DIO DISCIPLES and LYNCH MOB singer Oni Logan sees nothing wrong with the hologram of Ronnie James Dio, which made its debut at last year’s Wacken Open Air festival in Germany. Created by Eyellusion, the surprise appearance of the heavy metal icon during DIO DISCIPLES‘ set closed out the massive metal event which was attended by more than seventy-five thousand fans.
Eyellusion recently announced initial dates for “Dio Returns: The World Tour”, featuring the Ronnie James Dio hologram reunited with the late rock star’s former bandmates from the DIO band. The tour will make more than eighty stops around the globe, kicking off in Helsinki, Finland on November 30.
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Asked by “The Classic Metal Show” what it’s like to share the stage with the Dio hologram, Logan said (hear audio below): “Well, I’ve only done it once, I’ve only had the experience once, and that was at the Wacken festival in Germany. I was asked to do that, and, of course, out of labor of love for Ronnie, because I knew the man and he was a friend of mine — he was one of the first people I met when I came to L.A. when I was twenty-five — I feel it’s a family thing. When they had asked me to do it, I said, ‘Yes, I’ll do it.’ And, of course, the second singer is Tim ‘Ripper’ Owens [ex-JUDAS PRIEST, ICED EARTH]
“Initially, it started off with just performing the classics of Ronnie and going to Mexico and touring with NAZARETH and doing a tour here,” he continued. “I didn’t imagine that it would turn into a hologram that was presented to Wendy [Dio] and Niji management company. And it just seems that it’s taken a natural course into the future as far as keeping Ronnie‘s legacy alive.”
Logan added: “If you can remember back in the day, before [DIO‘s] show, [Ronnie] would appear in a crystal ball before the band would hit the stage. So he was all about magic, he was all about the idea of entertainment — meaning visual aspects. I mean, c’mon, fighting the dragon with a sword on stage. He was all about that — he loved entertainment. So I don’t think it’s a far reach to say that he wouldn’t have approved. He was a proud man. He was an artist first and foremost, and he also was an entertainer. And I think this is just a way of keeping his legacy alive, his music alive for a younger generation to discover. And because we’re friends and family, we try to do our best to keep his music alive.
“As far as me sharing the stage with a hologram, it doesn’t necessarily bother me. As long as it’s done right and it looks cool and everybody’s having a good time and sharing the good time and the energy’s good, I’m all for it.”
Via Blabbermouth.com