| Concert Tour Name: | Blizzard of Ozz Tour |
| Artist: | Ozzy Osbourne |
| Type: | Promotional |
| Album: | Blizzard of Ozz |
| Number Of Legs: | 4 |
| Number Of Shows: | 131 |
| This Tour: | Blizzard of Ozz Tour (1980–1981) |
| Next Tour: | Diary of a Madman Tour (1981–1982) |
The Blizzard of Ozz Tour was the debut concert tour as a solo artist by English heavy metal singer Ozzy Osbourne, who had been fired from the English group Black Sabbath a year prior. The tour started on 12 September 1980 and concluded on 13 September 1981.
Ozzy Osbourne was fired from Black Sabbath on 27 April 1979.[1] [2] [3] Guitarist Randy Rhoads from Quiet Riot was hired in late November 1979. Former Rainbow bassist Bob Daisley was hired on 14 November 1979. The first song that Ozzy, Rhoads, and Daisley wrote together was "Goodbye to Romance." Former-Uriah Heep drummer Lee Kerslake was hired in March 1980. The band then went to Ridge Farm Studios in Rusper to record the debut album, Blizzard of Ozz, from 22 March to 19 April 1980.
In August 1980, the band began rehearsing at Shepperton Studios in Shepperton, England for the "Blizzard of Ozz Tour." Don Airey, who had been hired to perform keyboards and synthesizers on "Mr. Crowley", "Goodbye to Romance" and "Revelation Mother Earth", could not tour with Ozzy since he had already signed a contract to tour with Rainbow, so the band hired Lindsay Bridgwater.[4] [5] [6] The band performed two secret warm-up gigs billed as "The Law" in September at Norbreck Castle Nightclub in Blackpool on 3 September and at West Runton Pavilion on 5 September. The band kicked off its opening night of the tour in front of a sold-out crowd at the Glasgow Apollo on 12 September.[7]
The 70s Welsh heavy metal band Budgie would open for Ozzy throughout the 1980 European leg. On 20 September, Blizzard of Ozz was released in the United Kingdom and was a success.[8] "Crazy Train" and "Mr Crowley" were released as singles. "Goodbye to Romance", "I Don't Know" and "Suicide Solution" also received radio airplay. On 2 October, the band played at The Gamount Theatre in Southampton where the recordings of "Goodbye to Romance" and "No Bone Movies" would appear on the live Tribute album, released on 19 March 1987. The live recordings of "Mr. Crowley" and "Suicide Solution" would be released on the Mr. Crowley Live EP.
The band regrouped back at Ridge Farm to record Diary of a Madman between February and March 1981. Tensions between Ozzy/Sharon and Daisley/Kerslake over contract issues regarding their names, money, credit, and royalties got worse, which led to Sharon firing Daisley and Kerslake in March 1981.[9] [10] Ozzy, Sharon and Rhoads went back to the United States to look for a new drummer and bassist.
In March 1981, former-Black Oak Arkansas, Pat Travers and Gary Moore drummer, Tommy Aldridge, and former-Quiet Riot bassist, Rudy Sarzo, were hired. Blizzard of Ozz was released in the United States and Canada on 27 March 1981 and it became a success. "Crazy Train" and "Mr. Crowley" were released as singles and "Goodbye to Romance", "I Don't Know" and "Suicide Solution" received radio airplay. The album eventually went platinum.[11]
In April, the band began rehearsals for the North America leg at Swing Auditorium in San Bernardino, California. On 22 April, the band kicked off the North America leg of the tour at Towson Arena in Towson, Maryland in front of a sold-out crowd. Throughout the first half of the North American leg of the tour, the band was supported by English heavy metal band Motörhead. Other bands would be added, such as The Joe Perry Project, The Outlaws and Mountain. On 28 April, the band went to Channel 31(WUHF) TV Studios in Rochester, New York to film a live performance of "I Don't Know", "Suicide Solution", "Mr. Crowley" and "Crazy Train", which were broadcast on the After Hours TV show as live promo-videos.
On 11 May, the live recording of the Cleveland Music Hall performance was broadcast live over the local rock radio station and became as the first 13 tracks on the live Tribute album. On 4 July, the band performed as the special guests in front of their biggest crowd at Bill Graham's Day on the Green Festival where they were supported by "415" (the opener) and Loverboy while Pat Travers, Blue Öyster Cult and Heart performed afterwards.
On 28 July the Montreal performance was recorded live and broadcast on the "King Biscuit Flower Hour" radio show. The guitar solo from the song "Suicide Solution" from this performance was dubbed into the Cleveland recording of "Suicide Solution" for the Tribute album. "Flying High Again" and "I Don't Know" from the Montreal performance were included on the bonus album Ozzy Live for the 2011 Diary Of A Madman Deluxe 30th Anniversary Legacy Edition album release. The band went back to England to perform at Vale Park in Burslem, Stoke for the "Heavy Metal Holocaust Festival." The band went back to finish the Blizzard of Ozz Tour in the United States with English hard rock band Def Leppard. The band ended the tour at Peabody Auditorium in Daytona Beach, Florida on 13 September 1981.
| Date[14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [20] [21] [22] | City | Country | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Europe | |||
| Secret warm-up gigs (Billed as "The Law") | |||
| 3 September 1980 | Blackpool | England | Norbreck Castle Nightclub |
| 5 September 1980 | West Runton | West Runton Pavilion | |
| Europe | |||
| 12 September 1980 | Glasgow | Scotland | Glasgow Apollo (live premiere) |
| 13 September 1980 | Dundee | Caird Hall | |
| 15 September 1980 | Edinburgh | Edinburgh Odeon | |
| 17 September 1980 | Newcastle | England | Newcastle City Hall |
| 18September 1980 | Bradford | St George's Hall | |
| 20 September 1980 | London | Hammersmith Odeon | |
| 21 September 1980 | |||
| 23 September 1980 | Manchester | Manchester Apollo | |
| 24 September 1980 | Coventry | Coventry Theatre | |
| 26 September 1980 | Liverpool | Royal Court Theatre | |
| 28September 1980 | Birmingham | Birmingham Odeon | |
| 29 September 1980 | Leicester | De Montfort Hall | |
| 1 October 1980 | Oxford | New Theatre Oxford | |
| 2 October 1980 | Southampton | Southampton Gaumont Theatre ("Mr Crowley Live EP") ("Goodbye to Romance" and "No Bone Movies" – Tribute) | |
| 3 October 1980 | Stoke | King's Hall | |
| 5 October 1980 | Derby | Assembly Rooms | |
| 6 October 1980 | Blackburn | King George's Hall | |
| 7 October 1980 | Sheffield | Sheffield City Hall | |
| 9 October 1980 | Cardiff | Wales | Sophia Gardens Pavilion |
| 10 October 1980 | Taunton | England | Taunton Odeon Theatre |
| 11 October 1980 | Poole | Poole Arts Centre | |
| 13 October 1980 | Malvern | Malvern Winter Gardens | |
| 16 October 1980 | Wolverhampton | Wolverhampton Civic Hall | |
| 17 October 1980 | Newcastle | Mayfair Ballroom | |
| 18 October 1980 | Hull | Hull City Hall | |
| 20 October 1980 | Bristol | Colston Hall | |
| 22 October 1980 | Chelmsford | Chelmsford Odeon | |
| 23 October 1980 | Ipswich | Ipswich Gaumont Theatre | |
| 24 October 1980 | St. Albans | St. Albans City Hall | |
| 26 October 1980 | London | Hammersmith Odeon | |
| 28 October 1980 | Sunderland | Mayfair Theatre | |
| 29 October 1980 | Middlesbrough | Middlesbrough Town Hall | |
| 31 October 1980 | Brighton | Brighton Dome | |
| 1 November 1980 | Canterbury | Canterbury Odeon Theatre (Bob Daisley and Lee Kerslake's last show) | |
| 8 November 1980 | Nottingham | The Boat Club | |
| North America | |||
| 22 April 1981 | Towson | United States | Towson Center (First show billed as "Ozzy Osbourne") (Rudy Sarzo and Tommy Aldridge's first show) |
| 23 April 1981 | Harrisburg | Harrisburg Forum | |
| 24 April 1981 | Passaic | Capitol Theatre | |
| 25 April 1981 | Upper Darby Township | Tower Theater | |
| 26 April 1981 | Bethlehem | Stabler Arena | |
| 28 April 1981 | Rochester | WUHF-TV | |
| 29 April 1981 | Rochester | Rochester Auditorium | |
| 30 April 1981 | Syracuse | Landmark Theatre | |
| 1 May 1981 | Boston | Orpheum Theatre | |
| 2 May 1981 | New York City | Palladium (Two shows) | |
| 3 May 1981 | Poughkeepsie | Mid-Hudson Civic Center | |
| 4 May 1981 | Springfield | Springfield Civic Center | |
| 6 May 1981 | Buffalo | Shea's Buffalo Theater | |
| 8 May 1981 | Johnstown | Cambria County War Memorial Arena | |
| 9 May 1981 | Trotwood | Hara Arena | |
| 10 May 1981 | Toledo | Toledo Sports Arena | |
| 11 May 1981 | Cleveland | Cleveland Music Hall (First 13 tracks of Tribute) | |
| 13 May 1981 | Columbus | Columbus Veterans Memorial Auditorium | |
| 15 May 1981 | Louisville | Louisville Gardens | |
| 18 May 1981 | Indianapolis | Indianapolis Convention Center | |
| 19 May 1981 | Detroit | Detroit Masonic Temple | |
| 20 May 1981 | Milwaukee | Riverside Theater | |
| 22 May 1981 | St. Louis | Checkerdome | |
| 23 May 1981 | Rockford | Rockford Metro Center | |
| 24 May 1981 | Chicago | Aragon Ballroom | |
| 25 May 1981 | Minneapolis | East River Flats Park (River Flats Jam) | |
| 28 May 1981 | Omaha | Omaha Music Hall | |
| 30 May 1981 | Tulsa | Brady Theater | |
| 31 May 1981 | Austin | Austin Municipal Auditorium | |
| 2 June 1981 | Kansas City | Memorial Hall | |
| 4 June 1981 | San Antonio | San Antonio Convention Center | |
| 5 June 1981 | Fort Worth | Will Rogers Memorial Coliseum | |
| 6 June 1981 | Beaumont | Fair Park Coliseum | |
| 7 June 1981 | Houston | Sam Houston Coliseum | |
| North America | |||
| 18 June 1981 | Denver | United States | Rainbow Music Hall |
| 19 June 1981 | Colorado Springs | Colorado Springs City Auditorium | |
| 21 June 1981 | El Paso | El Paso County Coliseum | |
| 23 June 1981 | Tucson | Tucson Community Center | |
| 25 June 1981 | Las Vegas | Aladdin Theatre | |
| 26 June 1981 | San Diego | Fox Theater | |
| 27 June 1981 | Long Beach | Long Beach Arena | |
| 28 June 1981 | Tempe | ASU Activity Center | |
| 2 July 1981 | San Bernardino | Swing Auditorium | |
| 3 July 1981 | Bakersfield | Kern County Fairgrounds | |
| 4 July 1981 | Oakland | Oakland Coliseum (Day on the Green) | |
| 5 July 1981 | Santa Cruz | Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium | |
| 11 July 1981 | Portland | Paramount Theatre | |
| 12 July 1981 | Seattle | Paramount Theatre | |
| 14 July 1981 | Victoria | Canada | Victoria Memorial Arena |
| 15 July 1981 | Vancouver | Kerrisdale Arena | |
| 17 July 1981 | Edmonton | Kinsmen Field House | |
| 18 July 1981 | Calgary | Max Bell Centre | |
| 20 July 1981 | Winnipeg | Winnipeg Arena | |
| 23 July 1981 | Kitchener | Raffi Armenian Theatre | |
| 24 July 1981 | London | London Gardens | |
| 25 July 1981 | Hamilton | Hamilton Place Theatre | |
| 26 July 1981 | Kingston | Jock Hardy Arena | |
| 27 July 1981 | Toronto | Maple Leaf Gardens | |
| 28 July 1981 | Montreal | Théâtre Saint-Denis | |
| Heavy Metal Holocaust | |||
| 1 August 1981 | Burslem | England | Vale Park |
| North America | |||
| 2 August 1981 | New Haven | United States | New Haven Coliseum |
| 4 August 1981 | Glens Falls | Glens Falls Civic Center | |
| 5 August 1981 | Portland | Cumberland County Civic Center | |
| 6 August 1981 | Bangor | Bangor Auditorium | |
| 7 August 1981 | Providence | Ocean State Theater | |
| 8 August 1981 | South Fallsburg | Music Mountain Theater | |
| 9 August 1981 | South Yarmouth | Cape Cod Coliseum | |
| 11 August 1981 | Pittsburgh | Stanley Theatre | |
| 12 August 1981 | Utica | Utica Memorial Auditorium | |
| 14 August 1981 | Hempstead | Nassau Coliseum | |
| 15 August 1981 | Asbury Park | Asbury Park Convention Hall | |
| 16 August 1981 | Columbia | Merriweather Post Pavilion | |
| 18 August 1981 | Norfolk | Premier Theater | |
| 21 August 1981 | Evansville | Mesker Music Theater | |
| 22 August 1981 | Hoffman Estates | Poplar Creek Music Theater | |
| 23 August 1981 | East Troy | Alpine Valley Music Theatre | |
| 24 August 1981 | Ashwaubenon | Brown County Veterans Memorial Arena | |
| 25 August 1981 | Davenport | Palmer Alumni Auditorium | |
| 27 August 1981 | Fort Wayne | Foellinger Theater | |
| 28 August 1981 | Indianapolis | Hilbert Circle Theatre | |
| 29 August 1981 | South Bend | Morris Civic Auditorium | |
| 30 August 1981 | Grand Rapids | Welsh Auditorium | |
| 31 August 1981 | Clarkston | Pine Knob Music Theatre | |
| 2 September 1981 | Springfield | Prairie Capital Convention Center | |
| 3 September 1981 | Memphis | Orpheum Theatre | |
| 4 September 1981 | Atlanta | Fox Theatre | |
| 5 September 1981 | Fayetteville | Cumberland County Memorial Arena | |
| 8 September 1981 | Columbus | Municipal Auditorium | |
| 9 September 1981 | Tampa | Curtis Hixon Hall | |
| 10 September 1981 | Fort Pierce | St. Lucie County Civic Center | |
| 11 September 1981 | Sunrise | Sunrise Musical Theater | |
| 12 September 1981 | |||
| 13 September 1981 | Daytona Beach | Peabody Auditorium | |