Black Sabbath‘s 1979 split with Ozzy Osbourne was the rare breakup that resulted in two excellent new bands.
The original Sabbath lineup’s last album together, 1978’s Never Say Die!, betrayed a burned-out and fractured band with a diminished creative spark. But the addition of Ronnie James Dio as their new singer completely revitalized the group. His soaring, operatic vocal style inspired fresh new ideas from guitarist and riff lord Tony Iommi, resulting in the excellent 1980 album Heaven and Hell.
Meanwhile, Osbourne’s substance abuse issues had worsened to the point that he was considered a lost cause. But after recruiting and creatively unleashing unheralded guitar wizard Randy Rhoads from a pre-fame Quiet Riot, Osbourne stunned the world with 1980’s sublime Blizzard of Ozz.
The next step for each camp was to take the show on the road. Black Sabbath launched the Heaven and Hell tour on April 17, 1980 in Aurich, West Germany, while Osbourne’s Blizzard of Ozz tour kicked off Sept. 12 in Glasgow.
As you can see below, there were both similarities and differences in how Osbourne and his former bandmates approached their respective set lists:
Ozzy Osbourne’s First Solo Tour’s Set Lists Were Dominated by New Songs
Making a clean break from his past, Osbourne played the majority of Blizzard of Ozz at the start of every concert, adding a couple of tracks from his as-yet unreleased second album (1981’s Diary of a Madman) most nights as well. He then closed out the shows with a trio of Sabbath classics including “Iron Man,” “Paranoid” and “Children of the Grave.”
“I’d be talking out of my arse if I said I didn’t feel like I was in competition with Black Sabbath when we made Blizzard of Ozz,” Osbourne admitted in his 2009 book I Am Ozzy. “I wished them well, I suppose, but part of me was shitting myself that they were going to be more successful without me. … [But] I knew we had a cracking album of our own. And it was magic to be in control – like I’d finally pulled something off. …Everywhere we went, the venues were full, and there were more people queuing up outside.”
Ozzy Osbourne, Average ‘Blizzard of Ozz’ Tour Set List
1. “I Don’t Know” (from 1980’s Blizzard of Ozz)
2. “Crazy Train” (from Blizzard of Ozz)
3. “Believer” (later released on 1981’s Diary of a Madman)
4. “Mr. Crowley” (from Blizzard of Ozz)
5. “Flying High Again” (later released on 1981’s Diary of a Madman)
6. “Revelation (Mother Earth)” (from Blizzard of Ozz)
7. “Steal Away (The Night)” (from Blizzard of Ozz)
8. “Suicide Solution” (from Blizzard of Ozz)
9. Guitar Solo
10. “Iron Man” (from Black Sabbath’s Paranoid)
11. “Children of the Grave” (from Black Sabbath’s Master of Reality)
12. “Paranoid” (from Black Sabbath’s Paranoid)
via SetList.fm
Watch Ozzy Osbourne Perform ‘I Don’t Know’
Black Sabbath Mixed New and Old Songs on the Heaven and Hell Tour
The new-look Black Sabbath were equally pleased with their new material. “Tony would tell me how overjoyed he was to finally be able to take Sabbath to the next level,” Dio recalled in his posthumous 2021 biography Rainbow in the Dark. “Full of light and shade, tracks like ‘Heaven and Hell,’ he said, belonged in the same pantheon as Sabbath classics like ‘War Pigs’ and ‘Iron Man,’ only now there was a real sense of melody involved.”
Still, the band seems to have felt more of a responsibility to perform their old songs than Osbourne did. The band nearly completely flipped Osbourne’s set list ratio, performing eight Ozzy-era songs and only four from Heaven and Hell. In addition to playing the same three songs Osbourne played at his concerts, Sabbath added a show-opening “War Pigs” as well as classics such as “N.I.B.” and “Sweet Leaf.”
Dio admitted to being nervous about how Sabbath fans would take to him.”Tony and the guys acted cool, reassuring me there would be no problem at all. But I knew in my bones that things are never quite that simple. I knew it wouldn’t just be a case of whether I could sing the songs – that was the least of my worries. It would all come down to how relatable I was to the fans.”
“Ronnie had to put up with people in the front, like ‘Where’s Ozzy?’ signs and all this ‘Where’s Ozzy?’ stuff, and he had to do that, recalled drummer Vinny Appice, who took over for Bill Ward on Sabbath’s 1981 Mob Rules tour. “And he hated singing those songs. He hated singing ‘Iron Man’and ‘Sweet Leaf’ and the Ozzy ongs.”
Despite Dio’s displeasure, Appice says the singer did an excellent job tackling the Osbourne-era material. “It was totally different. It was just a powerful voice singing the melody and the whole thing. So it was incredible.”
Dio himself credits the introduction of his now-famous “horned hands” gesture for helping him connect with the fans. “The fans picked up on it and began flashing them back. Just a few dozen at first, but more each night as word of mouth spread—and the music press reviews began to mention it. Soon, I began to feel like I really belonged up there on the stage with Sabbath.”
Black Sabbath, Average ‘Heaven and Hell’ Tour Set List
1. “War Pigs” (from 1970’s Paranoid)
2. “Neon Knights” (from 1980’s Heaven and Hell)
3. “N.I.B.” (from 1970’s Black Sabbath)
4. “Sweet Leaf” (from 1971’s Master of Reality)
5. “Children of the Sea” (from Heaven and Hell)
6. Drum Solo
7. “Black Sabbath” (from Black Sabbath)
8. “Heaven and Hell” (from Heaven and Hell)
9. “Iron Man” (from Paranoid)
10. Guitar Solo
11. “Orchid” (from Master of Reality)
12. “Die Young” (from Heaven and Hell)
13. “Paranoid” (from Paranoid)
14. “Children of the Grave” (from Masters of Reality)
via SetList.fm
Watch Black Sabbath Perform in 1980
Black Sabbath Live Albums Ranked Worst to Best
Together, they paint a portrait of a band that lived hard, worked hard and played hard.
Gallery Credit: Bryan Rolli
