London Astoria
Saturday 22nd October 2005
reviewed by Prodigal
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Gripes over, and onto the show - and what a great night it was. Thankfully, there was no tedius support band to waste our time - this was probably due to the strict 9.50pm curfew in force there.
This is essentially a greatest hits tour and with no new album to promote, Mr Dio chose to highlight one of rocks all time classic albums - Holy Diver from 1983. By playing the complete album last night, it helped me remember the setlist easier! Why can't all bands be that helpful? Seriously, this made for a fantastic evening, as this is the first time I have been to gig where a band has played a complete album as part of their set.
From Stand Up And Shout (...and if want to know where Maiden got the idea of the intro riff to 23:58, listen to this!) to the classic duo of Don't Talk To Strangers & Rainbow In The Dark, and ending with the brilliant Shame On The Night....it was fist pumping heavy rock at it's best.
The rest of the show consisted of a mixture of Rainbow/Sabbath as well as the solo stuff.....I have to say the musical skill of the band he has put together is simply fantastic & to highlight just one would be unfair on the rest 'cos they executed superbly...ranging from the Janick look-a-like guitarist to the loopy Keyboard player.......they were as tight as a gnat's rear-end. Even the drum solo wasn't boring! To the Man himself, what can one say about this legend, that hasn't already been said? He is over 60 now at least, and yet he has the voice of a thirty year-old - easily the equal of Bruce in my opinion. And for a midget - he has mighty stage presence, like Mr Dickinson. Good things always come in small packages!
Difficult to say what the highlights were for me, but if pushed: all 9 tracks of Holy Diver and the mighty Heaven & Hell
Setlist: (Holy Diver section highlighted)
Tarot Woman
Sign Of The Southern Cross
One Night In The City
Stand Up And Shout
Holy Diver
Gypsy
Caught In The Middle
Don't Talk To Strangers
Straight Through The Heart
Invisible
Rainbow In The Dark
Shame On The Night
Gates Of Babylon
Heaven And Hell
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Man On The Silver Mountain
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Long Live Rock'n'Roll
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We Rock
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Summary:
The Legend that is Ronnie James Dio delivers the goods in emphatic fashion....to play for nearly 2 hours with 3 encores at his age is simply stunning. Dio....YOU Rock!
Prodigals Star Rating: 9/10 (1 point deducted 'cos of the heat!)
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