SHARON OSBOURNE Teased A Post-Show Reveal About The Band She Banned From OZZY's Farewell, But We Might Already Know Who It Is

Summary

• SHARON OSBOURNE confirmed she banned a band from Ozzy Osbourne’s farewell event after a dispute over money.
• Fans believe it may have been Soundgarden, who were announced, then quietly removed from the lineup.
• Sharon says she’ll reveal the name after the show, but online speculation has already filled in the blanks.

For a concert billed as Back to the Beginning, meant to close the book on the legacy of Black Sabbath and mark Ozzy Osbourne’s final bow, one detail stood out more for what was missing than what was onstage.

Over ten hours of music. Dozens of performers. Metallica, Slayer, Tool, Pantera, Ghost, Gojira, Guns N’ Roses, Alice in Chains. It was packed. It was loud. It was historical.

Still, a strange question lingered online and in the stands: Where was Soundgarden?

Back in May, Sharon Osbourne told The Guardian that the surviving members of Soundgarden would join the bill. That meant Kim Thayil, Matt Cameron, and Ben Shepherd could reunite, possibly with a guest vocalist filling in for the late Chris Cornell. For fans of the Seattle group, it was a big deal. Soundgarden hasn’t exactly been doing the reunion circuit. This would’ve been a rare appearance.

But they didn’t play. They weren’t even mentioned.

On the day of the show, viewers noticed that Soundgarden’s name was missing from the livestream’s lineup. By the end of the event, the silence was deafening. Fans started connecting the dots, fueled by past comments from Sharon.

In a June interview with Metal Hammer, she admitted to kicking a band off the lineup after clashing with a manager. Her phrasing wasn’t subtle:

“Huge, huge to-do. It was probably the worst way I’ve felt in years. And he’s going around making up bullshit lies because I threw his band off the bill.”

That’s one version. Then came another interview, this time with Billboard, where she gave a bit more context:

“They wanted to make money. And this wasn’t the time to make money. After the show I’ll let everybody know who it was. I think people will be shocked.”

Here’s what we know. The show was a charity event. All proceeds went to Cure Parkinson’s, Birmingham Children’s Hospital, and Acorns Children’s Hospice. That means bands played for the cause, not for a paycheck. According to Sharon, whoever asked for payment didn’t belong on that stage.

Sharon did rule out one name: Iron Maiden. They weren’t there either, but she said that was due to a scheduling conflict. Maiden had a gig in Spain on the same day. Sharon even made a point of saying that Ozzy respects the guys in Maiden.

Soundgarden, though, was left dangling in silence.

Fans filled in the blanks on Reddit and social media. A few pointed fingers at Vicky Cornell, widow of Chris Cornell, as the possible source of conflict. One popular theory suggested she asked for licensing fees to use the Soundgarden name or songs, which would’ve clashed with the no-profit nature of the event.

The rumor mill spun hard, especially after Alternative Nation published a piece highlighting the speculation. One Reddit user wrote:

“I think they were one of the bands that got dropped. And I think we all know who we can blame for that.”

Another added:

“Probably Vicky wanted money from them for playing Soundgarden songs and saying the name Soundgarden.”

Then came the disappointed fans. Some had bought tickets specifically because they thought Soundgarden would perform.

“I literally bought a ticket just cuz I thought I’d be seeing one of the very few Soundgarden reunions,” one fan wrote. “I’m so vastly disappointed and heartbroken right now. And even more angry that they hid it from us.”

That’s where things stand. Sharon has yet to name the band publicly. Soundgarden hasn’t issued a statement. And Vicky Cornell, often at the center of posthumous decisions regarding Chris Cornell’s legacy, hasn’t commented either.

At the same time, other theories were floated. Motley Crue? Dismissed. Megadeth? Also ruled out, courtesy of a blunt “Nope! Not him!” from Kelly Osbourne on Instagram. Even Tool got briefly swept up in the speculation, after early livestream materials omitted their name. But Tool performed, as expected, with Maynard James Keenan on vocals.

Another name removed before the event: Wolfgang Van Halen. His exit was confirmed to be due to scheduling, not drama.

So for now, only one band was publicly announced, never played, and never acknowledged during the event: Soundgarden.

If Sharon’s comment about revealing the band after the show still holds, fans may soon get an official answer. Until then, it’s speculation layered on top of silence.

What’s left is a party that celebrated a genre, a legacy, and a career. It featured generations of musicians paying tribute to a band that helped define heavy metal.

And it also left room for one more headline. Not about who played, but about who didn’t.

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