Dead rock legend Ronnie James Dio is going on a world tour from beyond the grave
Rock and Roll legend Dio is coming back for a headlining, world tour with former band members as the Dio Disciples.
That’s right, Ronnie James Dio is coming back for a posthumous tour of the globe. The former rockstar is breaking new ground as the first rock ‘n’ roll artist, if not first artist ever, to tour globally after their death.
Now before you get concerned about zombies, or the ethics of having a skeleton come on stage for a tour, The Dio and ex-Black Sabbath frontman will be reincarnated via a holograph. The singers holographic form was created by ‘Eyellusion‘ in collaboration with Dio’s widow and manager, Wendy Dio. The RJD hologram was unveiled last year at Germany’s Wacken Open Air Festival and has since made appearances elsewhere, like the Pollstar Live! awards in LA.
Jeff Pezzuti said that a new hologram was being created for the tour, saying: “The tour is currently being routed and we are hoping to make an announcement for an end-of-year kickoff in the coming months. This is not just about the US. It is truly a world tour. Ronnie’s fans are spread around the world and we intend to bring this exciting show to as many as we can. The show will not only feature Ronnie and his band but also live singers like Tim ‘Ripper’ Owens [formerly of Judas Priest] and others to complete the overall show vision.”
You can see in the video from the Pollstar Awards! how scarily lifelike the hologram is, and it’s assumably going to get even more convincing with the upgrades for the world tour.
Dio Disciples guitarist Craig Goldey said to Rolling Stone after his first performance with the hologram: “It was very surreal. I could see him – he was moving and singing – but I couldn’t touch him. It was surreal almost to have him here again.”
Past hologram shows have included the fictional band members of Gorillaz in concert and the also deceased 2Pac. Whitney Houston was also due to go on a holographic tour however there were doubts about the quality of her hologram and the idea was eventually scrapped.