Ronnie James Dio Hologram Tour Planned for September 2017
The hologram of Ronnie James Dio has caused quite the uproar every since making its debut at Wacken last summer with fans divided over how to view the CGI resurrection of one of the greatest metal singers of all time: a fitting tribute to a legend, or a cheap gimmick to earn dollars off a dead man?
Regardless of how you feel, this much is clear: it’s happening. After the Wacken performance, Dio’s hologram made its U.S. “premiere” this past February at the Pollstar Awards, and there have been rumblings about a full tour featuring the hologram for months. Those plans just got a little bit more concrete with RJD’s widow Wendy Dio offering the following in a recent interview with the Talk Toomey podcast:
“We’re getting prepared for that right now. We’re making a new [hologram]. We’re making, like, eight songs. So we’re working on that. That should be ready by September, and we’re hoping to go out and start touring in September on that.
“I feel that Ronnie was an innovator in music, and why not be an innovator in technology also? He tried to make a hologram in 1986. When we had the [DIO] ‘Sacred Heart’ tour, we did the big crystal ball with Ronnie’s head in there talking, which was actually done with a rear projection, but we were always trying to do new things and exciting things. In fact, his personal [assistant] just called me a couple of weeks ago and he said, ‘Hey, Wendy, I just found this interview that Ronnie did a long time ago, and they were asking Ronnie [if he had] plans to retire, and ‘What will you do when you retire?’ And he said, ‘Well, I don’t think I’ll ever retire. I’ll probably die on stage. Or if I don’t, I’m sure Wendy will find something for me to do after.’ [Laughs] So I thought that was quite funny.”
Whether or not RJD “would’ve wanted” his likeness to “tour” after his death — and whether a 30-year-old quote about it can be taken literally — is mostly irrelevant to me: it’s still not something I’m interested in paying to see. Our dead heroes should remain dead with their legacies set in stone.
For those of you who absolutely can’t wait to see a CGI image of Ronnie James Dio live, we’ll keep you updated when tour dates are announced.
[via Metal Insider]
