Wednesday, April 26, 2000

Dio's just a great metal rocker

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By Chris Varias
Enquirer contributor

        When word leaked that Ronnie James Dio had built his tour around his new concept album, any bubblegum satanist or red-blooded rock 'n' roller would have been justified in being a bit leery. A set of new material, especially concept-album material, isn't exactly what everybody wants from the veteran Rainbow and Black Sabbath vocalist.

        It turned out there was nothing to sweat. Mr. Dio's show Monday night at Annie's did include a 40-minute block of songs from the new album Magica right in the middle of the 1³/₄-hour show, but it fit in nicely with everything else.

        He and his four-man band — which included Rainbow bassist Jimmy Bain and former AC/DC drummer Simon Wright — played 10 songs from Magica in chronological order, omitting four tracks.

        The concept didn't seem too conceptual: subjects included evil, the devil, dreams, insanity, other worlds and the like. In fact, the new stuff was really good, not much different from the Sabbath, Rainbow and solo material.

        And the little big man still sings great. Mr. Dio, 50, has the archetypal metal wail. That big sound from that tiny body is one of nature's great mysteries and metal's great rewards.

        The crowd of 1,000 was receptive to the new stuff, but the greater intensity put forth during older songs was easy to sense.

        Before the Magica set came six oldies (and a solo by Mr. Wright). Among them were “Sunset Superman,” “Stand Up and Shout,” “One Night in the City” and “All the Fools Sailed Away.”

        It was the old-school hard rock you don't get from today's legions of hip-hop crossover metalheads and Eddie Vedder clones.

        Naturally, Mr. Dio saved the best for last. After the final Magica tune came “Holy Diver,” and the place went nuts.

        He played “We Rock” and “Last in Line.” “Rainbow in the Dark” went over huge. So did Sab's “Mob Rules,” dedicated to the crowd, of course.

       

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