News From The Pit

By Laura Spaulding

Dio at the Toy Tiger

By Laura Karnes

If you were a fan of the 80's wave of metal, then you surely remember Dio, who were a pretty big during that time.

Actually, Ronnie James Dio is a legend in his own right. The founder and lead singer of Dio has a long history in rock music. He has formed and been the singer for many bands such as Elf, Deep Purple, Rainbow, and probably the best known, Black Sabbath. After all these stints, Mr. Dio decided to form his own band, which was to also be called Dio.

After this long of a time in music, one would wonder if Ronnie James Dio still had much interest and dedication left in him. Well, judging from the show on November 23^rd at the Toy Tiger, I would say the man has a lot of years left in him.

Dio opened the show with new material from the band's latest CD, Angry Machines.

While the new material is indeed good, the enthusiastic crowd seemed more interested in hearing old classics and the band was glad to oblige.

Dio did a fine job of playing favorites such as "Holy Diver," "Straight from the Heart" and "Don't talk to Strangers." The band also included the song "Heaven and Hell" from Ronnie's old days with Black Sabbath.

Since Dio was formed, there have been several musicians in the band. The latest line up features long time drummer Vinnie Appice, who performed an awesome, but too long drum solo mid-way through the show. The band has a new guitarist, Tracy G., who did a good job playing both old and new material. And, of course Ronnie James Dio's voice was as powerful as ever, one of the things he is known for.

Dio finished up a much too short set with the classic "The Last in Line" with the crowd singing along. With a pleased look on his face, Ronnie James Dio thanked the crowd for coming and the entire band took a bow. It's great to see such a passion for music.