Alex Van Halen Gets Honest About Bill Ward’s Drumming

Alex Van Halen recalled seeing Bill Ward and Black Sabbath for the first time, stating that it “really left an impression” on him.

Van Halen famously opened for Black Sabbath in 1978. The tour became notable because Van Halen was in much better form than the Birmingham group, which was going through a rough patch that would end with Ozzy Osbourne’s firing.

Alex Van Halen talks about Bill Ward

In a conversation with Nicko McBrain and David Frangioni hosted by Modern Drummer Official, Alex Van Halen recalled the live show, stating that no one utilized the kick drum as they do in modern times.

Drummer Bill Ward was the first he’d witnessed breaking through that barrier. Alex Van Halen described seeing Black Sabbath open for Grand Funk Railroad and being blown away by Bill Ward’s thunderous kick drum, an experience that left a lasting impression on how he understood the impact and importance of drums in rock music.

“You know, the kick drum didn’t really exist, at least not the way we liked it. One of my favorite memories is when Ed and I… this is at a time when there was no MTV, there was no YouTube, there was nothing. If you wanted to hear or see some live band, you go down there and you check it out.”

“And we went to this gig where Black Sabbath was playing. And I gotta tell you, they were opening for Grand Funk Railroad, and I had to stick my head in those low bins.”

“You know, I got my head blown off when Bill was hammering the kick drums. It blew me away, figuratively, not even spiritually, but it really left an impression on me.”

Further, Alex Van Halen stated that he’d learned an important lesson from the Black Sabbath show: you want emotion in music, to really feel it. Everything else is superfluous. He added that it was surreal when Van Halen was asked to open for the band years later.

“That’s the kind of thing you want. You want the sound to move you. Having an emotional reaction to it, that’s what’s important – not the meters, not the EQ, not the numbers on the dial – what’s it doing to you?”

“That’s what I took away from that. So years later, we were honored and blown away that they asked us to open for them.”