MY HEAVEN & HELL VIP EXPERIENCE REVIEW

[DioDisciple]

I have finally got back home with a clear head, now that it has stopped ringing. Great show in Pa, as was the meet & greet. Same set list as all the shows this tour. The VIP pre show party included free drinks and some door prizes, we won a Mob Rules T shirt in the drawing out of about 10 items that were raffled. The Girls that hosted the pre show party were great & extremely nice. On to the show. We were not to familiar with Testament, to fast for our liking, sounds similar to Slayer. But they put on a great show, and looked to be having a blast. Lemmy came ou to a much larger crowd with his white boots on. His band did a really great job, they sounded great and I have never been a really big Motorhead fan. Their fans seemed to be pleased and there were lots of them by the Motorhead T shirts that were about. But as always we come to see Ronnie, regardless of what band he is in. The Heaven & Hell setlist was the same as all the other show reviews that I have seen for this tour. My only complaint was that it was to short being around 1:15. We were in the second row in front of Ronnie and it was great as always. I got a couple of my flags onstage, one being Live Evil flag and the other a Dio Holy Diver flag. Ronnie handed me both of them back out after holding them up for the crowd. The after show VIP meet and greet was great. The band, minus Scott Warren were sitting in a small curtained off area to meet with the fans. The rules said only 1 item per person to be signed & only Heaven & Hell merchandise, we got signatures from the whole band on about 3 different things, but Ronnie signed 10 additional items for me of some of the past shows that we had taken pics with Ronnie and blown them up to 8x10 size. We then went back to our seats and watched Judas Priest after missing only a couple of their songs. The whole band sounded amazing, Rob was as flashy as ever. But I still cant figure out why he hardly ever looks up when singing, he never makes eye contact with the crowd. Wearing darks sunglasses and looking down as he sings, but it works, his voice is as strong as ever, really great live voice, probably better than the studio voice. After the show we drove back to Kentucky because our son had school the next day and wouldn't be able to go the other 2 shows during the week. After heading back out the next day for Michigan we were looking more forward to this one because not only did we have VIP but also front row! We got the venue late because the pre show party started at 3:15 and we drove straight up. When we got there we called Amanda one of the girls that was handling the pre show party and she came to the front gate to get us and escort us back. After saying no camera allowed and not being searched due to us being late we passed the gate workers with ease. I was also packing some albums, tour books, and my 5 ft Tony Iommi Gibson cardboard standup of him with his guitar that I had planned to get Tony to sign, or so I thought. Anyway the pre show party was catered a lot better, really nice buffet with chefs. But only allowed 2 drinks per person at the bar at this one, additional drinks had to be purchased. We won a Mob Rules key chain at the drawing at this one, looked to be my lucky day again. They even had a trivia contest at this one, asking Dio, Sabbath, and Priest questions that they thought were hard? I answered several, one being what was Ronnie's first instrument that he played, Trumpet. Got free beer tickets as prizes when they ran out of door prizes, I drank way too much at the pre show party and was feeling pretty good by the time the show started. With them being out of prizes and the prizes being somewhat lame I donated an original Mob Rules tour book that they used as a prize. Anyway we headed on down to the stage to get our spot, Testament was the same, really loud, fast. Motorhead were the same as well, Lemmy yelling out a couple times we are Motorhead and we play Rockin Fuckin Roll. We got some pics, and a towell from the drummer. But again we were here to see Ronnie and the excitement was building. After taking out the camera to get it ready we were already spotted by the worst possible Security Bitch that we have ever seen at any concert. She looked all bussiness, here rules seemed to be no drinking, no cameras, and most of all don't have to much fun, after all this is only a concert. She had written all over her, I hate the music, I hate you for liking it, its too loud, I pretty much hate everything, and I want to go home. After Heaven & Hell come out and go into Mob Rules I threw Ronnie another Black Sabbath Live Evil flag that he displays to the crowd and each member of the band and hands back out to me with a huge smile on his face as always. Anyone that has ever saw my wife and myself at a Dio show knows we are there to have fun, singing every word to every song, and most security guys know that we must be huge fans and are really cool about it. After drinking way too much beer there were some other fans that wanted me to throw the Standup of Tony onstage, I knew I couldn't hold it up because it would have blocked some other fans view, and that's understandable, and I am sure it would have been taken away by Security Bitch. So what did I do I threw it on stage, Ronnie saw it and pointed it out to Tony, again both of them with huge smiles on their faces. But just after I was escorted out by 2 security guards that came down to get me and they even took my ticket so I couldn't go back down to my $400 VIP spot! My wife soon followed and we talked to a couple different people that worked there, and even the manager came out and was really nice. He was told that we were drunk, not that we were throwing things onstage. He told us we didn't seem drunk to him, no more than anyone else. He was apologizing for the woman who had me removed. But with no ticket there was no way I could get back to the front. We ended up giving Hope's ticket to a guy that was there with us trying to help us out. By this time Hope was crying and really upset and wanted to go home. We went on to the VIP line for the meet & greet and told them what was going on, and some fans in line seemed to get pissed off at us, thinking that we might as they say Bum Ronnie out & wanted to go in before us, so we let them & stood Last In Line. Detroit area is the worst place ever to see a concert, they are the rudest people on the face of the earth as far as I am concerned. We have been there for several shows, some at Harpo's which my wife swears never to go back to. We did meet a young Dio fan and his dad at the pre show party that goes by Dio Is My God on the Dio forum at the official site, they were both really cool people, I am sure they were not from the area? By this time Hope was upset and crying again, and we didn't want to go in and see the band like this so we just decided to call it a night, and skip the signing and picture this time. So we headed back to the hotel and slept the bad experience off. We drove onto Chicago the next morning and the show there was basically the same as all the others. We had front row on this one too. I handed Ronnie up 2 flags again during the show, with no problems at all. Ronnie even commented saying something like "after what happened last night" and I said yeah take them, and the Sabbath flag on Vinnie's drum kit for awhile and handed them both back out before the end of the set. Priest again was Priest, what can I say. All in all It was an experience that we will never forget. I have not been thrown out of a concert since Ronnie was on the Strange Highways tour at a bar show. But the VIP experience is a Joke, I just don't understand it? Instead of VIP(Very Important Person) experience it should be renamed the VRP(Very Rich Person) experience. Only because most of the people that can come up with the $400 for the overpriced ticket are not even hardcore fans, they are there just to have a good time regardless who is playing. True fans are the ones that have been there for the long run, the ones that get aftershow passes from the band, or join the fan club. It shouldn't be about how much money you have to determine if you get to meet your favorite band or not. What about the people that don't have that kind of money to put down on a concert. I don't have that kind of money either, especially when you have to buy one for your wife, and your son as well. I usually save during the year for Dio show's, this time around I sold on ebay for a year and had the extra money saved up and put that toward what was supposed to have been the ultimate concert experience, or so Ticketmaster leads you to believe. I took about 75 pictures at the PA show, of all 4 bands on the bill. Expecting to take more at Michigan, and Chicago. Chicago stated that cameras were permitted at the venue according to their website as long as they were not digital or professional. After trying in 2 different lines we give up on the camera, they said that not even a 35mm or throwaway was allowed at the show due to the band not permitting it. This makes me so much more look forward to a solo Dio club tour. I love the new songs with Sabbath, and am looking forward to the new album as much as anyone but with Sabbath there are so many more rules. I have personally heard Ronnie even say that he has very little if any control in Heaven & Hell. He told Hope last year that he very much disliked being on the road in this band, that the only time he enjoys was the time he spends onstage singing the songs for the fans. I guess you could say Ronnie has spoiled us with his genuine caring for the fans and his love for the music that he brings to all of us. Anyway regardless what Ronnie chooses to do and which band he fronts we will always be there to witness it at front row, even if we do have to have a Dio piggy bank put up to collect spare change, from yard sales, ebay, etc. to fund it.

Hope & Joe Rollins

www.templeoftheking.com

www.myspace.com/diodisciple

[killerwolf13]

Yeah Ronnie & the Fan Club have spoiled us. It's nice to get after show passes without paying $400. I work hard for little $. & I didn't have to buy the platinum packages for H&H/Priest...I wanted to, so I did! It's always nice to meet your idols after the show...but these huge venues don't have access to the fans...So I'm happy I can get a chance like this...I have pics with every member of Sabbath & Priest...but not a group photo...That's going to be cool. Did you get your photos yet? Someone posted their Priest group photo on robhalford.com.

Glad you made so many shows. I feel like I didn't try hard enough to make more than one show(Aug 31.) I guess it was the money mostly & the distance...If the So Cal show had a space between I'd drive done there. But I know other people will be flying in & out for days on this tour!

I don't care for the big venues...security is always a pain in the ass. Sometimes I get lucky & I make my way upfront & get to rock out for the whole show. I don't like seeing people sitting down upfront either!

Stay Strong,
Dion

Stay Strong,
Dion
_________________
Long Live DIO,
Dion DeTora
Shingle Springs,CA
killerwolf13@hotmail.com
http://www.webshots.com/user/DIORonnieJames

[Rhonda Ross]

Hey now I always sit down up front!!
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[killerwolf13]

[Rhonda Ross]