When Ozzy caused a riot at Rock City

FANS RAISED HELL WHEN GIG WAS CANCELLED AT THE LAST MINUTE

- By GEORGE PALMER-SOADY

WHEN Ozzy Osbourne was due to play a headline solo gig at Nottingham’s Rock City in 1988, the excitement was off the charts.

As the 19th stop-off on the then ousted Black Sabbath frontman’s No Rest for the Wicked Tour, it came a few weeks after Ozzy was originally set to play the city venue.

Fans eagerly waited in the Rock City main room as the stage was set for Ozzy - but an announcement declaring the performance was being called off soon followed. That triggered an instant riot, seeing more than 40 police called out and debris strewn about the venue.

After the heartbreaking news of the rock legend's death, we've taken a look back at the Rock City riot and its aftermath.

Ozzy has played Rock City many times over the years - from the early 1980s to the mid-1990s, the star has always had a soft spot for the legendary venue. But it’s the time he abruptly cancelled a gig on July 18, 1988, that will stick in the brains of most.

A copy of the following day's Nottingham Evening Post reports on the last-minute cancellation - and the chaos that ensued.