“Everybody clap your hands and boogie!”: Watch the young Ozzy Osbourne raising hell in newly unearthed Black Sabbath live footage from 1976

Ozzy on stage with Black Sabbath
(Image credit: Getty Images/Erica Echenberg)

Heavy metal fans got an early Christmas present this week when rare concert footage of Black Sabbath was posted online.

The 30-minute clip was filmed at Sabbath’s show at the 10,000-capacity Selland Arena in Fresno, California on 9 November 1976.

This show was part of Sabbath’s Technical Ecstasy tour and features the original and classic line-up of the band: Ozzy Osbourne (vocals), Tony Iommi (guitar), Geezer Butler (bass) and Bill Ward (drums).

The six songs featured are Symptom Of The Universe, Snowblind, All Moving Parts (Stand Still), War Pigs, Gypsy and Children Of The Grave.

Black Sabbath Live Fresno November 9th 1976 - YouTube Black Sabbath Live Fresno November 9th 1976 - YouTube
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Technical Ecstasy was Black Sabbath’s seventh studio album. It was after the following album, 1978’s Never Say Die!, that Ozzy Osbourne was fired from the band in a move that shocked rock fans.

But in this footage from the Technical Ecstasy tour the band are a tight unit and Ozzy commands the stage brilliantly - especially during Snowblind, when he yells at the audience: “Everybody clap your hands and boogie!”

It’s classic stuff!

Paul Elliott
Guitars Editor

Paul Elliott has worked for leading music titles since 1985, including Sounds, Kerrang!, MOJO and Q. He is the author of several books including the first biography of Guns N’ Roses and the autobiography of bodyguard-to-the-stars Danny Francis. He has written liner notes for classic album reissues by artists such as Def Leppard, Thin Lizzy and Kiss. He lives in Bath - of which David Coverdale recently said: “How very Roman of you!”