It’s been announced that Ronnie James Dio’s hologram is to tour the world under the name ‘Dio Returns’. The hologram made its debut at last year’s Wacken Festival in Germany.
Nine European dates have been announced so far, starting in November, with further shows expected in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, France, Germany, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, The UK, The USA, Venuzuela and more.
“Ronnie was always wanting to experiment with new stage ideas and was a big Disney fan,” Wendy Dio, the singer’s widow, tells Rolling Stone. “With this said, I am sure he is giving us his blessing with this hologram project.
“It gives the fans that saw Ronnie perform an opportunity to see him again and new fans that never got to see him 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.”
The Dio hologram originally made its live debut at the end of a set at the Wacken Festivalin Germany last year. At that time, the band was billed under the name the Dio Disciples.
Dio Disciples guitarist Craig Goldy said, “We know how much the fans miss Ronnie and the special and unequaled element that he brought to his live performances.
“Being able to recreate that same kind of magic for his fans at Wacken was incredible. For so many years Ronnie always invested big in his live shows as his way to give back to the fans, and that is exactly what we aimed to do with this latest performance.”
“Ronnie was always about spectacle, theatrics, dragons and everything like that,” Dio Disciples drummer Simon Wright told Mitch Lafon. “So I have a feeling that this is something he would have liked to see. I think it turned out pretty cool.”
The hologram made its first US appearence at the Pollstar Awards show in January, and has received some criticism from other musicians.
“It makes me sad,” says Disturbed frontman David Draiman. “I’m always happy to hear any music from anybody that’s left us, that we’ve lost. But the hologram thing almost isn’t letting the dead be dead. It just seems weird.”
Dio died of stomach cancer in 2010.
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Dio Returns Tour Dates
Nov 30: The Circus, Helsinki, Finland
Dec 03: Fryshuset, Stockholm, Sweden
Dec 04: Rockefeller Music Hall, Oslo, Norway
Dec 06: Progresja, Warsaw, Poland
Dec 13: Bikini, Barcelona, Spain
Dec 15: Escenario Santander, Santander, Spain
Dec 17: Arelene Romane, Bucharest, Romania
Dec 20: Trix, Antwerp, Belgium
Dec 21: 013, Tilburg, Netherlands
Opinion: Enough with the Dio hologram – let the dead stay dead
