Joey Belladonna’s Fronting Yet Another Tribute Band, This Time Focusing on Ronnie James Dio

You know, if you looked at his body of work in recent years, you wouldn’t be too far off to say Joey Belladonna is a cover band vocalist that just so happens to front Anthrax and not the other way around. When he’s not playing massive European festivals with one of the “Big Four,” the dude can easily be found singing with Beyond Frontiers, his Journey tribute act. Well, you can add yet another tribute band to his repertoire, as the dude’s got a new band that pays tribute to the life and works of the late Ronnie James Dio.

According to a social media post over on Belladonna’s official page, the band will play songs from Dio’s solo career, as well as his work with Black Sabbath and Rainbow. It doesn’t seem like there’s an official name to the band, but truth be told this seems like an early stages kind of thing.

As someone that’s seen both Belladonna and Dio perform live, I can honestly say that if anyone can even get remotely close to Dio’s vocal capabilities these days, it’s fuckin’ Joey. Say what you will about whether Anthrax was better off continuing what they were doing in the John Bush era or not, but the man is an undeniable force behind the mic. Even after all these years, he’s still got it, so I for one would like to hear him songs like “Neon Knights,” “Heaven and Hell,” and “The Sign of the Southern Cross.”

There are only four dates currently planned for the Belladonna’s Dio tribute and unfortunately they’re all located in the swampy hellscape known as Florida. If you’re unwilling to roll the dice on the land of bath salts and deadly local fauna to catch a show, Belladonna said he plans on taking the act to other parts of the country, though he hasn’t announced any additional dates just yet.

8/13 Sebastian, FL Captain Hiram’s
8/16 Pompano Beach, FL Piper’s Pub
8/17 Clearwater, FL OCC Road House
8/18 Winter Park, FL Conduit