Dio Gig Review

First it was supposed to be Dio with special guests Crimson Glory…. then it was Dio along with Riot… Finally, the bill they came up with was Dio with special guests The Unband.

The Unwho?

No matter, because regardless of who eventually was chosen to fill the opening bill, this was a show that was sold out long before anyone could have formed an opinion on who the warm up act was.

No slight intended toward The Unband… I'm sure they've got something going for them to have the honor of opening for one of heavy metal's living legends-but I couldn't tell you exactly why.

Mr. Dio arrived on stage shortly after 10pm… the lights went low, the majestic opening of "Discovery" from the band's latest "Magica" release could be heard in the background… there was an aura of anticipation that this was bound to be a special night.

Ronnie James Dio, having assembled one of his classic lineups once again-one that closely approximates the group during their "Dream Evil" days some thirteen years ago-was ready to show the capacity crowd why the band that is his namesake, continues to endure after all of the trials and tribulations the metal scene has had to face.

And what better way to welcome a metal resurgence in the new millennium than with the return of the likes of Dio-touring to support their majestic new concept album that is "Magica," and the welcoming back of some old friends. So as the final orchestration of "Discovery" wafted into the distance, logically, the next song to follow as everyone was expecting was… "Sunset Superman?"

Indeed, Mr. Dio was right on the mark in our recent interview… upholding his promise to dig some of his lost classics out of the closet for many who've always requested but usually never received in favor of the well known material.

And "Sunset Superman," as a show opener… not the most obvious choice perhaps, at least on the surface but once Goldy's guitar started pumping, it all just fit together.

But this one was barely to scratch the surface here. Upon completion, the band drew an immediate response as they cut into another dusty classic from the "Holy Diver" album, "Gypsy." Yes, even those among the second tier raised their hands now and again and even issued a verbal approval… Dio stuck to their plan, to the delight of many.

Soon after the band would carve through more of their wondrous past-"Invisible," "One Night in the City," (yes, you read it right!) and "All the Fools Sailed Away."

Anyone expecting a play by play description of stage movements and monumental visual designs will unfortunately come away disappointed here.

There was none to speak of although this was a venue, respectable enough in size-maybe some 2,000-3,000 people-that really wasn't the forum for it. That's not to say the band didn't have a revolving pictorial or two in the background or make efficient use of the lighting rigs-they did, but they made the most of what was at their disposal.

The focus was clearly on the band-a new band, consisting once again of original bassist Jimmy Bain, and one time guitarist Craig Goldy-and along with Simon Wright keeping time in the rear, everything fell into place-perfectly.

Surprisingly, Ronnie made the announcement after about five or six opening tracks: "And now in it's entirety, I give you 'Magica'…" And so they did.

Initially, it was conceivable that the band would present only those major tracks, or at least those that could tell most of the story without including every little detail-they evidently scrapped that idea, at least as I had come to understand it from what I gathered from the singer a month earlier.

Daringly, the band stuck to their formula and as the opening notes to the "Magica Theme" fluttered gracefully from Goldy's fingers, I was expecting to see a large portion of the crowd make their expected trip to the restroom or go for another beer or something… most did not.

Song by song, in succession Dio blitzed through "Lord of the Last Day," first single, "Fever Dreams," "Eriel," "As Long as it's not About Love…" and so on.

And they carried on thoroughly and as professionally as we'd come to expect after all this time.

Any questions that might have existed as to whether this new revamped version of Dio could pull off something so astronomical were quickly answered-this was the band at peak form.

Without going into great detail as to what they covered at the conclusion of "Magica," so as to leave in some degree of surprise to potential concert-goers, they left and came back to do most of what was expected of them.

To the surprise of probably no one, they did not cover anything from "Dream Evil" on down-this was to be their return to magic and melody-their intent, to make a sudden departure from the darker side of imagination in recent years-and they hit the mark several times over.

I will reveal that they did a classic Sabbath tune that everyone wanted to hear and touched upon the Rainbow on more than one occasion.

So for a little while-at least two hours out of the evening, everyone got to take a quick glimpse into Dio's "Otherworld…" a world of fascination and fantasy-and to barely escape the clutches of a newly resurrected movement that's about to weave its spell all over again…