Back to the Beginning: Mike Stark on Sabbath’s Final Show
“Redemption: That’s what this final Black Sabbath performance represents.” — Mike Stark
For decades, Mike Stark stood behind the glass—producing drummer Bill Ward’s radio show, watching him navigate heartbreak, and waiting with him for a call that never seemed to come.
Until now.
In this deeply personal reflection, Stark recounts the emotional significance of Black Sabbath’s final performance on July 5th:
The return of Bill Ward after years of exclusion
The healing of old wounds
And the powerful feeling that, this time, they finally got it right
More than just a concert, this was a moment of closure for the band—and for fans who’d followed their tumultuous journey since the '60s.
Although, in rock 'n roll, you never really know if it's end, the "Back to the Beginning" celebration that took place on July 5th certainly felt like this would be Black Sabbath's final hurrah. All the acts leading up to and paying tribute to the band helped make this a fitting ending, but the actual performance by the original four members was the close[est] everyone had hoped for.
Redemption: That's what this final Black Sabbath performance represents.
For almost as long as I have known the band’s drummer Bill Ward, through his huge contribution to my book and producing his long running radio show, his relationship with Black Sabbath was a love that went one direction. He has an outward unconditional love for his bandmates and the music they make, and it broke his heart (and mine) whenever he was treated horribly by the "business" of his band.
Whenever they said Bill wasn't up to the job or wanted to pay him less, I sat across the glass producing his radio show, knowing that he lived to play the drums and was ready for whenever the call came in. Then when the calls did come, they always wanted him to make some concessions—which usually meant paying him less. He never talked about this stuff, but it seemed to always play out in the press.
He had passed on the last "final tour" because of an "unsignable contract." That tour ended on February 14, 2017, with Tommy Clufetos on drums, immediately after the other members of the original line-up started vocalizing "regrets" that Bill had not been included. They made the money for that final tour, but even they knew it was the wrong way to go out. I think at the time Bill had resolved it was over and dove into his own solo projects.
Then the "business" of the band realized that with Ozzy's declining health, that time was short to right the wrong of that final tour.
For this final performance, redemption for that bulls**t came in the form of a powerful and passionate performance by Mr. Ward. For the others, redemption came by bringing back Bill into the fold of their tribe and righting the misguided legacy of their last "final show"—and they ALL brought their best for this final musical experience.
If you've read my book, then you know that Black Sabbath has been in some kind of a turmoil from the start of their journey in the late ‘60s, so—if you're a fan—you can't help but be very satisfied with this somewhat "storybook" ending.
Bill has at least two albums ready for release and has returned to doing his radio show with me on a monthly basis on KLBP radio in Long Beach, California.
If we ever do another edition of my book, we can add this "postscript" to the timeline section, but I expect that Bill still has some good work ahead of him and I'm glad I'll get to see that.
Now that it is over, I've included in this post some "audio" from the book that has Ozzy talking about those "beginnings."
Want the full backstory on Sabbath’s rise and chaos-filled legacy?
Check out Black Sabbath: An Oral History by Mike Stark, featuring rare interviews and behind-the-scenes insight into one of music’s most legendary bands.
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