Last night my favorite band, Black Sabbath performed at the Shoreline in Mt. View, and I was there. I go to every concert Black Sabbath is at. And I have since the mid seventies. I don't go to any other concerts. I don't have the desire to. But Black Sabbath is different. They're my favorite band. I waited for a new studio album from them since 1978, and finally, this year my wait ended when they released 13. The album did not disappoint, even though the original drummer, Bill Ward did not participate in its production. And that was a problem for me.
But that didn't stop me from buying and enjoying the album. I've bought all the other Black Sabbath albums that didn't feature the original lineup. But my favorite musician, guitarist Tony Iommi was on all of them, and that's what mattered to me. Those albums really should have been called Tony Iommi solo albums, but whatever. There were a lot of them, and they had a bunch of different singers. Sure all of them were good singers, but one thing remains true in my opinion. Ozzy Osbourne is the voice of Black Sabbath.
And likewise, Bill Ward is the percussion of Black Sabbath. And when I learned that he wasn't going to be there, I was not happy about it. I met Bill Ward, you see. I was part of a back stage tour in L.A. during one of the Ozzfests when Black Sabbath performed, and managed to linger on the stage when the tour moved on. And shortly thereafter, Bill Ward came out to tune up his drums. My friend and I were astounded. We're thinking, "That's Bill Ward!"
When he finished tuning his drums, Bill was departing, so I blurted, "Hi Bill!" just for the hell of it. He turned around and returned the greeting, but that wasn't all. He came over and talked to us. Yeah, that was a thrill. Perhaps the biggest thrill of my life after the birth of my sons. And it just goes to show, that some celebrities can be really cool, and humble, too. When I told him I had been a fan of his for over thirty years, his response was that he was honored. HE was honored. How about that?
So, it did bother me that not only was he not recording the new album, he was also not a part of the tour. But, just as I still bought the album, I still went to the concert, and I am very glad I did. They sounded great. They played a great variety of their music, even some songs that I had never heard them play live before, including Wall of Sleep, which is a song from their first album, (and one of my personal favorites,) along with Paranoid's Rat Salad, and Volume 4's Under the Sun.
Bottom line, the band was in top form. But they always are. They always have been, and I believe they always will be. Doesn't matter how old they get or how ill they get. (That's a reference to Tony's cancer, which I've heard is in remission and didn't seem to slow him one bit.)
You know, I almost decided not to go to this concert. But if I made that decision, it would have been a mistake. I was glad I was there. Even without Bill Ward, it was still Black Sabbath.
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