Wolfgang Van Halen recently explained his absence from Ozzy Osbourne’s farewell show in an interview with 106,7 Rockklassiker.
The musician detailed the scheduling conflicts that kept his band, Mammoth, from the highly anticipated event.
“We had the flights purchased, the hotels ready to go. We also, obviously, have ‘The End’, [Mammoth’s third] album, we were planning on that release, but we hadn’t announced it yet. And then the rehearsal schedules moved,” Van Halen said. “So, at that point, with how many people had bought hotels and everything, we literally couldn’t make it after that schedule changed.”
Van Halen elaborated on the specific commitments that made attendance impossible.
“One, I had to rehearse for the Creed tour that I was about to go on [with Mammoth]. And then two, even if we wanted to go out there, there was no way to get a hotel or a flight that quickly after it changed. So, we couldn’t do it, unfortunately,” he continued.
Despite missing the farewell show, Van Halen found solace in his previous interactions with Osbourne.
“I was really happy I was able to do the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame thing for Ozzy, and I got to see him then. But yeah, I was very bummed about that. Sometimes things just sort of happen that way,” he said.
Mammoth, formerly known as Mammoth WVH, started as Van Halen’s solo project during his time with Van Halen. It evolved into his full-time band after Van Halen disbanded in 2020 following his father Eddie Van Halen’s death. The band’s name pays tribute to the original Mammoth, which featured Eddie and Alex Van Halen before forming Van Halen. Wolfgang received his late father’s full support to use the Mammoth name, allowing him to honor his legacy while creating his own musical identity.
The timing of the band’s third album, ‘The End’, coincided with Ozzy’s show. This overlap intensified Wolfgang’s schedule demands as he balanced Mammoth’s commitments with his Creed touring obligations.
