Former Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Gus G has opened up on missing out on the chance to feature in Ozzy’s blockbuster send-off, Back to the Beginning.
The guitarist had earned a place in Ozzy’s band for his shred-laden work with power metal outfit Firewind, and played on 2010’s Scream. But, unlike his fellow Ozzy alumni, Zakk Wylde and Jake E. Lee, Gus G was a notable absentee at the Prince of Darkness' farewell show last summer.
“I wasn't asked,” Gus G tells the Signals From Mars podcast (via Blabbermouth) of his absence. “Of course, I would've loved to be there. Who wouldn't?
“I really wanted to see Ozzy one last time, to give him one last hug. But at the same time, I realized that probably I wasn't really needed there,” he expands. “There were so many people there. So this is one factor. It didn't really bother me in that sense. My mindset was more like a fan.
“When I saw the press release, I was like, ‘Oh, cool. Ozzy's finally doing his last show,’ because I know how much he really wanted to get back on stage. He finally decided he is gonna do this, and he's gonna go out in the biggest way possible.”
Gus G, who is set to release his latest solo album, Steel Burner, this week, says the fan in him was “really excited” for the show, but felt “bittersweet” about his lack of involvement. However, there was another factor that might have forced his hand all the same.
“I had my kid the day before the show in Birmingham,” he explains. “We were expecting my first baby. I think it was one of those situations where I came to the realization, ‘Well, this is really not meant to happen for me. I have really something much more important that I should be attending.’”
Gus G says he was starstruck when he first met Ozzy and has named the player he found hardest to emulate during his time in the band. He's since turned down opportunities to join two massive metal bands, instead opting to forge his own path.
While Ozzy has also recorded with Steve Vai, Joe Bonamassa, and Andrew Watt, Gus G was only the fourth full-time guitarist in the singer’s charge – after Randy Rhoads, Lee, and Wylde – but was a notable absentee from Back to the Beginning, which also saw the Heavy Metal Yardbirds pay tribute to the Prince of Darkness.
