Sunday, May 16, 2010

A Day of Dio Redux

I guess the earlier statements were premature, rather than incorrect: Blabbermouth, quoting Dio's wife, says Ronnie James Dio died at 7:45 this morning. Fuck you, cancer.

I had the pleasure of seeing Dio live three times over the last three years as a part of the Heaven and Hell tours. All of them were good to excellent performances, but the first time really stands out: at one point, mid-song Dio decided to take a walk and came down one of the ramps on the side of the stage, about twenty feet away from where I was sitting. The ramp extended along the seating area, so people ran up, and without missing a beat Dio distributed high fives like candy while singing. A few minutes later he walked back up the ramp and finished the set. It was by far the coolest thing I've ever seen a rock star do.

In tribute to him then, a kick ass live version of my favorite Dio-fronted tune, "Heaven and Hell":



1 comment:

Bardo said...

"I've never taken vocal lessons. My early trumpet training and a fortunate talent for singing has always been enough for me. In the case of rock singing, I've always felt it was better to remain a bit untrained to maintain your individuality".

Ronnie James Dio