Wolfgang Van Halen Responds to Nuno Bettencourt: ‘Here’s Why I Wasn’t There’

Wolfgang Van Halen recently addressed his last-minute withdrawal from Ozzy Osbourne’s “Back to the Beginning” farewell concert, clarifying the circumstances in a statement shared with Louder Sound. His comments came in response to guitarist Nuno Bettencourt’s recent suggestion that Van Halen had intentionally bowed out because performing classic Black Sabbath solos was too daunting.

“With Back To The Beginning, things kept changing,” Van Halen explained. “We had the flights and the hotel booked and paid for – with our own money, actually. At one point, I was supposed to play guitar on Sweet Leaf, then it was Changes. What happened was, I had this Creed tour, and they moved the rehearsal schedule back for Back To The Beginning, and we couldn’t make it at that point. It was a bummer!”

Despite missing the farewell show, Van Halen recalled a meaningful encounter with Ozzy at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, where he performed Ozzy songs as part of a supergroup featuring Maynard James Keenan, Billy Idol, Zakk Wylde, and Robert Trujillo.

“After the performance, I got to shoot the shit with him for about 10, 15 minutes,” he said. “He gave me a hug and I asked, ‘Was that alright?’ He said it was, ‘Bloody brilliant.’ I asked him a couple questions about stories my dad had told me from when they toured together. I can’t give specifics, but just to know that Dad wasn’t making stuff up was a fun thing.”

Bettencourt Comments on Van Halen’s Decision

Bettencourt had addressed Van Halen’s absence during an interview on Steve and Rik’s POTcast, suggesting the young musician stepped back due to the difficulty of playing iconic guitar solos.

“I got a call [saying] Wolfgang Van Halen just dropped out [of the Black Sabbath ‘Back to the Beginning’ event],” Bettencourt said. “I said ‘yeah, he’s dropping out because he’s smart! Nobody wants to play those fcking Randy Rhoads or Jake E. Lee solos!’ Nobody wants to fcking do it because if you go down in flames on that stage with Ozzy there and all your peers watching, your career is over!”

A Historic and Poignant Farewell

Van Halen’s absence was notable given the historic nature of the concert. Black Sabbath’s “Back to the Beginning” took place on July 5, 2025, at Villa Park in Birmingham, England, marking the band’s final performance after decades of groundbreaking contributions to heavy metal. The event, announced by Sharon Osbourne on February 5, 2025, served as a charity benefit for Acorns Children’s Hospice and Birmingham Children’s Hospital.

The concert reunited all four original members of Black Sabbath—Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward—for the first time in 20 years. Ozzy, who was battling advanced Parkinson’s disease, performed seated on a throne. The brief four-song set opened with War Pigs, included an intro of Black Sabbath, and continued with Iron Man and N.I.B., concluding with Paranoid. During the finale, Ozzy told the crowd, “I fucking love you,” as fireworks and confetti filled the stadium.

Tragically, Ozzy Osbourne passed away just seventeen days later on July 22, 2025, making Back to the Beginning not only Black Sabbath’s final performance but also Ozzy’s last public concert as both a solo artist and band member. The show now stands as a poignant capstone to his legendary career, and while Van Halen’s absence was felt, his later connection with Ozzy offered a personal and meaningful closure for the next generation of rock royalty.