Vale Parks’s first and arguably most memorable concert took place in the summer of 1981 and featured Motorhead, Ozzy Osbourne, Mahogany Rush, Triumph, Riot and Vardis.
Background:
How the Vale Park stadium looked in the early 1980s
The original line-up was supposed to feature Black Sabbath alongside Motorhead but they had to pull out due to recording commitments. They were replaced by the Ozzy Osbourne band. Prior to the gig taking place, residents objected to the festival and filed an injunction. This was dealt with with the unusual gesture of the promoter offering residents a free day trip to Blackpool on the very day that the event was to take place. This was accepted and the show went ahead.
The gig:
The crowd at the gig in 1981
A crowd estimated to be betweeen 20,000 and 25,000 turned out for the day. The stage was placed at the Hamil End of the ground. The PA system on the day was rumoured to be the most powerful used – at an estimated 100,000 Watts. Recollections from fans on the day were that the gates opened at 11am and it was one of the hottest days of the year. During the Motorhead set a planned parachute display went awry as they arrived later missing the song they were set to arrive on.
The order of bands was Vardis, Riot, Triumph, Frank Marino, Mahogany Rush, Ozzy Osbourne and Motorhead. Ozzy Osbourne’s band featured legendary guitarist Randy Rhoads who was tragically killed just a year later. According to one fan who attended the abiding memory was the volume commenting “my ears are still ringing today.”
The ticket still showed Black Sabbath as co-headliners
Our special features on the concert…
When Port Vale made the FRONT page of Melody Maker…
When Port Vale made the FRONT page of Melody Maker…Coverage of Port Vale’s only rock concert made the lead headline on one of the country’s leading music magazines. And we have the images to prove it.
Metallica’s Lars Ulrich gatecrashed Lemmy’s Vale Park gig
Metallica’s Lars Ulrich gatecrashed Lemmy’s Vale Park gigIn a lengthy eulogy to the late Motorhead frontman Lemmy, Lars Ulrich of Metallica recalls the legendary 1981 gig at Vale Park.
Ozzy and Lemmy play Port Vale: photos from 1981…
Ozzy and Lemmy play Port Vale: photos from 1981…Our wide range of photos and press clippings of a memorable day back in 1980…