Anais Gutierrez
A hologram of the late metal icon Ronnie James Dio is going on a new world tour aptly named “Dio Returns.” Dio passed away in 2010 of cancer.
The tour will kick off on November in Europe. It will then head to South American, Australia, and Asia before arriving in the United States next spring.
Dio Returns…indeed
The hologram of late heavy-metal singer Ronnie James Dio will set out on a world tour along with musicians who played with him.
The tour will kick off with a European leg of performances in select theaters. Starts on November 30th in Helsinki, Finland. It will continue to Norway, Poland, the Netherlands and wrap up in Spain.
After wrapping up the European dates in Spain, it will head to South America, Australia, and Asia. The tour will arrive in the U.S. in the spring of 2018 and hit select festivals next summer.
The Dio estate has worked with hologram company Eyellusion so the singing Specter could perform many of the late vocalist’s hits. Including “Holy Diver,” “Rainbow in the Dark,” “We Rock,” “King of Rock and Roll,” Black Sabbath’s “Neon Knights” and “Heaven and Hell” and Rainbow’s “Man on the Silver Mountain,” among others.
The production uses audio of Dio’s live performances from throughout his career with a live band backing him up in front of a stage set that hearkens back to the singer’s Sacred Heart and Dream Evil tours.
The hologram’s set will differ from night to night, and audiences should expect to see the Dio Band also perform with vocalists Tim “Ripper” Owens and Oni Logan on select dates.
The Dio Band consists of guitarist Craig Goldy, drummer Simon Wright, keyboardist Scott Warren and bassist Bjorn Englen. The musicians have previously made appearances as the Dio Disciples.
The tour won’t mark the hologram’s first appearance since it has appeared on stage twice in recent years.
First, at Germany’s Wacken Open Air Music Festival in summer of 2016. And again, earlier this year at the Pollstar Awards in Los Angeles.
What Dio would want
In an interview with Rolling Stone, Wendy Dio, Ronnie’s widow, said how she thinks Ronnie would love this idea as he was always open to new ideas to perform.
“Ronnie was always wanting to experiment with new stage ideas and was a big Disney fan. With this said, I am sure he is giving us his blessing with this hologram project,” she said.
She recalled previous tours’ projects and how they got really close to a hologram before.
“In 1986, for the Sacred Heart Tour, Ronnie and I created the Crystal Ball. Ronnie filmed and speaking in a suspended crystal ball effect, done with back projection. It was the closest we could get to a hologram.”
She also highlighted how the new tour gives the opportunity to fans to see him again performing. Especially those that never got to see him perform a chance to see him for the first time.
“We hope everyone will enjoy the show that we have all worked so hard to put together.”
As for Eyellusion, the company is pretty excited to deliver this one of a kind experience.
Eyellusion CEO Jeff Pezzuti says:
“We are thrilled about the excitement and anticipation for this tour and are hard at work on making it something fans will remember for a long time.”
“Ronnie was a major touring force for decades and that support lives on today as venues and promoters around the world continue to book this show,” he added.
Eyellusion is also working on securing the rights to bring additional holographic artists to the stage for tours, though reps for the company have yet to reveal future names. The company is currently raising funding to secure additional artist rights and finance other tours.
Bringing the family together again
As for the Dio Band, the tour is the opportunity to come together once more not only with fans but with Ronnie too.
“We are doing this because we were all a family. When a family has lost their beloved family member, they try to keep the memory of their lost beloved one alive,” Goldy says.
“That is the spirit behind all that we do. When we perform on this tour, for me, it is a memorial service in the form of a rock concert.”
However, Goldy is well aware that the response gotten to the hologram performances has been mixed.
“Like all families, not everyone agrees, but this was a gift to the fans that was created in the very same spirit in which Ronnie gave throughout his whole career and created these amazing stage shows.”
But even when some fans don’t agree with the project, Goldy respects their opinion.
“Ronnie was and still is so revered by his fans, which really are his extended family, and they, too, had a special relationship with the man himself which entitles them to a voice,” he says.
Source: Kansas City
