While his legal issues could also be to blame, Nick Oliveri has explained his absence from the final Kyuss Lives! shows in Australia with the following update:

“I am sorry to say that I wont be down in Australia for the last shows of the band Kyuss Lives! I am in the U.S. getting myself and my band Mondo Generator ready for SXSW in March. Also , working on a new Dwarves EP as well as a Project with Casey Chaos, Dave Lombardo, Gary Holt, and producer Ross Robinson. – Nick”

More info on the project he refers to above is available here. As previously reported, a legal dispute with former bandmates led to the imminent retirement of the Kyuss Lives! entity. The band members will soon be shifting their full focus to a new outfit by the name of Vista Chino.