“Watching him and the musicians rehearsing their songs while I was standing there waiting my turn, I started to get really nervous”: Jake E. Lee names the guitar virtuoso who had him sweating backstage at Back to the Beginning

Jake E. Lee played some of the biggest stages in the world during his time as Ozzy Osbourne’s lead shredder. And he usually has nerves of steel. But at the Prince of Darkness’s farewell show, the guitarist says the presence of one musician had him sweating.

For Lee, Back to the Beginning was especially poignant. It was the first time he'd seen Ozzy since leaving his band more than three decades ago, having battled health issues and recovered from multiple gunshot wounds to make the gig.

On stage, he nailed his parts, playing The Ultimate Sin and Shot in the Dark, although he had to pivot away from his original song of choice due to difficulties with arthritis. While he was preparing for his big moment in the spotlight, though, one guitarist left him feeling “really nervous.”

“When I got there, I figured I'm still just, ‘Oh yeah, that's Jake. He was in the band once.’ But, at the first rehearsal, I actually got nervous, which I never do,” Lee tells the Talk is Jericho podcast (via Ultimate Guitar).

“It's not in my nature to get nervous,” he adds. “What's going to happen is going to happen. Worrying about it doesn't do anything. But watching Nuno Bettencourt and the musicians rehearsing their songs while I was standing there waiting for my turn, I started to get really nervous, which was weird.”

It’s not unusual to be intimidated by Bettencourt’s flair. He certainly nailed his parts at Villa Park on the day, and has been playing a sensational Ozzy medley with Extreme in the wake of Ozzy’s passing. The man can play. So it took some kind – and quite funny – words of encouragement from a thrash metal bass legend to quell his nerves.

“Frank Bello [of Anthrax] was standing next to me, and he turns to me and he says, ‘I can't wait to watch you,’” Lee recalls. “I'm like, ‘Dude, I'm really nervous.’ And he's like, ‘No, you're Jake E. Lee. You could go up there and fart and we'd applaud.’ That made me feel okay.”

Talk Is Jericho: Jake E. Lee - The Untold Ozzy Osbourne Stories & Near-Death Shooting - YouTube

Watch On

Tom Morello had said the whole show hinged on Lee’s involvement, and backstage at the show, Lee also got the chance to play Kirk Hammett’s famed “Greeny” Les Paul, and immediately fell in love with it.

And though he never got a chance to talk directly with his old boss, a text message he received from Ozzy while waiting for his flight home helped to completely smooth over their once-fractured relationship.