The Dio Returns tour, featuring the retooled Ronnie James Dio hologram and Dio Disciples, kicked off Friday, but not without some problems in its opening weekend.
The tour’s third show in St. Petersburg, Florida had to be postponed because of what was called “production size issues.” Promoters gave ticket holders the option of attending Saturday’s show in Orlando, about an hour and a half away. They say they’ll reschedule.
Friday’s tour kickoff in Fort Meyers, Florida was reviewed in the Fort Meyers News-Press, where the writer complained that as much as he “wanted to believe,” the Dio hologram “never really felt real.”
He felt the hologram’s mouth “didn’t quite sync with Dio’s recorded, awe-inspiring vocals. His movements looked too herky-jerky, manic and nonstop to feel lifelike. And the whole thing lacked that hard-to-nail-down but immediately recognizable spark of life.” He also disliked that the hologram was behind the band, making the diminutive Dio look even smaller than he was in real life. However, he called the performance by Dio Disciples “awesome.”
You can check out video of the hologram from the Ft. Meyers show below.
(Video courtesy of Youtube User: Jose Valle)
