Ozzy Osbourne, the godfather of heavy metal, died Tuesday at the age of 76, 17 days after giving a farewell concert.The famous rocker performed in Maine ten times over the years, but there is one story about his time here that stands out and will go down in history.On May 22, 1982, the Diary of a Madman Tour took Osbourne to the Cumberland County Civic Center in Portland, now the Cross Insurance Arena. The story goes that he got a little rowdy at the Eastland Hotel’s rooftop pool and started throwing pool furniture off the side of the building and down onto High Street.”As the story goes, the Portland Police department escorted him out of the city limits,” said Heidi Campbell, director of sales and marketing at The Westin Portland Harborview Hotel, which used to the the Eastland.An old photo of the pool still hangs in the hotel lobby.Portland historian Herb Adams told Maine’s Total Coverage, he knows the story is true.”I was told it by one of the pool attendants. I don’t know how much he threw off but on the other hand how much do you have to throw off to make an impact on the people below,” Adams said.Other people in Maine have their own Ozzy Osbourne stories. Captain Herb Ivy, radio host of the WBLM Morning Show, said he met the famous rocker many times backstage during several concerts at the Cumberland County Civic Center.”It was right before he was going to go out on stage. He’s completely decked out with the makeup and the cape and he’s all ready to go and he looked incredibly evil, but he was so sweet,” Ivy said. “He would just get right in your face, and he was very, very nice. I think that’s the crazy thing about Ozzy is this juxtaposition of this Prince of Darkness thing, but he was just a lovable rogue as well.”In memory of Ozzy, and to commemorate his famous visit to the Eastland, the Westin is going to create a cocktail this weekend named after the former Black Sabbath frontman.”If anyone wants to come in and hear a little more about the story or the legend surrounding it, they can come to the Top of the East and ask for an Ozzy by the Pool,” said Campbell.The rooftop pool no longer exists. Hotel guests started throwing furniture off the roof, just like Ozzy did, so the pool was closed for good years ago.
Ozzy Osbourne, the godfather of heavy metal, died Tuesday at the age of 76, 17 days after giving a farewell concert.
The famous rocker performed in Maine ten times over the years, but there is one story about his time here that stands out and will go down in history.
On May 22, 1982, the Diary of a Madman Tour took Osbourne to the Cumberland County Civic Center in Portland, now the Cross Insurance Arena. The story goes that he got a little rowdy at the Eastland Hotel’s rooftop pool and started throwing pool furniture off the side of the building and down onto High Street.
“As the story goes, the Portland Police department escorted him out of the city limits,” said Heidi Campbell, director of sales and marketing at The Westin Portland Harborview Hotel, which used to the the Eastland.
An old photo of the pool still hangs in the hotel lobby.
Portland historian Herb Adams told Maine’s Total Coverage, he knows the story is true.
“I was told it by one of the pool attendants. I don’t know how much he threw off but on the other hand how much do you have to throw off to make an impact on the people below,” Adams said.
Other people in Maine have their own Ozzy Osbourne stories. Captain Herb Ivy, radio host of the WBLM Morning Show, said he met the famous rocker many times backstage during several concerts at the Cumberland County Civic Center.
“It was right before he was going to go out on stage. He’s completely decked out with the makeup and the cape and he’s all ready to go and he looked incredibly evil, but he was so sweet,” Ivy said. “He would just get right in your face, and he was very, very nice. I think that’s the crazy thing about Ozzy is this juxtaposition of this Prince of Darkness thing, but he was just a lovable rogue as well.”
In memory of Ozzy, and to commemorate his famous visit to the Eastland, the Westin is going to create a cocktail this weekend named after the former Black Sabbath frontman.
“If anyone wants to come in and hear a little more about the story or the legend surrounding it, they can come to the Top of the East and ask for an Ozzy by the Pool,” said Campbell.
The rooftop pool no longer exists. Hotel guests started throwing furniture off the roof, just like Ozzy did, so the pool was closed for good years ago.
link