In 1978, the members of Van Halen were thrilled to be opening for the legendary Black Sabbath. “The Sabs,” as they called them, were part of their musical youth. To share the stage with them was a dream come true.
Ozzy Osbourne, Sabbath’s singer at the time, remarked many years later that Van Halen had a profound effect on him. “One of the reasons I left Sabbath was because Van Halen was blowing us off the stage every night. It was embarrassing.”
Luckily, one of Black Sabbath’s roadies decided to photograph their opening band—Van Halen—for a show at The Spectrum in Philadelphia on August 28th, 1978. Here’s his best photos from the show, thanks to C. Davies. Enjoy!
