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PHOENIX (AP) — The Black Sabbathrock group is taking Easter Sunday off to appease a key state lawmaker upset at the idea of its appearance at the state-owned Veterans’ Memorial Coliseum.A spokesman for Warner Bros. Records in Los Angeles said the group would play at the coliseum Monday night instead.The spokesman, Les Schwartz, said it was the first time the band has been asked to switch dates so as not to perform on a Christian holiday.For a minute they were startled, but then they said 'Well, it will cause a commotion, it will raise an eyebrow or two,”’ he said, adding that the band didn’t mind changing the date because Monday was an off day anyway.”House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Tony West, R-Phoenix, said he complained to coliseum officials because apparently they (Black Sabbath) have a propensity to be demonic, to ridicule thechanges concert dateChristian religions and they actually bum crosses during their ceremonies.”He said he objected to the group period,” but wouldn’t necessarily want to prevent them from appearing on a day other than a Christian holiday.There were many of us who felt that type of act on Easter Sunday in a public, tax-supported coliseum was absolutely degrading,” he said. Certainly there is going to have to be more consideration given to the content of the public events that are held in a public coliseum.”Schwartz acknowledged that the group was no stranger to controversy.This band has from time to time over the years have come in for flak because they’re typed as a Satanic heavy metal band — just the very name Black Sabbath,” he said. And they used to flaunt that in their heyday, when Ozzy Osbourne was lead singer for the band. They have crosses and Christian images in their set, but they don’t puoh itaggressively. It’s not as overt as it used to be, they don’t talk about it in interviews anymore.”Black Sabbath has been around since about 1970, although Osbourne — who has bitten off bird heads as part of his act — left about three years ago.Coliseum booking manager Rick Bjorklung said he expects a crowd of 8,000 to 10,000 to attend the show. Those who had already purchased tickets for Sunday’s show may obtain a full refund if they want,” he added.He said it was not unusual during his IV-i years at the Coliseum for an event to be moved, saying it happened recently for Goodwill Industries and the Maricopa County Fair.Albatross Productions of Seattle, Wash., arranged the promotion. A spokeswoman, who declined to give her name, said her company would have no immediate comment.
Newspaper Details
Yuma Sun
Yuma, Arizona, US
Thu, Apr 08, 1982
Page 17
Full Page
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USA 15 Mar 2022
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