In a new interview with Billboard, Mötley Crüe bassist Nikki Sixx opened up about the band's absence from the historic Back To The Beginning farewell concert in Birmingham, England — held on July 5, 2025, just two weeks before the passing of Ozzy Osbourne at age 76.
"It was something we were just unable to do… We couldn't do it even if we wanted to," Sixx explained, noting that frontman Vince Neil was recovering from a medical procedure at the time. Neil has since revealed that the procedure was related to the stroke he suffered in December 2024, which had kept him sidelined for much of 2025.
Despite their absence, Sixx said he tuned in to the live stream and was moved by the spectacle. "And, man, I gotta tell ya — Ozzy, way to fuckin' go out with a bang. He really did it, and everybody showed up because they loved him and supported him. Unfortunately, we don't have him anymore, but we got one of the greatest rock stars of all time who came while we were here on this planet and went back to the fuckin' stars, man. It's like, ‘I came down there and I kicked some fuckin' ass.' Thank you, Ozzy, every day for the opportunity to have a career."
Sixx also looked back on Osbourne's crucial role in Mötley Crüe's rise to fame. In 1984, Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne handpicked the then-upstart Los Angeles hard rockers to open for him on tour. "Honestly, they broke our band, Ozzy and Sharon," Sixx recalled.
"Sharon saw a band that something was happening with and it was a perfect fit for Ozzy, and we just became so close and Ozzy took us around the world and just did everything for us… and of course all the wild and fun stories that is Ozzy. I'll forever be in debt to Sharon and Ozzy for that."
It remains unclear if Mötley Crüe was formally invited to perform at Back To The Beginning, which was billed as the final live appearance of all four original Black Sabbath members — Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward. The all-star event doubled as a charity benefit and featured appearances by Metallica, Guns N' Roses, Slayer, Pantera, Gojira, Alice In Chains, and more, with Rage Against The Machine's Tom Morello serving as musical director. Special collaborations also saw the likes of Aerosmith's Steven Tyler, Smashing Pumpkins' Billy Corgan, Sammy Hagar, and others join in paying tribute to the Prince of Darkness.
For Sixx, the night was a bittersweet reminder of a figure who shaped both Mötley Crüe's beginnings and heavy metal at large.
