Music

Vinny Appice on Ronnie James Dio and the production of the 30 Years of Heaven & Hell DVD

by Keith Carman

A tinge of bittersweetness has just been unleashed unto the world of heavy metal.

As any self-respecting headbanger knows, the loss of forefather Ronnie James Dio to cancer last year was a massive knife to the heart and soul of our beloved genre. From his work with formative outfit Elf through Rainbow, Black Sabbath, a solo career and back to Sabbath—er, Heaven & Hell, his 50-plus years as shit-hot singer and iconic image helped spawn countless imitators, innovators and enthusiasts for decades to come. When Dio died, so did a legendary part of hard music.

Strange then, that his final live performance was actually captured on tape. Yet here it is: Neon Nights: 30 Years of Heaven & Hell (Eagle Vision), a DVD/CD release shot during the band’s July 30, 2009 performance at Germany’s Wacken Open Air Festival. While the moment—Dio, bassist Geezer Butler, guitarist Tony Iommi and drummer Vinny Appice hammering out a set comprised of hits and fan favourites (including, “Mob Rules,” “Children Of The Sea,” “Bible Black,” “Die Young,” their/the release’s namesake songs and more)—might have been momentous at the time, little did anyone know it would be Dio’s last shining moment ever. And here it is for us to enjoy eternally.

Yet while many will ostensibly see Neon Nights as little more than a cheap cash-grab spurred on by the inevitable posthumous buying frenzy that occurs after the death of a musical hero, truth of the matter is that it was actually Dio’s baby. Pleased with the gig, he took a primary role in the DVD’s production until falling ill.

Such is why this affair feels so thrilling yet weighty. It captures Heaven & Hell’s finest albeit final moments of doomy atmosphere, immaculate musicianship and definitive/trademark girth. And now, as Appice (a musical colleague and personal friend of the crooner for some 30 years) relates, it serves as a sad reminder of what the world lost.

“I haven’t watched it yet,” he admits with heaviness. “We mixed it and Ronnie, Geezer and I went down to the studio to watch the footage early on. We were like, ‘Wow, this is really cool.’ Then we listened to the whole thing and made any changes we needed to. That’s when we realized what a great show it was and how Ronnie just sang his heart out that night. He did it so well. But I’ve never really sat down and watched it. It would be really hard to right now. I’d look at Ronnie and see how strong he was and how great his voice was. I’d think nothing was gonna take the guy down. It’s kind of weird that something did take him down. Yeah…it would be hard to watch.”

With the wound of Dio’s departure so fresh and Appice unable to even view that which he is promoting, it’s a wonder as to why the surviving Heaven & Hell members would still opt to issue Neon Nights. Despite being the obvious homage to their fallen comrade, since it was already in the works, Appice and crew feel the concert is such a perfect representation of the band, fans across the globe deserve to enjoy this monumental moment.

“It’s a really special concert for us. It’s the last video performance of Ronnie with the band, which is special. It wound up being an awesome show. Everyone played great, it was a great crowd and a huge festival. It’s also one of those nights when everything went down perfectly. There were no technical difficulties, nothing broke down or anything like that so it was in the cards that it was gonna be a great night…It was in the works to put it out before Ronnie got sick. When Ronnie got sick, it made it a bit more special, so it was definitely time to put it out. It’s for the fans and for the band.”

Still, Appice notes that Heaven & Hell might not be finished just yet. Despite conflicting emotions, after successfully testing the water during a recent committed engagement, there might be a future beyond Neon Nights.

“We did a show in the summer that was (initially) booked with Ronnie at London’s High Voltage festival, deciding to play it and donate the money to Ronnie’s Stand Up And Shout cancer fun. It was hard to go into rehearsals. We did them in Wales at this place we went to with Ronnie a lot and it was interesting being there without Ronnie being there. It was kinda like we felt him there, though.”

“Playing the songs and going up there without him or hearing him singing was really hard,” he continues. “Especially “Heaven & Hell.” That’s Ronnie’s song, you know? Those vocals. We had Glenn Hughes (Deep Purple/Black Sabbath) and Genre (Lande, Masterplan) singing and they were great, but it was so hard playing together without Ronnie being there. It was like, ‘Wow, this is really weird.’ But everything went well. We continued on, got the songs tight, worked out a nice show, played and hit it. The audience loved it and we raised money too, so it was a good thing, y’know? Ronnie would’ve been smiling. So I guess the door’s still open. We haven’t made any plans yet but we’re all talking. You never know. It’ll happen when it happens. We were thinking of getting Elton John to sing for us,” he jokes. “What do you think: Heaven & Hell and Elton? Heaven & Elton? Heaven & Hell-ton? Nah…”