The following is a review of the last concert on the third Angry Machines US leg, originally e-mailed to me.
Dio The Chance Poughkeepsie NY USA May 02, 1997
7PM, A half a dozen people are already in line, we head off for something to eat. At the local gourmet (translation - more expensive) chinese restaurant we see Tracys guitar tech with another crew member. The waitress is cute and INTCOMTRAN@aol.com asks her to the show (Who?, oh i dont think ill be off in time).
We get back to The Chance and its around 9pm, the line to get in is round the corner down the block. As we move thru the cue, the local welcoming commitee (some dude with 1 open eye swayin from side to side) greets us with obscenities, and it takes forever to get in. Security does a fair job all in all, the place is MOBBED inside, way more crowded than the Strange Highways show here in 1993. Only 7 hats and some Large and extra Large shirts left for sale on the pool table where the vendor has set up. The guy also says he has signed sticks for $10.
The opening acts of - Dead Cowboys, Livesay, My Dying Bride, filled the slot, but most of the time the crowd just chanted "Dio, Dio". My Dying Bride had several fans in the audience, and after playing they tossed out some pics and signed autographs. I didnt see many people that seemed to be there solely for these bands. Being that it was an all ages show, i expected more younger fans, but most everyone looked 25-30. Short wait between acts and the lights went down.
What sounds like an Angry Machine starts up offstage, and then (ive heard this several times before, still not sure what is said, but it sounds to me like) -
Protect your soul, now it's time for ROCK AND ROLL!!!!
Screaming guitar, Dio hits the Stage, looking and sounding as incredible as ever. The Chance gets ready for the ride ....
(forgot my pen, this setlist is close if not exact)
The band never really left the stage for the encores, they were all shaking hands and messing around. The backstage crew were also havin a blast with paper airplanes and other confetti thrown about, some even got into tracys hair as he got involved. Vinny just crunched, and Larry was awesome. Tracy delivered his sonic assault, (INTCOMTRAN@aol.com even had to cover his ears once during the solo) and Ronnie looked and sounded just as Fantastic as ever!!
During the show there was a mention of the tour leaving the USA and then returning, but I dont think anything was said of the live album. Someone threw a homemade Dio banner onstage, at one point, and Ronnie seemed to enjoy it, placing it around Larry as a cloak. Some other idiot threw a ?Gold Watch? at Ronnie, OUCH!?. Only saw 1 body surfer in the pit, it must have hurt landing on his head like that. Security did a good job of taking out the troublelosers, headlock first.
We ended up being asked to leave almost immediately after the show, as only those with a pass were allowed to stay, - guess im on the shitlist. Outside we met a few people, traded some stories and then it was back on the road again. Until next time -
We Rock.
Kenneth R. Dupre duprek@rpi.edu
http://www.rpi.edu/~duprek
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