Black Sabbath’s Back to the Beginning show featured a long list of musicians paying tribute to Ozzy Osbourne’s long career, but one band that was notably missing was Motley Crue. The ‘80s hair band got their start with help from Osbourne, so it’s not surprising that fans wondered why they didn’t appear at the supersized farewell concert at Villa Park in Birmingham, England, last weekend.
On July 11, a fan on X asked Motley Crue founding member Nikki Sixx, “Motley Crue wasn’t invited to perform at Black Sabbath’s farewell? Would you have liked to have been there?”
Sixx replied, “We have been having health issues within the band.”
The bassist did not elaborate on the health issues, but in March, Motley Crue posted to Instagram to announce that lead singer Vince Neil, 64, underwent a “required medical procedure,” forcing a postponement of the band’s planned spring Las Vegas Residency at Dolby Live at Park MGM.
At the time, bandmates Nikki Sixx, Tommy Lee, and John 5 added, “Please join us in wishing Vince a speedy recovery. We are looking forward for him to get well again and to take over Vegas together in September. We can’t wait to see you all out there, and thank you for your understanding and support in the meantime.”
While bands such a Metallica, Guns N’ Roses, and Alice in Chains all paid tribute to Osbourne and Black Sabbath at Back to the Beginning, Sixx posted a congratulatory message after the show and noted that Osbourne and his wife played a pivotal role in Motley Crue’s success.
“Ozzy and Sharon gave us our first real big tour in 1984 on the Shout at the Devil tour,” Sixx wrote on X on July 7. “They gave us the opportunity to play in front of Ozzy and actually in my opinion, broke the band. Congratulations on an amazing career and what a bad-a– send off. Thank you with love.”
While Sixx offered an explanation for his band’s absence from Back to the Beginning, some fans have speculated that Motley Crüe is the mystery band that was disinvited from the event. Just ahead of the show, Sharon Osbourne told Billboard she removed one big-name group from the lineup because they “wanted to make a profit” from the charity event.
“And it’s not the time to make a profit,” she said. “After the show, I’ll let everybody know who it was. I think people will be shocked.”
The Back to the Beginning charity concert raised more than $190 million to support Cure Parkinson’s, Birmingham Children’s Hospital, and Acorn Children’s Hospice.
Related: Black Sabbath Legend Reveals How Farewell Show Really Ended
Motley Crue Rocker Reveals Why Band Didn’t Perform at Ozzy Osbourne’s Farewell Show first appeared on Men’s Journal on Jul 12, 2025