There needed to be better planning. Maybe it couldn't be helped, but music fans will miss out either way. Perhaps a streaming event can take place, though that feels less than genuine.
The issue is this: Judas Priest will not be able to play at Black Sabbath's massive final farewell concert event in Birmingham, England on July 5. Loads of other important bands will play, but not Rob Halford and the boys. They will be doing an important gig elsewhere, but not with Ozzy Osbourne and mates.
The reason is that Judas Priest will be performing at the 60th anniversary event for the Scorpions in Hannover, Germany. That takes place also on July 5. Clearly, the organizers of concerts for the Scorpions and Black Sabbath do not know what the other band is doing. They likely don't care.
Judas Priest has a good excuse for missing Black Sabbath's farewell show
But again, music fans are the ones who miss out. The Scorpions and Judas Priest are not going to cancel their July 5 gig in order to be at Black Sabbath's event, and the reverse is not going to occur either.
According to what Halford recently told Metal Hammer, Sharon Osbourne, Ozzy's wife, called and offer to fly Judas Priest to Birmingham from Hannover and then fly them back in hopes the metal icons could be part of the Sabbath show. Halford wanted to say yes but he was concerned about the logistics of getting back and forth. He and his band had to pass.
Halford said, "(Ossy Hoppe) came in to see me at one of our last shows and says, ‘Would you consider doing something really special and important? I’m putting on the Scorpions for their 60thanniversary, in their hometown. Would you work with the band?’ And I was just like, ‘Done! We’ve got no plans it’s all good.'"
At the time, Halford knew nothing about the Black Sabbath farewell event. He was "gutted" to miss the show, but saw no way around it. Priest had promised they would be at the Scorpions gig. Still, having two extremely metal events on the same day needed to have better planning by concert organizers.
Halford continued by adding, "I get this phone call (from Sharon Osbourne): ‘Robbie, I know you’ve got this gig with Scorpions, but could you consider coming over to do a thing with Ozzy and the guys, he’d love to see you... Even with a private plane, there’s a word called ‘technical,' where something could go wrong, or the weather that time of year could cause problems. I was absolutely gutted."
If were going to travel to the UK and Europe this summer to see some music, you now have a decision. Black Sabbath or Judas Priest/Scorpions? If it helps you to make the decision, just know that the Sabbath event will also include Metallica, Tool, Guns N' Roses, Alice in Chains, Pantera, and many others. Tickets are sold out, though.