Ozzie Bites Head off Bat: Iowa Time Machine January 20, 1982
- Kevin Mason
- Jan 20, 2025
- 1 min read
Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On January 20, 1982, Ozzy Osbourne bit the head off a bat while performing at Veterans Memorial Auditorium in Des Moines. One of the most memorable moments in the career of the legendary heavy metal artist, over 5,000 people witnessed the iconic rock ‘n roll moment.
Already famous as the frontman of the legendary band “Black Sabbath,” Osbourne arrived in Des Moines on the “Diary of a Madman Tour,” riding the wave of solo success following his release of the smash hit “Crazy Train” in 1980. For $8.50, thousands of Iowans packed into Vets Auditorium in downtown Des Moines for what promised to be a memorable show.
Allegedly, two Des Moines teenagers (Mark Neal and Carmen Kelly) brought a dead bat to the concert and tossed it on stage in front of bassist Rudy Sarzo. Osbourne walked over, picked up the bat, and bit off the head. With blood trickling down his chin, the famous British rocker continued the show.
In the aftermath, three weeks of rabies shots and protests from various animal rights groups awaited Osbourne. For those in attendance, the memories of one of the most iconic on-stage rock and roll moments of all time still linger. #IowaOTD #IowaHistoryDaily #IowaHistoryCalendar
I was there! I want to know why there's no video and why no one who was there, recalls that when Ozzy came out on stage, he had a gunny sack full of puppies? He took one out and petted it then put it back into the Gunny sack and began slamming THE BAG ONTO THE STAGE, then stomped the bag of puppies. After that, he pulle d a puppy out of the bag with s broke neck while the mic was put close enough to the sack that you could hear the whimpering puppies that were still alive? This was at the beginning of the show! The bat incident was later afterwards! I thought it was a hoax, so…