It was 1983. On the front page of the Friday, Feb. 25 edition of The News-Press there was a headline that read: “Rocker Osbourne pours on decibels, leaves devil alone.”
The night before, Ozzy Osbourne, who died today (July 22) at the age of 76 and who is considered one of heavy metal’s greatest pioneers, performed in front of a “screaming mass” of 4,630 people at the Lee County Civic Center.
But not before enduring a firestorm of controversy that took place days before the show when the Lee County Commission voted to allow Osbourne to perform.
The first paragraph of the review of the concert on that night 42 years ago said:
Alleged worshiper of Satan, Ozzy Osbourne, showed no indication Thursday night that he was a man possessed during his heavy metal rock’n’roll extravaganza at the Lee Civic Center.
Osbourne, who first became famous as the lead singer of Black Sabbath, was 34 years old at the time. The concert review said Osbourne “burst onto stage.” He as wearing blue tights, flat-heeled red shoes and an Ozzy Osbourne T-shirt, which he “promptly ripped from his body to display his infamous tattoos.”
That show was one of two times Osbourne performed in Fort Myers.
In 1968, Osbourne co-founded Black Sabbath. He was the lead singer of the band until 1979. In 1980, he released his debut solo album “Blizzard of Ozz.”
His first concert in Fort Myers was Sept. 12, 1981, also at the Lee Civic Center and part of the “Blizzard of Ozz” tour.
The name of the 1983 tour was “Speak of the Devil” and it wasn’t until the day before the 1983 concert, on Feb. 23, that Osbourne was told it would be OK for him and his band to perform here.
Another front page story in The News-Press featured the headline, “Ozzy’s show must go on, says Lee commissioners”.
British Rock star Ozzy Osbourne, who opponents say worships the devil, will be allowed to perform tonight at the Lee Civic Center, county commissioners decided reluctantly on Wednesday.
Local religious leaders, saying Osbourne is “satanic” and “evil” wanted the show cancelled.
Ozzy Osbourne Fort Myers concert: Sept. 12, 1981
TOUR: Blizzard of Ozz
VENUE: Lee County Civic Center
DID YOU KNOW?: According to the website Setlist.fm, Osbourne and his band performed 12 songs that night plus one encore. The set opened with “I don’t know” and was followed by one of Osbourne’s most popular songs, “Crazy Train.” The show ended with three Black Sabbath songs, including the encore, “Paranoid.”
Ozzy Osbourne Fort Myers concert: Feb. 24, 1983
TOUR: Speak of the Devil
VENUE: Lee County Civic Center
DID YOU KNOW?: The North American leg of the tour began in Syracuse, New York on February 11. The following night’s show at a Catholic community center in Scranton, Pennsylvania was cancelled after protests from parents and local community leaders. Similar protests led to the cancellation of a later show in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The North Fort Myers show was the second of three stops in Florida (Lakeland the night before and Pembroke Pines the night after).
Fort Rock (2018)
DID YOU KNOW?: Osbourne headlined the annual Fort Rock concert that for the six previous years had been held at JetBlue Park in Fort Myers. Concert organizer AEG Presents had announced the year before it was moving Fort Rock from Fort Myers to Fort Lauderdale.
The News-Press entertainment reporter Charles Runnells provides more details on what could have been Osbourne’s third Fort Myers appearance in this story.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Ozzy Osbourne’s Florida concerts included two in Fort Myers. One was highly controversial
Reporting by Mark H. Bickel and Dave Osborn, Fort Myers News-Press / Fort Myers News-Press
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