The late Dio made his US Hologram debut this past February at the 28th Annual Pollstar Awards in Los Angeles. The first appearance was seen at last year’s Wacken Open Air and not too long ago, we heard a full tour is expected. In a recent Talk Toomey podcast, Dio’s widow Wendy discussed these tour plans assuring it will include highlights of the legend’s career.
Wendy commented (transcribed by Blabbermouth):
“We’re getting prepared for that right now. We’re making a new [hologram]. We’re making, like, eight songs. So we’re working on that. That should be ready by September, and we’re hoping to go out and start touring in September on that.
I feel that Ronnie was an innovator in music, and why not be an innovator in technology also? He tried to make a hologram in 1986. When we had the [DIO] ‘Sacred Heart’ tour, we did the big crystal ball with Ronnie’s head in there talking, which was actually done with a rear projection, but we were always trying to do new things and exciting things. In fact, his personal [assistant] just called me a couple of weeks ago and he said, ‘Hey, Wendy, I just found this interview that Ronnie did a long time ago, and they were asking Ronnie [if he had] plans to retire, and ‘What will you do when you retire?’ And he said, ‘Well, I don’t think I’ll ever retire. I’ll probably die on stage. Or if I don’t, I’m sure Wendy will find something for me to do after.’ [Laughs] So I thought that was quite funny.”
So yeah, the hologram may become the new normal, as legendary musicians continue to pass. Whether this is a gimmicky novelty or Dio is a pioneering trailblazer remains to be seen. Check out the full podcast below:
