at Birmingham, United Kingdom’s Villa Park. Wolfgang said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): ”I, unfortunately, had to back out because the CREED tour [with Wolfgang‘s MAMMOTH as the support act] starts the day after, and I [wouldn’t] be able to pull it off — unfortunately. I’m very excited to watch it, but I unfortunately had to back out.”
Asked to name his favorite guitar player who played with Ozzy Osbourne — a list that includes SABBATH legend Tony Iommi and Randy Rhoads — Wolfgang said: “I’m really bad at picking, ’cause that almost implies you don’t like another one in comparison. And I feel like Randy was amazing, but you can’t not give cred to Tony being the legend and groundbreaking genre creator he was — and is. [Laughs] So I love ’em all. That’s not the answer you wanna hear.”
Less than two months ago, Wolfgang told “Loudwire Nights” that he was looking forward to performing at Ozzy‘s final concert.
“My family lineage has is intertwined and has gone way back with the likes of Ozzy,” Van Halen said at the time. “And I know my dad was very, very close with Tony, probably the closest of any other guitar players out there. So it was a crazy honor to be there for [Ozzy‘s] Hall Of Fame induction [in October 2024], as well as this. It’s a crazy thing.”
Asked what SABBATH meant to him personally as a music fan, Wolfgang said: “There are some legends out there where it’s just, like, they can’t be replicated. They’re just so original and they started a movement. You can’t mess with that.
“My dad was very much a — he kind of focused on his stuff, but any time my dad gave cred to something else, that meant it was legit,” Wolfgang continued. “And he always told me one of his favorite guitar riffs was ‘Into The Void’ by BLACK SABBATH. And there’s nothing better, man. It’s just the best.”
“Back To The Beginning” sold out in less than 10 minutes in February. The concert will mark the first time that the original lineup of BLACK SABBATH — Osbourne, Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward — have played together in 20 years. Also set to appear at the event are METALLICA, GUNS N’ ROSES, TOOL, SLAYER, PANTERA, GOJIRA, ALICE IN CHAINS, HALESTORM, LAMB OF GOD, ANTHRAX and MASTODON. In addition, there will be a performance by a “supergroup of musicians” including Duff McKagan and Slash (GUNS ‘N’ ROSES),Billy Corgan (THE SMASHING PUMPKINS),Fred Durst (LIMP BIZKIT),K.K. Downing (JUDAS PRIEST),Jake E. Lee (OZZY OSBOURNE) and Tom Morello (RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE).
“Back To The Beginning: Ozzy’s Final Bow” will be available as a livestream at www.backtothebeginning.com.
Broadcast live from Birmingham, United Kingdom’s Villa Park, the raw livestream of the event will be available from 3:00 p.m. on July 5, with a chance for fans to rewatch the concert in its entirety for another 48 hours.
Wolfgang joined super-producer Andrew Watt and TOOL singer Maynard James Keenan at last year’s Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame ceremony, which saw the induction of Ozzy as a solo artist. They performed one of Osbourne‘s most popular songs, “Crazy Train”, backed by RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS‘ Chad Smith and METALLICA‘s Robert Trujillo.
Asked in a November 2024 interview with WRIF how he got involved in Osbourne‘s Rock Hall induction, Wolfgang said: “I got the request from Ozzy. So you don’t say, ‘Yeah, no.’ You’re, like, ‘I’ll do what I can, sir.’ [Laughs] That’s all I could do.”
Wolfgang went on to say that he and the other musicians “had two rehearsals in Los Angeles before we came out [to Cleveland], and then a rehearsal the day before in Cleveland. So it was nice,” he added. “So the band got to jell, got to jam with Rob and Chad. And it was nice to just kind of establish that baseline, so it wasn’t just thrown together.”
Wolfgang added that he “felt so out of place” because he was surrounded by “a crazy supergroup of people.” But, he noted, “It was nice to have Zakk [Wylde, longtime Ozzy guitarist] there, so I could be, like, ‘Hey, am I doing this right?’ And he’s, like, ‘Yeah, you’re doing fine.’ It’s, like, ‘Okay, thank you.’ [Laughs]”
Wolfgang also talked about playing the guitar solo originally written and recorded by Ozzy‘s late guitarist Randy Rhoads, who has influenced many musicians and is considered one of the greatest guitarists of all time. Asked where he places Rhoads on his scale of guitarists, Wolfgang said: “You know what? I really don’t make lists like that anymore. I think it’s an unfair thing to do when there’s just so much good out there than the stack of things against each other. Sure [I have my favorites], ones that I’ve been more influenced by others, but, yeah, Randy was an incredible guitar player and it’s a shame we never got to see where he was gonna go. To make that much of a mark that early, it’s a real shame [that he died].”
According to Wolfgang, he was “certainly incredibly nervous” to perform at Ozzy‘s Rock Hall induction. “But everybody, they made it really easy and it was really comfortable,” he said. “And personally, it was really cool to be able to hang out with Maynard. I’ve been a huge TOOL fan my whole life and he’s one of my favorite singers.”
Asked if he had ever met Maynard before, Wolfgang said: “No, I hadn’t. And he’s a really great dude. It was a good time.”
Wolfgang said that the circumstances prevented him from acting like too much of a fanboy around Maynard. “It’s business time, so I had to put away the fan shirt and just kind of be, like, ‘Yes, sir. Hey, how’s it going? Nice to meet you. I’m here to jam with you,'” he explained .”But yeah, after a while, you just kind of hang out, and it’s a good time.”
Osbourne was inducted into the Rock Hall by actor and TENACIOUS D frontman Jack Black, who called Ozzy “the greatest frontman in the history of rock ‘n’ roll. He went on to say that the cover of Ozzy‘s debut solo album, “Blizzard Of Ozz” “was the most metal thing I had ever seen, and I didn’t even know what metal was. Then I went back to Ozzy‘s earlier albums, to BLACK SABBATH. And I was, like, unholy shit, this motherfucker invented heavy metal … the darkest, heaviest shit the world had ever heard.”
After Black‘s induction speech, Osbourne accepted the award while seated on a throne. He told the crowd: “Well, here we are. You know what? I can’t believe I’m here myself. Let me get the thank yous out of the way, because I’m not going to bore you with a long, drawn-out fucking monologue. I’d like to thank whoever voted me into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame for my solo work. A great thank you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
“My fans have been so loyal to me over the years, I cannot thank them enough. I’ve been fortunate over the years to play with some of the world’s greatest guitar players, drummers, bass players, and a few of them are here tonight. But I’ve got to say one thing for a guy by the name of Randy Rhoads. If I’d hadn’t have met Randy Rhoads, I don’t think I’d be sitting here now. And moreso more than that, my wife Sharon. Saved my life. And my grandbabies and my babies. I love them all.”
Osbourne earned a solo Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction for his nearly six-decade career in music. This honor made Ozzy one of a handful of artists with multiple inductions into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.
Artists are eligible to be inducted into the Rock Hall after at least 25 years have passed since their first record was released.
Rhoads was posthumously inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame during the 2021 ceremony. Rhoads, who played in Ozzy‘s band more than four decades ago, received the Musical Excellence Award at the October 2021 event.
MAMMOTH‘s latest single, “The End”, was released last month. The track, which was crafted by Van Halen and longtime collaborator Michael “Elvis” Baskette, is available via all digital service providers.
Photo by Travis Shinn
