List your favorite Dio moments...

[Wrecked Neck]

This is a subject on another website I visit a lot, so seeing how I don't see one here, I thought it would be good to share some of your most favorite Dio moments you have. They can be something you saw on stage, or in an interview, TV wherever, doesn't matter.

Maybe there is this topic somewhere on the site, but I am guessing it's in a locked section. So forgive me if this has been done. Just thought it would be theraputic for those that want to share.

Like I posted on the other site, my favorite Dio moment was, the first time I saw him live on stage. The night was very magical. It was during the Dream Evil tour, and Megadeth was the opener. I was really excited to see Megadeth mostly. Dio too, but I was at an age where speed was what I liked, and was growing out of the classic metal trying to find the hardest and heaviest stuff out there.

So on comes megadeth, and me and my cousin are going crazy. Thrid row center stage and here is Megadeth right in front of us. Well, they sucked! Mustaine was so wasted, he sat on a bar stool half the show, slurring into the mic and hardly playing any of the solos for any of the songs. I made two trips from Lake Tahoe to see this show in Las Vegas. One trip for the tickets, then the second trip for the show. Needless to say I was a very unhappy camper.

Then, the lights dim, and out comes Dio! To this day the best concert I have been to. Stage presence, show, accustics, everything about it was awesome. We started in the thrid row that night, but two empty seats later, and we were jumping over two other people and got in the front row.

My cousin almost got us kicked out for banging his fist so hard, and coming close to knocking out one of the security gaurds. We were just going crazy. Then of course towards the end of the show Dio reaches out and starts shaking hands with some of the people. He shook my hand that night, and skipped my cousin (which made my night) looked me right in the eye, said thank you and gave me the horn sign! Just awesome. That night will live forever in my most fondest memories.

Another favorite Dio moment for me was when I went to Heaven and Hell last year. Dio stops the show grabs up two Sabbath albums from this kid in the audience, Heaven and Hell and Mob Rules, signs them, and then has the rest of the band sign them.

Don't know about you guys, but I have been to well over 100 concerts, and not once have I ever seen an artist stop and sign an autograph for a little kid during the show. Just goes to show you how much he really appreciated his fans.

I have other favorites, mostly just old nostalgic feelings of when I was growning up. I can still smell my room when I was a kid while listening to certain Dio songs. It's strange and hard to explain in writing what I mean, but it's really kind of powerful when it happens. It's like I can smell the same smells my room had in it, incense and candles, and the crap teenagers have in their rooms that are into smoking dope and doing all the things our parents tried to make us not do. I can see my old stereo system and the way my equalizer was set. See all the posters and cutout magazines I had hanging on the walls. I can remember my friend coming over so hear the new Last in Line album. All kinds of things come flooding back sometimes, but it's only when I play some songs.

Anyway, I blabbed long enough! What are some of your favorite Dio Moments?

[Driftin Elf]

How funny...I was at the Dream Evil concert in Vegas as well(lived in Vegas at that time). My best friend, and I were two of those guys far behind you shouting DIO after Megadeth's first song!
Every time I saw a Dio concert was unique in itself. Sacred Heart (in Vegas)was my favorite concert, because all the lasers, dragon, Dio's performance...all of it just smoked every other concert I've ever seen on so many levels.
I went to the Angry machines concert in Vegas. The night of the concert, a huge thunderstorm was going on, and just before Dio was to come on stage the power went out, and didn't come back on. After two hours, the band announced they would stay another day in Vegas and do the concert the following night. The following night, half the parking lot was full of generators(just in case). I always thought that was really cool of Dio to do.
The night of that concert there there was some jackwad who everyone couldn't help but see which instead of making the horns, was flipping Dio off. Ronnie stopped the band in the middle of a song, and had security bring this guy up on stage. He told him "ok here's the mike, so tell us all why you're here flipping me off. I just want to understand why you would want to do that." The guy choked, and Ronnie said "get him out of here", while security took him out the back door. The crowd roared!
Other favorite moments were discovering a new Dio album out(usually a month or two after they were actually released), and in later years finding, and learning to appricate his older stuff.
Check out Padavona.com (early Dio gold mine!)
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...and the time had come for the one to go to the temple of the king...RIP Ronnie.