Original DIO drummer Vinny Appice says that he is unsure what to think of the hologram of Ronnie James Dio, which made its debut at last year's Wacken Open Air festival in Germany. Created by Eyellusion, the surprise appearance of the heavy metal icon during DIO DISCIPLES' set closed out the massive metal event which was attended by more than seventy-five thousand fans. Eyellusion recently announced initial dates for "Dio Returns: The World Tour", featuring the Ronnie James Dio hologram reunited with the late rock star's former bandmates from the DIO band. The tour will make more than eighty stops around the globe, kicking off in Helsinki, Finland on November 30. Asked by EonMusic for his opinion on the Dio hologram, Appice said: "I saw it [the tour announcement] the other day, and I went, 'How's that?!' It says 'DIO is back!'. I'm not in the band, Viv's [original DIO guitarist Vivian Campbell] not in the band, Ronnie is not here… 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." Campbell told EonMusic earlier in the month that he was "not going to pass judgment" on the Dio hologram. He said: "The way I look at it is, if that 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, so it's a very reciprocal kind of thing, and it's all good. Like I say, I haven't seen it, so I'm not going to pass judgment on it." Campbell, along with Appice and bassist Jimmy Bain, was part of the original DIO lineup, which reunited in 2012 alongside singer Andrew Freeman to form LAST IN LINE. When LAST IN LINE formed, the intent was to celebrate Ronnie James Dio's early work by reuniting the members of the original DIO lineup. After playing shows that featured a setlist composed exclusively of material from the first three DIO albums, the band decided to move forward and create new music in a similar vein. The "Dio Returns" tour will also make stops throughout Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, France, Germany, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Paraguay, United Kingdom, Venezuela and other countries, with dates to be announced. The tour is expected to come to the United States in spring 2018 and play festivals globally during the summer. The Ronnie James Dio hologram will perform for the majority of the show, treating fans to an alternating set list that will feature songs such as "Holy Diver", "Rainbow In The Dark", "We Rock", "King Of Rock And Roll", BLACK SABBATH's "Neon Knights" and "Heaven And Hell" and RAINBOW's "Man On The Silver Mountain" and more. The "Dio Returns" tour will feature Dio's actual live vocals, backed by a live band consisting of former DIO and current DIO DISCIPLES members Simon Wright (drums), Craig Goldy (guitar) and Scott Warren (keyboards) alongside bassist Bjorn Englen (YNGWIE MALMSTEEN). Veteran metal vocalist Tim "Ripper" Owens (JUDAS PRIEST, ICED EARTH, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN) will also perform, with singer Oni Logan (LYNCH MOB) also joining on select dates.
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