By the time Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath took their final triumphant bow at Back to the Beginning, a high-voltage live sendoff that doubled as a love letter to heavy metal’s roots, one band was noticeably absent: Soundgarden.
Now, Soundgarden has broken their silence, issuing a straightforward explanation via their official social media. The statement reads as follows:
“Congratulations to Black Sabbath on the grand and final pealing of their vesper bells!
Thank you for an astounding career that provided us and your legion of fans with a lifetime of beauty, horror, love, power, happiness, melancholy and a profoundly sublime, yet viscerally rocking transcendence informed by both doom and hope. Your majestic brilliance has inspired greatness in scores of other bands, musicians and songwriters. However, the crown will forever remain yours!
We are very grateful to Tony, Ozzy, Geezer and Bill, as well as Sharon Osbourne and music director, Tom Morello for the honor and invitation to Soundgarden to perform at the Back to the Beginning festival! We are super bummed and regret that we were unable to coordinate the schedules of our individual and collective projects to attend and contribute to the festival. The warmth, love and support from the Black Sabbath team has been a continuing source of encouragement and strength throughout our career.”
It’s a moment heavy with what could have been. The presence of Soundgarden — one of the few bands that managed to bridge metal’s primal power with grunge’s moody introspection — would’ve been a fitting generational torch-passing at a show that already featured a revolving door of legends, including Billy Corgan, Tom Morello, Pantera, and members of Judas Priest and Disturbed.
Still, the night went on without them, and Sabbath’s final live performance — capped by a visibly emotional Ozzy — reminded fans why they were gods among mortals in the first place.
