A hologram of Ronnie James Dio will tour the United States this spring with a lineup of musicians that performed in the late metal legend’s titular band, Dio. The “Dio Returns” trek will kick off May 31st at the Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall in Ft. Myers, Florida and wrap June 29th at Brooklyn Bowl in Las Vegas, Nevada. Tickets go on sale April 12th at 10 a.m. local time. More dates are expected to be announced soon and complete information is available on the Dio website.
The tour will pair the Ronnie James Dio hologram with his old Dio bandmates, guitarist Craig Goldy, drummer Simon Wright and keyboardist Scott Warren, as well as Dio Disciples bassist Bjorn Englen. The tour will also feature guest vocalists Tim “Ripper” Owens – who’s worked with Yngwie Malmsteen and briefly replaced Rob Halford in Judas Priest during the Nineties — and Lynch Mob’s Oni Logan.
The new show will boast a 90-minute setlist featuring music from throughout Dio’s career, from Rainbow to Black Sabbath to Dio, and include hits like “Holy Diver,” “King of Rock N’ Roll” and “We Rock.”
The Dio hologram debuted at the 2016 Wacken festival in Germany and the following year, “Dio Returns” embarked on a European tour and made its U.S. debut at the Pollstar Awards. In an interview with Rolling Stone at the time, Goldy spoke about the mixed reactions from fans, saying, “Ronnie was and still is so revered by his fans, which really are his extended family, and they, too, had a special relationship with the man himself which entitles them to a voice. Like all families, not everyone agrees, but this was a gift to the fans that was created in the very same spirit in which Ronnie gave throughout his whole career and created these amazing stage shows that rivaled Madonna and Michael Jackson.”
Dio Returns Tour Dates
May 31 – Ft. Myers, FL @ Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall
June 1 – Orlando, FL @ The Plaza Live
June 2 – St. Petersburg, FL @ Palladium Theatre
June 3 – Atlanta, GA @ Vinyl at Center Stage
June 6 – Worcester, MA @ The Palladium
June 7 – Glenside, PA @ Keswick Theatre
June 8 – Asbury Park, NJ @ Paramount Theatre
June 9 – Huntington, NY @ The Paramount
June 11 – Detroit, MI @ The Fillmore
June 12 – Grand Rapids, MI @ 20 Monroe Live
June 14 – St. Charles, IL @ The Arcada Theatre
June 15 – St. Paul, MN @ Myth
June 16 – Milwaukee, WI @ Pabst Theater
June 19 – Kansas City, MO @ Uptown Theater
June 20 – Oklahoma City, OK @ The Criterion
June 21 – Dallas, TX @ Bomb Factory
June 28 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern
June 29 – Las Vegas, NV @ Brooklyn Bowl