By: William S. Clark IV
The 10th Annual Memorial Awards Gala, supporting the Ronnie James Dio Stand Up And Shout Cancer Fund, unified sponsors, corporate executives, and an all-star cast of hard rock heavyweights in celebration of the Dio legacy.
On the morning of May 16th, 2010, Ronnie James Dio passed away after losing a long-fought battle against stomach cancer.
On the evening of February 20th, 2020, Hollywood’s The Avalon laid out the red carpet to host a gathering of well-known celebrities who showed up, reflecting Dio’s musical stamp on rock ‘n’ roll.
The common areas of The Avalon were filled with celebrities who came to honor Ronnie, and to support Wendy Dio’s tribute to her late husband.
Stacks of speaker cabinets began to rumble with the audience responding with applause, as the first whispers of metal guitar emerged, with “Straight Through The Heart” following. The level of genuine appreciation for Dio’s legacy was memorable and heartfelt.
Each presentation delivered during the evening offered the speaker’s appreciation of Ronnie’s music, with many at the affair likely introduced to Dio’s work by pure coincidence– that, or an act of a higher power on behalf of heavy metal, like Eddie Trunk’s account of awkwardly winning a copy of Heaven & Hell as a prize at a local carnival , having spent only a quarter to win the LP.
“He was a little dude that had this gigantic voice. I learned a lot from him,” Sebastian Bach of Skid Row fame told Guitar International magazine in our exclusive interview on the Avalon red carpet. “He was a very gracious, a very welcoming man, on and off the stage. He had this quality when you’d go see him in concert that he was connecting with everybody, like we were all buddies, or something. Dio brought us all together with his personality, ya know? Like when you go see Motley Crue or Skid Row and we’re all going, ‘F*** this! F*** that!’ Dio would never do anything like that. Dio kept it classy.”
The 10th Annual Memorial Awards Gala also highlighted the importance of regular health screenings, as well as set the spotlight on new cancer detection innovations. Recognized for remaining at the forefront of this research is Dr. David Wong, a UCLA Professor responsible for developing an innovative, non-invasive saliva test for stomach cancer. Dr. David Wong was named the recipient of this year’s Sacred Heart Award.
Dio Disciples launched into a five song set with “King of Rock and Roll,” which heavily utilized the newly developed Dio hologram show that has remained a hot topic of discussion among the metal militia. While the initial reveal of the Dio hologram was met with albeit fair skepticism, truth be told, you can’t tear your eyes away from a ‘Dio Returns’ show.
To point, it may be tough for fans who respected the spectacle of a ‘Dehumanizer’ circuit Black Sabbath show to embrace a hologram tour with open arms. I’ll even “keep it one hundred” and admit, I was skeptical.
My first concert experience was The Alice Cooper Band at the age of thirteen; since that night, most of my fondest memories have come from submitting to my rock and roll addiction and chasing down as many live gigs as possible. The idea of a Dio hologram at first felt impersonal.
>In his absence, the chainsaw bite of Tim “Ripper” Owens and Oni Logan’s characteristically soulful swoon pay admirable homage to how Dio records stimulated the psyche differently than your Poison records ever could.
Dio records never had an advisory label, or explained the Vegas odds that a few listeners would follow the lead of a short man from the tiny state of New Hampshire to form their own bands. Ronnie’s albums offered yesterday’s youth with music that stood defiant in a way that helped many navigate the angst many felt growing up.
That’s because Ronnie James Dio’s ambitions went beyond record and concert ticket sales, he sought to encourage an insatiable legion of headbangers to act as a community, to believe in the healing power of rock and roll, to follow the rainbows in your life, to stand united as one.
That very same community stood as one in a bold expression of dedication, love, resilience, and allegiance to the morals of Ronnie James Dio at the 10th Annual Memorial Awards Gala.
