DIO CAUGHT IN THE ACT
TROCADERO THEATER PHILADELPHIA, PA
By Steve Trager
DIO - the legendary voice which has spanned more then three decades in the metal genre' hasn't missed a beat all these years as one of rock's most memorable entertainers in the world with his latest release Master of the Moon. Dio himself has given the fans a tapestry full of hard driving recordings from the very beginning dating back as early as 1983 with Holy Diver. He has continuously crafted his music with his own signature voice branding not only his multi-successful solo career from past to present, but has also redefined classics with BLACK SABBATH, and has also clinched rock anthems with RAINBOW. Like most successful bands these days, they undergo lineup changes which isn't much of a surprise but you need the right chemistry of people to capture the essence of the moment. As a solo artist Dio has rounded out his lineups with Vinnie Apice belting out the drum beats to Guitar axeman Vivian Campbell. Dio's live performances has wowed audiences around the world with stage productions that has captured his signature as a live touring act in the history of past shows.
Recently Dio has embarked on another tour to promote his first effort on the sanctuary label with master of the moon. Yeah Dio has not only scaled down his stage productions, but hasn't skipped out on the true meaning of a classic metal show which made a stop in Philadelphia at a well known venue known as The Trocadero. A venue who has hosted a fist and a half of multi-platinum and or successful artists in the world. As a Dio fan myself, I had to check it out after hearing rumors he was headling this place with long time thrashers ANTHRAX. Dio has gotten older much like any rock star but hasn't lost his gift of kicking your ass with his classics. We have always come to expect a well diverse show from the days of playing old favorites to newer tunes from latest releases. Dio opened the show with " one more for the road ", diving into Sabbaths "sign of the southern cross" with an added bonus of Simon Wright's drum solos. Dio continued to entertain the packed audience with a multitude of Dio favorites like: " stand up and shout ", " rock and roll children " and " don't talk to strangers" any Dio show wouldn't be complete without guitar solos from long time axeman Craig Goldy who not only kicks ass doing that, but adds a little bit of something during any Dio performance. a rare segment where he featured rainbow's " the gates of Babylon " , to which he says this an old song we don't normally do but we will perform tonight for you. other highlights from Dio's ninety minutes blistering show included rock's biggest anthems in the days of RAINBOW known as " man on the silver mountain" and "long live rock and roll" medley. Dio's shows can be long remembered with two ultimate classics in his set which are " last in line" and " rainbow in the dark ".
Any fan walking out from this show wouldn't hang his head in shame and say what a poor performance, just the opposite ... more bang for your buck even if Dio is performing in a small theater type setting as apposed to the days of filling up arenas much like Philadelphia spectrum where he recorded live tracks in the early eighties.
