A hologram of Ronnie James Dio has appeared on stage twice in recent years, first at Germany’s Wacken Open Air Music Festival in the Summer of 2016, and again at the Pollstar Awards in Los Angeles earlier this year. Now, the singer’s widow, Wendy Dio, has announced a full-fledged world tour.
The trek, dubbed “Dio Returns,” will kick off in December with a leg of shows European shows. Further dates are scheduled in South America, Australia, and Asia, with a North American outing planned for the Spring of 2018. In all, the tour is expected to span between 80 and 100 concerts.
The production will feature archival live recordings from throughout Dio’s career with the backing of a live band made up of members from the singer’s Sacred Heart and Dream Evil tours. They include: guitarist Craig Goldy, bassist Simon Wright, keyboardist Scott Warren and bassist Bjorn Englen.
Speaking to Rolling Stone, Wendy Dio said her late husband would have approved of the tour. “Ronnie was always wanting to experiment with new stage ideas and was a big Disney fan. With this said, I am sure he is giving us his blessing with this hologram project. It gives the fans that saw Ronnie perform an opportunity to see him again and new fans that never got to see him a chance to see him for the first time. We hope everyone will enjoy the show that we have all worked so hard to put together.”
Find the tour’s initial tour dates below.
Dio Returns 2017 Tour Dates:
11/30 – Helsinki, FI @ The Circus
12/03 – Stockholm, SE @ Fryshuset
12/04 – Oslo, NO @ Rockefeller Music Hall
12/06 – Warsaw, PL @ Progresja
12/13 – Barcelona, ES @ Bikini
12/15 – Santander, ES @ Escenario Santander
12/17 – Bucharest, RO @ Arelene Romane
12/20 – Antwerp, BE @ Trix
12/21 – Tilburg, NL @ 013
Watch video of the Ronnie James Dio hologram performing at the Pollstar Awards:
