Judas Priest frontman Rob Halford has shared that he is “gutted” not to be taking part in Black Sabbath’s final show, and was unaware of the gig until it was too late.
Set to take place at Villa Park stadium in Birmingham on July 5, the show will see the legendary metal band perform together live for the very last time and will also mark Ozzy Osbourne‘s final live performance.
It was announced back in February, and confirmed to have a stacked line-up that includes some of the biggest names in metal. Metallica, Slayer, Pantera, Alice In Chains, Gojira, Smashing Pumpkins‘ Billy Corgan, KoRn and more were among some of the first acts announced, and later additions included Tool, Guns N’ Roses, Jason Momoa, Anthrax, Soundgarden and Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler.
Rage Against The Machine guitarist Tom Morello is serving as musical director – a role he is “honoured” to have taken on.
While the bill is rife with huge names, one of the acts missing from the line-up is fellow Birmingham heavy metal pioneers Judas Priest. Speaking in a new interview with Metal Hammer, frontman Rob Halford explained why the band won’t be taking part, and revealed that he is “gutted” to miss the band’s swansong.
On the same night as the Villa Park show, Judas Priest will be playing a gig with Scorpions in Hannover, celebrating the German hard rock bands’ 60th anniversary. This, Halford explained, was locked in before news of the Black Sabbath event was shared.
“I had no idea it was happening,” he said. “We’ve known this guy Ossy Hoppe – he’s like a god in Germany for metal – [and] 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 60th anniversary, in their hometown. Would you work with the band?’”
“I was just like, ‘Done! We’ve got no plans it’s all good’,” the ‘Breaking The Law’ hitmaker added. “It all got announced… and suddenly I get this phone call [from Sharon Osbourne, saying]: ‘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.’”
Halford continued, revealing that Sharon offered to fly him to Birmingham and back on a private jet so he could make a guest appearance.
“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,” he added, before saying that he turned down the offer because it felt like it could be “dangerous”.
“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.”
While no current member of Judas Priest is scheduled for Sabbath’s final show, Halford did highlight how K.K. Downing – who was the guitarist for the band from their formation up until 2011 – is on the bill and will represent “the spirit of the band”.
The huge Birmingham gig is now less than two months away, however, there is still uncertainty around how much Ozzy Osbourne is expected to perform on the day. In a recent interview, the singer reiterated that the event will not include any full sets with Sabbath or his solo band, and added that he “may be sitting down” for the performance.
Before that, Sammy Hagar – who is also on the bill – said that Osbourne was hoping to sing five songs in total, while Tool’s Maynard James Keenan has shared it may take “modern miracles” to get the frontman on stage once again.
Guitarist Zakk Wylde, meanwhile, hinted that the Prince Of Darkness may perform from a “throne that flies over the stadium”, and speaking to NME with Tony Iommi at Villa Park, Sharon said her husband is feeling “really great” and, although he is struggling with Parkinson’s, “it doesn’t affect his voice.”
The night will be hosted by Aquaman actor Jason Momoa – who recently told NME that it was going to be “the greatest show in the world” – and Tom Morello has teased that there are going to be some “surprises” from “huge superstars” on the day.
As for Judas Priest, after their show with Scorpions in July, the band will be hitting the road again in 2025 for a co-headline tour with Alice Cooper. It’ll feature gigs across North America, Europe and the UK, and includes a stop at The O2 in London on July 25. Visit here for UK tickets and here for North American and European tickets.
