Sharon Osbourne’s first impression of the most influential heavy metal band in history? “They were all odd and hairy,” she said. She wasn’t wrong. However, with her husband Ozzy at the helm, Black Sabbath helped define their genre. As of 2013, they had sold more than 70 million records across the globe. Although they haven’t put out new music in more than a decade, Black Sabbath’s fanbase still spans generations. And those fans can now access more than 30 minutes of rare footage from the British quartet in their heyday.
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Catch Black Sabbath’s ‘Technical Ecstasy’ Tour Online
If you’re a diehard Black Sabbath fan, today is a good day for you. LouderSound reports that elusive footage from the band’s 1976 performance in Fresno, California, has surfaced online nearly 50 years later.
The video comes from the band’s Technical Ecstasy tour stop at the 10,000-capacity Selland Arena in Fresno, California, on Nov. 9, 1976. The heavy metal icons played 14 songs on the night, six of which appear in the clip: “Symptom of the Universe,” “Snowblind,” “All Moving Parts (Stand Still),” “War Pigs,” “Gypsy” and “Children Of The Grave.”
According to Louder Sound, Boston and Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band appeared as supporting acts that night.
Check out a not-yet 30-year-old Ozzy Osbourne below.
The Band Clashed With AC/DC On This Tour
Kicking off in October 1976, the Technical Ecstasy tour was Black Sabbath’s attempt at rehabilitating their sinister image. “Parents can take their kids to our shows now,” bassist Geezer Butler told Circus.
Results were mixed. After five months of North American shows, Black Sabbath embarked on the European leg of the tour. Australian rockers AC/DC arrived as the supporting band, setting the stage for a now-infamous encounter between Butler and Malcolm Young.
As Young told it in a 2003 interview, the AC/DC rhythm guitarist found Butler in the hotel bar “crying into his beer.”
“He was complaining about being in the band for 10 years and told me, ‘Wait ‘til you guys are around ten years. You’ll feel like us,’” Young said.
Receiving no sympathy from his tourmate, Butler then “pulled out this silly flick knife,” according to Young. Fortunately, Ozzy Osbourne happened by and diffused the situation.
For the record, Butler denies he pulled a knife—although he did admit to having one at the time. ” I was having a drink and flicking my knife—like you do—and he came over and said: ‘You must think you’re big, having a flick-knife,’” the now 75-year-old musician said. “I said, ‘What are you talking about?’ And that was it. Nobody got hurt.”
Featured image by Brandon Marshall/Shutterstock
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