1/20/1982: Ozzy Bit the Head off of a Bat in Des Moines

38 Years Ago Tonight: Ozzy Osbourne bit the head off a bat during a concert at Vets Auditorium in Des Moines in front of 5,000 fans. He claimed he thought it was a toy thrown to him by an audience member. He was taken to a hospital afterwards for a rabies shot.

According to the Des Moines Reigister, about two weeks before the show, a couple of teenagers found a dead bat (Ozzy argued he felt the head twitch in his mouth, leading him to believe it alive when bitten) outside an elementary school. They stuck it in a freezer a couple of weeks before the concert. That night, one of them shoved it in his pocket and then threw it on stage.

Ozzy was paid around $39,000 for performing that night, but faced three weeks of rabies shots afterwards.

credit Axl Rose via YouTube