Former Dio and Black Sabbath drummer Vinny Appice, like many of us, has mixed feelings about Ronnie James Dio being reincarnated as a hologram for our entertainment.
Appice says he's unsure what to think of the whole project, and some of the marketing behind it has rubbed him the wrong way.
He tells EonMusic that he recently saw the tour announcement.
"It says 'Dio is back!' I'm not in the band, [Vivian Campbell] is not in the band, Ronnie is not here," Appice says. "I don't know. I haven't seen the first one, and I don't know. It depends. It's not really my thing. If the fans like it—love it—I'm for it. If they think it's a terrible thing, then it might be a little over the top."
The show features a hologram of Dio buoyed by audio from the late-singer's live performances, and backed by former members of Dio's live band Simon Wright, Craig Goldy, Scott Warren and Bjorn Englen.
Campbell expressed a similar feeling to Appice's a few weeks ago, saying, "[If] it goes on tour, that will raise awareness of Dio and the catalog, and by virtue of that, we will benefit because we're associated in some way. And they will benefit from what we're doing...and it's all good."
The Dio hologram debuted this summer at Germany's Wacken Open Air festival to mostly positive reviews. The Dio Returns tour has announced dates in Europe, South America and Asia.
U.S. dates are coming in Spring 2018.
Photo: Getty Images