Technical Ecstasy Tour
Concert tour nameTechnical Ecstasy Tour
ArtistBlack Sabbath
LocationEurope · North America
AlbumTechnical Ecstasy
Start date22 October 1976
End date22 April 1977
Number of legs2
Number of shows81
Last tourSabotage Tour
(1975–76)
This tourTechnical Ecstasy Tour
(1976–77)
Next tourNever Say Die! Tour
(1978)

The Technical Ecstasy Tour was a concert tour by the English heavy metal band Black Sabbath. It began on 22 October 1976 and ended on 22 April 1977.

Overview

North America leg

Having toned down the band's 'black magic' image for Technical Ecstasy, Geezer Butler assured Circus, "Parents can take their kids to our shows now."[1]

Europe leg

A notorious encounter occurred between Geezer Butler and Malcolm Young of support band AC/DC when the tour reached Europe. "Flick-knives were banned in England," Butler recalled, "but, when we were playing in Switzerland, I bought one. I was just flicking it, when Malcolm Young came up to me and started slagging Sabbath… He came over and said, 'You must think you're big, having a flick-knife.' I said, 'What are you talking about?' And that was it. Nobody got hurt."[2]

AC/DC's support slot had, in any case, begun inauspiciously. "All the gear was blowing up," reported Angus Young of their first show, in Paris. "We played about twenty minutes then destroyed the stage."[3]

Tour dates

List of 1976 concerts[4][5][6]
DateCityCountryVenue
22 October 1976TulsaUnited StatesTulsa Assembly Center Arena
23 October 1976HoustonSam Houston Coliseum
24 October 1976San AntonioConvention Center Arena
26 October 1976DallasDallas Memorial Auditorium
28 October 1976Des MoinesVeterans Memorial Audtiorium
29 October 1976LincolnPershing Memorial Auditorium
30 October 1976Kansas CityMemorial Hall
31 October 1976DenverMcNichols Sports Arena
1 November 1976PhoenixArizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum
2 November 1976San FranciscoWinterland Ballroom
3 November 1976Santa MonicaSanta Monica Civic Auditorium
4 November 1976BakersfieldBakersfield Civic Auditorium
5 November 1976San DiegoSan Diego Sports Arena
6 November 1976Long BeachLong Beach Arena
7 November 1976San BernardinoSwing Auditorium
9 November 1976FresnoSelland Arena
11 November 1976PortlandVeterans Memorial Coliseum
12 November 1976SpokaneSpokane Coliseum
13 November 1976SeattleSeattle Center Arena
23 November 1976KnoxvilleKnoxville Civic Coliseum
24 November 1976ChicagoInternational Amphitheatre
25 November 1976CharlestonCharleston Civic Center
26 November 1976DetroitCobo Center
28 November 1976RichfieldRichfield Coliseum
29 November 1976ChicagoInternational Amphitheatre
30 November 1976KalamazooWings Stadium
1 December 1976ProvidenceProvidence Civic Center
2 December 1976
3 December 1976BostonMusic Hall
4 December 1976PhiladelphiaSpectrum
6 December 1976New YorkMadison Square Garden
7 December 1976SpringfieldCivic Center
8 December 1976PittsburghCivic Arena
9 December 1976LandoverCapital Centre
10 December 1976Niagara FallsNiagara Falls Convention Center
11 December 1976New HavenNew Haven Coliseum
12 December 1976SyracuseWar Memorial Auditorium
List of 1977 concerts
DateCityCountryVenue
20 January 1977MiamiUnited StatesMiami Jai-Alai Fronton Arena
25 January 1977BirminghamBoutwell Memorial Auditorium
26 January 1977AtlantaOmni Coliseum
28 January 1977MemphisMid-South Coliseum
29 January 1977CharlotteCharlotte Coliseum
30 January 1977FayettevilleCumberland County Memorial Arena
2 February 1977Norfolk, VirginiaNorfolk Scope
4 February 1977CincinnatiRiverfront Coliseum
6 February 1977ErieErie County Field House
7 February 1977SalemSalem Civic Center
9 February 1977ColumbusVeterans Memorial Auditorium
10 February 1977NashvilleNashville Municipal Auditorium
11 February 1977Terre HauteHulman Center
12 February 1977St. LouisKiel Auditorium
13 February 1977SpringfieldHammons Student Center
14 February 1977IndianapolisIndiana Convention Center
15 February 1977Fort WayneAllen County War Memorial Coliseum
16 February 1977Little RockBarton Coliseum
18 February 1977LexingtonRupp Arena
20 February 1977San FranciscoWinterland
23 February 1977InglewoodInglewood Forum
2 March 1977GlasgowScotlandThe Apollo
4 March 1977NewcastleEnglandNewcastle City Hall
6 March 1977StaffordNew Bingley Hall
7 March 1977LiverpoolLiverpool Empire Theatre
9 March 1977CardiffWalesCapitol Theatre
10 March 1977SouthamptonEnglandSouthampton Gaumont Theatre
12 March 1977LondonHammersmith Odeon
13 March 1977
14 March 1977
15 March 1977
5 April 1977ParisFrancePavillon de Paris
6 April 1977ColmarColmar Expo Hall
7 April 1977OffenbachWest GermanyStadthalle Offenbach (Easter Rock Festival)
9 April 1977CologneSporthalle (Easter Rock Festival)
10 April 1977NurembergMessezentrum (Easter Rock Festival)
11 April 1977LudwigshafenFriedrich-Ebert-Halle (Easter Rock Festival)
13 April 1977ThonexSwitzerlandThonex Party Hall
14 April 1977ZürichVolkshaus
15 April 1977OdenseDenmarkFyns Forum
16 April 1977BrusselsBelgiumCirque Royal
17 April 1977AmsterdamNetherlandsRAI Arena
18 April 1977HamburgWest GermanyErnst-Merck-Halle
19 April 1977CopenhagenDenmarkFalkoner Center
21 April 1977LundSwedenOlympen
22 April 1977GothenburgScandinavium
24 April 1977HelsinkiFinlandHouse of Culture

Box office score data

List of box office score data with date, city, venue, attendance, gross, references
DateCityVenueAttendanceGrossRef(s)
8 December 1976Pittsburgh, United StatesCivic Arena15,000 / 15,000$112,500[7]
10 December 1976Niagara Falls, United StatesNiagara Falls Convention Center8,012$52,078
11 December 1976New Haven, United StatesNew Haven Coliseum7,800$53,500

Personnel

References

  1. ^ Barackman, Michael (26 October 1976). "Sabbath surfaces". Circus. No. 142.
  2. ^ Elliott, Paul (June 2014). "Heavy Load: Geezer Butler". Classic Rock. No. 197. p. 138.
  3. ^ Wall, Mick (May 2012). "Let there be light! Let there be sound! Let there be rock!". Classic Rock. No. 170. p. 42.
  4. ^ "47 Ozzy Osbourne Wallpapers & Backgrounds for FREE"
  5. ^ "1977 Tour – Black Sabbath Online". www.black-sabbath.com. Archived from the original on 2012-01-24.
  6. ^ Black Sabbath Concert at the Scope Advertisement. The Virginian Pilot [Norfolk] 2 Feb. 1977: A18. Print.
  7. ^ "Top Box Office". Billboard. Vol. 88, no. 52. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 25 December 1976. p. 40. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 21 March 2021.