Heavy metal bassist James LoMenzo confirmed that Megadeth was not invited to play at Black Sabbath’s Back to the Beginning show on July 5. In recent interview with Charrie Foglio, it was noted that the “Big Four was short one.” The Big Four refers to the most popular thrash metal groups – Metallica, Slayer, Anthrax and Megadeth.
Black Sabbath’s Back to the Beginning show marked Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath’s final performance together. Held at Villa Park in Aston, Birmingham, England, the show is said to be the highest-grossing charity concert of all time. Raising over $190 million, the show supported charities such as Cure Parkinson’s, Birmingham Children’s Hospital and Acorns Children’s Hospice.
When Megadeth’s absence was questioned, LoMenzo opened up, “I’m going to let the cat out of the bag. The truth of the matter is, I don’t believe that anybody asked us, which was fine. Not everybody gets invited to every party…Anyway, the show was amazing! I would have loved to have been there. I knew about the show months and months ago.”
Although this gap in the lineup puzzled fans, LoMennzo made it clear he does not see Megadeath’s absence as controversial, stating “I don’t see it as controversy or anything. I do know that conspicuously we were missing, but nobody was invited.”
LoMenzo re-joined the heavy metal group in 2022 after being fired in 2010. The group’s most recent tour was in 2023. It’s unclear what is next for Megadeth, but fans and the band alike can be confident in one thing: Megadeth’s undying legacy in the heavy metal scene.
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