Ex-Dio Bassist Jeff Pilson: Ronnie James Dio ‘Would Have Loved the Thought’ That Hologram Could Happen
It's been just over one year since the Ronnie James Dio hologram made its debut at the Wacken Open Air festival. Fans have been divided on how they feel about the resurrection of one of metal's most beloved singers in this digital form, but former Dio bassist Jeff Pilson has reassured everyone that this is a move Ronnie would have supported.
"I haven't actually seen it in person, but I've seen some pretty interesting pictures and I saw a video for a moment and it actually looked really cool to me," Pilson told the Music Mania podcast (Audio below) when speaking about the Eyellusion-created hologram. "I thought they did a great job on it. Again, I haven't seen it in person, but from what I've seen, it looks pretty amazing," he asserted.
During Pilson's fleeting tenure with the Dio band, he recorded three albums with the singer, Strange Highways, Angry Machines and what would turn out to be the group's final effort, Master of the Moon. Having been so acquainted with the legend, he added, "Ronnie loved technology and I think, deep down, he would have loved the thought that that could have happened. And knowing him, 'cause he was quite an imaginative guy, he probably did imagine that something like that could happen. And honestly, I think Ronnie would have approved."
As promised, the Dio hologram will be hitting the road with Dio Disciples as the backing band. The world tour dates were recently announced with the first date set for Nov. 30 in Finland's capital city of Helsinki. A total of nine dates have been booked so far and they can all be seen here. Tim 'Ripper' Owens and Oni Logan will alternate singing as well as select performances from the hologram.
Wendy Dio told us in January, “We’re developing a new [hologram] right now with six songs. So if we do an hour show, Ronnie will probably come out four times. If we do a 90-minute show, he’d come out six times.”
Keep an eye out for the upcoming Loudwire Podcast featuring Eyellusion CEO and one of the creators of the Dio hologram, Jeff Pezzuti, where we discuss the impact of the technology and what it holds for the future as well as some of the backlash that has arisen.
Jeff Pilson on the Music Mania Podcast
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