I have to start off by saying I am not a metal head. I know very little about the genre and the bands that serve it. I know names, but only the "popular" ones (like Black Sabbath... are they are metal?). Is Motorhead considered metal, or is it categorized under rock? I ask about this, because there were people in the audience last night that were dressed in black leather - vests and pants, hats, just like Lemmy. At least I know Lemmy? I think I saw a few Slayer shirts as well. There are so many sub genres to music, I don't know who is what and what is what. Metallica - are they metal? I know their more famous songs ("Enter Sandman" for example) because my friend used to wear the hell out of the Master of Puppets shirt. I know Enter Sandman is not on the Master of Puppets album, I don't know what it's on. I only know because I have a picture of my friend from a time when we were on a school trip, wearing that album shirt, long chains around her neck, baggyish jeans, and a back pack. Thems were the days, my friends. Thems were the days.
I can't tell you what songs Dio is known for, except I just know his name. I had to research how he died (stomach cancer) and that he had his own band as well as being part of Black Sabbath. I don't know anything else except the guy wasn't that pretty but his vocals seem to pack a punch (based on the concert last night). He's known for the horns hand symbol (which I think I knew) and he's got a lot of "religious" imagery - angels, the devil, cemeteries in his work. I think this is part of the metal grouping - the symbolism? Again, I don't know much about the genre.
So last night was a pretty chill night at the venue, considering it was a "big name" concert. The place wasn't packed at all. I mean, the center of the auditorium was maybe 75% full, and the wings were 15%, put together. There was no one on the top of the venue (balcony areas). It was all lower level. I would gather that the average age of attendees were 45-60, mostly males, but a few women. And I hate to say it, but I don't recall seeing anyone not white in the crowd.
This is another thing I don't know about metal - is it strictly a white- male - heavy genre? I know so little about metal, I can't begin to have the proper words to wonder anything about it. This concert was an interesting experience for me, to say the least.
But I don't know how to describe what the women looked like, especially the older women that were there. Some were in flowery black dresses - ones where the sleeves on the top of the outfit, bell out as they come closer to the wrists. Kind of like what I've seen Stevie Nicks wear in some of her concerts. I'm sure I'm not describing the outfit properly. But the women were ready to rock, however they seemed slightly poshed up for it. While the men were in their black t shirts, black jeans. Ready for moshing. Which didn't even happen.
Like I said, it was kind of chill because everyone stayed in their seats for the most part. They got up to dance at their seat when they wanted, but some rushed towards the stage during certain songs. A good lot of the group had their phones out and were recording the entire time. Some guy didn't shut his phone off, from beginning to end!
I did laugh internally when some drunk metal head requested a song from the opening act (and got it), and he stood up the whole time, head banging, while everyone else in the auditorium was seated. this happy fool kinda made me feel like something was going to pop off because people started to leave at that point, and it was only 8:30. I think the people leaving ended up going to get alcohol. Which fueled most of the crowd the whole night. Big drinkers, it seems, these fans.
I'm so going around in circles right now. Let me back track to the opening act. It was a band called "Jizzy Pearl's Love / Hate". I think his name is Jimmy because I think people called him that. I've never heard of him, but he said in a little monologue he's been around for ever. One of the albums he had with another band, is 30 years old this year. He said "we survived!!!!" because it's been so long. I didn't understand a word he was singing. It was more growling screeching singing than singing singing. He had a bassist, a guitarist and a drummer. None of which I know or remember names of. I don't think they are his typical band. But the bassist was in his own world . Very Green Day vibe from him. Jizzy looked like the typical 80s hair band rocker, shaking around a corner of the stage. The guitarist was also in his own world. Very solo feeling. Drummers are drummers. But as a whole, there was way too much feedback coming from someone. Maybe the guitarist. It felt very small, dim, dirty, basement because of the sound between songs. I don't know if I'd see them again... the songs were so hard for me to understand, it wasn't memorable in that aspect.
30 minutes of them playing, Jizzy making a few jokes, people yelling for Dio (because they were getting restless), the band ended. Intermission was 20 minutes so people could pee, get more beer, buy some swag, do their things.
Then comes the show.
It was billed as:
"Dio
Returns
US Tour 2019
Special guest:
Jizzy Pearl's Love/Hate
Introducing
A new live music experience
Ronnie James Dio hologram
Performing live with the Dio Band
Also featuring Tim "Ripper" Owens
And Oni Logan as guest vocalists!"
 |
| Promo picture found online |
Due to not knowing any of the songs, I can't tell you a song list. I'm sure there will be videos coming out in the next few weeks of people having been at any one of the concerts. Like I said, no one was stopped from videoing the music. There were plenty of people with their phones out, which is so surprising because usually this type of event would be under trademark or copyright - based on the fact it's supposed to be a "hologram". I'll be putting two songs together and uploading them here, to show what it looked like. I guess it's all under fair game?
But... my honest truth.. I think the use of "hologram" is subjective because it didn't feel like a hologram, or what we are used to as defined as one. There was no projected image anywhere on stage. In fact, when it came down to Dio's "performance", it was a CGI of him on a jumbotron. Like I said, no one was stopped from filming, which leads me to believe this isn't one of those "we have a secret method of projecting that no one can use... it's all proprietary. Don't copy!". Well... when everyone has their phones out and security only asks you to turn your flash off, share and share alike. I guess this version is the new bootleg cassette tape?
Anyway, there was no projected image on the stage like there was for the Orbison show I went to. Which, if you had your phone out for any reason, you were escorted out of the building immediately (I remember getting walked to the lobby during a Bowie concert because I had a found a way to get a camera in, took pictures, and a bulky bodyguard confiscated my roll of film. Yes, 35mm film. In 2002). There was a screen the size of the stage, in the back of the musicians, which was constantly playing visuals. The visuals depended on the mood and the song - it ranged from cemetery depictions (again, computer generated) to cat's eyes and fire. And everything in between. It felt like it was all 1990's effects trying to go on a 2019 Hollywood budget. I really think that it could have been better, but then again, this is a man who had a heyday from 1970 something to 1980 something. So the graphics on the screen were low budget enough to get by, but seemed high definition all the same.
I'm sorry to say that even Dio himself looked a little ragged. His image was crisp to a point but they did a lot of edging of him, with the screens. So he stayed near an edge, as if he were near a wall, then he'd be in the center as if he moved around. Which he did - move... to a point, but it wasn't a fluid motion. They used a lot of fire graphics to move him. My iPhone caught everything clear as day, but when I reviewed it all, the singer's image is distorted in some places. Because I was trying to record something from a TV. We've all tried it - taken a video camera or our cell phones, faced the television, hit record, and the next thing we know, it's not as clear as we wanted. It's the nature of how technology can make us pay for what we want.
That's why I'm not uploading everything I took to my blog or online. I put a video together to show what the concert looked like, but that's it. You want to see more, go find where it's playing near you. Even if you're like me, and not deeply into this kind of music, I think it's the experience you need, to see it. I know it depends on the area, but like I said in the beginning, the group that was in the audience, was pretty chill. There was no rough housing, no fighting. Just a couple of drunkards getting a little weird in spots, but they didn't make scenes out of nothing. Everyone just wanted to have a good time. I think the band appreciated that too - no bullshit from the fans. The band got to perform, make a couple announcements (like how Ronnie would have loved this... he was a people person and made friends everywhere), and have a generally good time. There was a 15 minute encore, in the end, because no one wanted to leave. All the old fogies in the center section wanted more. So 3 more songs were played, including 2 with the CGI.
It really put everything in a neat perspective because I really wasn't expecting this to go off the way it did - how calm and collected everyone was. Okay, sure, the music was super chunky loud, but I know I wasn't going to understand it all. And my ears were going to hurt the rest of the weekend. I was going to see the show that got put on. Where I sat, normally is $50+, depending on the show. I paid $34 after taxes because I waited til the last minute and got a special rate. I bought 2 shirts that were the price of an original ticket, so I guess my entry was free. I enjoyed myself to a point because I wanted to see what this was - how they're calling Ronnie James Dio a hologram for this tour, and what his music sounded like. I call the image computer generated, but que sera, sera. Whatever will be, will be. People have different views on things and I guess whatever the next tour is, for high tech viewing, I'll see what it looks like and come back to talk about it.
Until then, I've got the Live On Mars tribute tour ticket for two weeks time, and I am interested to see how this band pays homage to Dame Bowie.
Oh, and I don't know where to add this bit:
I felt that the people performing (beginning with Jizzy and ending with the Dio band), were really showboating / making spectacles in some places. Meaning, they were using theatrics like Kiss but showing off like rockers. It was more showing off than what I've seen at other concerts though. Like they were putting on a show and they know they're putting on a show, so "go big or go home and make a fool of yourself in the process". It was odd to me, considering the fans were just hanging out and not causing a raucous. Like, the musicians had to prove they're there for a party and we're just some strange voyeur making sure people behave. It's weird to explain. I just felt that the artists showed off a lot in spots, and didn't in others. Odd; that's all.
Thanks for reading and go listen to something new!
Cheers;
Video or my reference is for naught.
Shot on an iPhone 6S and edited with Pinnacle Studio 18.
See Also (aka questioned name checks via Amazon):
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Thanks for sharing!