Dio concert review; April 14th, 1997 by Terry

The following is a review of a Dio show of the third US leg of the Angry Machines, originally posted to alt.music.dio. Please note that this article does not represent my views about drugs.

From: macviper@earthlink.com (TeRRy)
Subject: DIO @ INDY - 4/14/97 - My version......
Date: Sat, 19 Apr 1997 03:31:13 -0500

APRIL 14-MON
Got up about noon and got dressed to go to see DIO tonight in Indy. Got all my sh*t together and rolled a few concert joints. I saved a special big bud of some killer Green Skunk that I had been saving for a "special" occasion - Yea!!! THIS IS IT!!! On that joint I wrote "DIO" in big letters. This one will get the show started really good......

Got in the car and picked out a half dozen of my favorite DIO cd's and hit the freeway. It was a little over 125 miles to the show. Once I got on the Interstate, I kicked back and lit one of the other joints as I crank disk #1 of the Rainbow Live in Germany 2 cd album that I finally got at BLACKMORE's Columbus, Ohio show. Normally I am a speed demon, but today I just kicked it and cruised in the slow lane as I eased myself into the next joint. And YES - I drive better stoned.

Took me about 2 hours to get to Indy. Then another hour to find the Vogue. It was really funny.....The theater is located in the burbs, and is the last place I would ever expect to see a DIO show. About a block away from the theater is a old age home. I wonder if they know what is happening down the street. When I got there, there were 2 people already there, but no problem - they wanted a table - So I will be dead center again!!! There were no cars in front, so I was able to park right next to the front of the line. So now it was 3 pm est, but with the time change I find it was 2 pm there. I figure that it will be a while before anyone else gets there, so I excuse myself from the line and go to my car, where - SURPRISE!!! - I find a quart of Bacardi laying there......so I filled a half pint bottle for the show, and since it was so nice & warm there, I then drank about a pint of the remaining rum and smoked a joint and walked on back to the concert line where I kicked back til all the other concert amimals appeared. Some people came by looking for a ticked and we all find that it was SOLD OUT!!!! By 6 pm there was a line all the way down the street, and they were NOT in single file. Finally, about 7:15 they open the doors and let us in. Damn!!! I am pissed!!! The guard found my can of Mt Dew I was bringing in for chaser. Oh Well.....But I still have the rum!!! So I head straight on down to Front and Center. The theater was small and so it filled up rather quick. But the first group looks like they just wanted to get to the tables and to the very small balcony - But, Hey People - There is NO place to see a DIO show except - FRONT ROW CENTER!!!

Before too long, My Dying Bride came on. I had expected a good set from them after the reviews I had recently read, but I was rather disappointed. Although they were considerably better than the opening act that DIO had in Cincinnati, a few months ago, I got the impression that they had just gotten lit up on some heroin before hitting the stage. They did "This Song Sucks" and it did. It seemed that it was that one song (that sucked) for the whole act. It wasn't terrible, but not something you ask to see an encore of. They had to "try" to move back the crowd (ha) to be able to remove their instruments. That was a mess. I almost had to move out of center........almost......

By the time they were finished, I was getting thirsty, so Clint (guy next 2 me) was going to the bar, so I had him get me a soft drink chaser. By now, it was getting elbow 2 elbow. I was holding Clint's place to my left. He came back and I got started on my half pint of Bacardi. This took all of 5 minutes to chug. Another 5 and I was numb. About now, I could feel the tension tightening through the air, the stage was set and "IT" was getting ready to happen. I could hear people behind me talking about starting a pit. OH GREAT!!! Well, that is what is nice about FRONT ROW CENTER - you just hang over and onto the reinforcement fence and you are set - just don't let go or you are gone. So about now, a fight breaks out and security is on it. So this is a Great Opportunity - NO Guards!!! - So I get out my "DIO" joint and spark it up. Me & Clint shared it until some guard spotted us and we had to stop (til the lights went off). It was Really Lucky that a few days earlier I was able to have found a small bottle of amyal nitrate. As soon as the lights went off, I took a hit off of that bottle - It was then that I slipped into another reality!!!

The room was alive with bic lighters and a cheer that was totally electric with excitment. The stage was tiny, but after Bride's stuff got off, it was just the right size now. Tracy comes out first, then RJD & Vinny, and Larry. To my surprise, Ronnie sees me and comes over and kneel down and gives me a solid hand shake. When everyone sees Ronnie kneeling in the front, there is a huge push that crushes me flat into the wall. Ummm-Hurt So Good!!!

They start with Institutional Man, and go right into Straight thru the heart. Ronnie is feeding the crowd nothing but energy. He is playing close to the front of the stage and is frequently reaching out to the people, which makes everyone want my spot. I was yelling at Tracy, and he pointed at me and remembered that I was chatting with him on AOL just that Sunday a week ago. At the song break he come over and shakes hands with me and I get a thumbs up as he goes back to his spot. Goes into Rainbow in the Dark (My Favorite sone of all time), Holy Diver, Don't talk to Strangers, Gypsy,Last in Line, Heaven 'n Hell, Mistreated, Catch the Rainbow, Mob Rules, Long Live R & R, Man on the Silver Mt, We rock. Ronnie did a shorter version of H & H and left out the part about burning in hell with "all of you", and I don't think I heard anything about "a little white shape" either. But He still rocked my world!!!

When I saw them in Cincinnati, in Nov, Tracy was a little weak, but it was still a kick-ass show - one of the best I have ever seen. I was sure they could not beat that. But, let me tell you - This show was incredible. The whole band is really tight, and Tracy is doing The Job for RJD. Vinny was just great - as always!!! But Ronnie was absolutely incredible, I did not think I could ever see him top the other shows.......but he did here, Tonight!!!! A NIGHT 2 REMEMBER!!!

But to tell the truth - I could not believe it......I had counted the times that THE MAN came to me and shook hands - 10 times!!!!!!!!!! - This was MY show!!!

The show was about 2 hours. Everyone was leaving with looks of amazement on their faces. I hung out for a while til the crowd thinned out, and then went to the back of the theater. The DIO tour bus is there in the lot, while the stage is being loaded into the red semi that brought it. There is a crowd of about 100 people lined up at the tour bus waiting for and some chanting DIO DIO DIO....

Ronnie come out of the tour bus wearing a nice 3/4 length black leather jacket with a black & white checker-boarded scarf. Everyone just fell into line and Ronnie started signing stuff for everyone and giving hugs and letting people take their picture with him. I could see that he was worn out, and visibly very tired, but he just went thru the entire line and gave everyone there a piece of his precious time of life. It is unbelievable that RJD could find the time to hang out with his fans after putting on such an incredible show. He stayed until every last one of us got to meet him. This is what makes RJD a TRUE Star. He signed my stub and then He told me that He will be looking to see me in Lexington on 4/30/97 - Only death could keep me from being there then.

He went on into the bus. A little while later some guy came out and was looking for Vinny. The driver went in the back and a few minutes later Vinny came out and talked with us. I was asking about the live album - he says it is to be released in Jan. But he also said that he wishes that they would have done the album here - He said that it was a much better sound here and the crowd was the best on the whole tour. I can believe that!!! This was one of those "Magical" shows that you sometimes get lucky enough to experience. And although I hate to ask for autographs - I got Vinny to sign my ticket and he gave he a good hand shake!!!

Vinny gets on the bus and I watch it pull away going to Iowa (? I think). I was the last one there. I was still feeling the concert. So I get into my car and head out for the freeway home. Not having been to Indy for 3 years since when I went to see Neil Young, I ended up getting lost. I ended up down town and ran into 2 foxy girls with DIO concert shirts on that were waiting for a bus to go to Dayton Ohio. They noticed that I was a little buzzed and asked if I had anything good for them. So it ended up that I drove them home. The ride back was really fun. I was wondering how they got in the show because they were under 21. RJD needs to play places that young people can get into without any ID hassles to see him. The younger girl fell asleep in the back and so we pulled over into a secluded rest area and lit one of the joints that I could not do at the show. So after a very enjoyable "rest" we were off again. On the way back, I told her that I still have one FRONT ROW CENTER seat for METALLICA this coming night 4/15. So after repeatedly telling me how she would do ANYTHING to go there with me, we dropped off her sister and we headed to Cincinnati, to see METALLICA.

Since that is kinna off-topic, I won't go into reviewing METALLICA. Just enough to say they are HOT. But DIO is HOTTER!!! One thing that is interesting though.....at the METALLICA show, the guys came walking round the figure 8 stage and stopped right in front of us and we slapped hands with all of them. Lars gave me a stick at the end of the show when they were walking off. But my new friend got asked by Hatfield to show her tits, and so she did, and they are beauties. So before too long, some guy comes up with backstage passes for us and we hang out with METALLICA all night and go bowling and later........

But I will stop here as I do not want to get too far off topic. Needless to say - This is a week I will always remember!!! At least til 4/30/97 when DIO destroys Lexington!!!

Said it B4 & I say it again:
***DIO IS GOD***
~and~
***DIO RULES***
TeRRy