Greetings, everyone. I want to share my experiences of the past week as I attended four shows by my idol, the great Ronnie James Dio. I had planned to attend the shows on 12-10-02 at Towson, MD, 12-11-02 at Washington, DC, 12-13-02 at the Roseland Ballroom in NYC, and then 12-14-02 at Worcester, Mass, and 12-15-02 in Hartford, CT. Unfortunately, work and time constraints forced me to miss the NYC show and the live filming at the Roseland for the upcoming DVD release, but the other four shows went off without a hitch.

I had arranged for a few days off from work during the second week of December, and on Tuesday, 12-10, I took the two hour drive from my home in the Phila, Pa 'burbs to Towson, Maryland. The drive was uneventful and in the early afternoon I arrived at my room at the Ramada Inn in Towson. Towson is a fairly well-populated town about ten minutes north of Baltimore. My hotel room was about two miles from the Recher (pronounced "wrecker" ) Theatre, site of the evening's performance. After check-in, I drove to the theatre and scouted out parking and backstage accessibility. The parking lot was directly behind the arena and finding a spot was easy. The tour busses and equipment trailers were parked by the backstage door. I fully intended to wait as long as necessary after the show to meet, and hopefully get my picture taken with the Man himself.

Back to the hotel for a bite to eat and a quick nap before the show. I left the room and returned to the arena at 6:30 pm. The ticket showed the doors opening at 7 pm, and I definitely wanted to get as close to the stage as possible. The opening acts were Hammerfall, a power-metal band from Sweden, and Kings-X, a trio from Texas whom I had heard very little from in the past.

There were only twenty or so people waiting in line at the door, and I struck up conversation with a few of them. One was a hardcore punk/anarchist type with a Jello Biafra tee shirt and funky haircut. His name was Kool-Aid. He told me about the underground scene in Towson and where to go for the best pizza in town. When I told him I was from Philly he asked about the music scene there, and we discussed the infamous South Street shop Zipperheads. He was only twenty years old (I'm 33) but he was familiar with Dio's work with Rainbow and also with Ritchie Blackmore's current enterprise, Blackmore's Night.

The doors opened and we went in. The Recher is a small venue, with the stage only about 25 ft. across. We went to the front and took places at the barricade. I was just to the right of center stage. Off to my right one of Hammerfall's guitar techs was readying their gear for the show. I began talking to him and discovered he was Vince Dennis, bassist for the metal band Steel Prophet. I recognized the name right away, they were the band who did an awesome cover of Neon Knights for the Holy Dio tribute double-CD set. It was my favorite track on the set, and I was glad to shake his hand and tell him so. While conversing with him I was also fortunate to meet Mark Mathias, manager of a Towson-area metal outfit called Seventh Seal. I checked out their website at www.seventhsealband.com and heard a short sampling of their music, they definitely have talent, and I recommend checking them out.

Finally, on with the show! Hammerfall came onstage to a thundering intro and played about a half-hour set, six songs. The looked for all the world like a time machine had transported them from 1986 right to the stage that night! All five members were dressed in leather and armor, (that's right-armor, chain mail and everything!) and even thought they were somewhat crowded on the small stage, they rampaged about like Vikings bent on pillage. Their lead guitarist is a huge guy, standing almost seven feet tall, and really stood out. The bassist reminded me of Iron Maiden's Steve Harris. The vocalist was right on key and sounded great. He interacted with the crowd throughout the show and really gave it his all. I was impressed. Hammerfall is a group who really love what they do for a living, and it showed. I would love the chance to hear a longer set from them someday. At the end of their set there were about twenty or so fans leading a chant of "Hammerfall, Hammerfall!' with raised fists. Obviously this band has built a following, and I wish them much success.

King-X was next, and I have to say, I don't know how they were expected to fit into a bill that placed them between Hammerfall and Dio! This trio seemed like a better fit playing with Limp Bizkit or Soundgarden then any power-metal bands. They played about a thirty-five minute set, seven songs, and did not play the one song of theirs I knew best, Black Flag. While the crowd had been fired up watching Hammerfall, they stood in near silence for Kings-X. I saw a few people yawn, and during the bassist/singers attempts to talk to the crowd I heard many shouts of "DIO DIO DIO". I felt bad for them being so out of place, but they were pros and played well. Ty Tabor, King-X guitarist, has considerable talent and played some very nice Hendrix-inspired licks. They ended with a raucous jam through their last song.

Now it was DioTime! I stood quaking with anticipation as the crew changed over the stage for Ronnie James & Co. Dio's sound engineer seemed to be having issues with the second monitor, and this caused a delay of at least a few minutes, but finally the lights dimmed and the "Killing the Dragon" intro came on. I saw Simon Wright take his place behind the drums and then Ronnie came onto the stage. The Recher was small enough that even before the stage lights went on, everyone saw him standing there at his mike stand. Simon kicked into his cue, and the lights came on in a flash, and there was Dio! Ronnie roared into the first line of Killing the Dragon and I felt a crush of humanity surging forward, and dozens of hands reaching out to touch his.

Ronnie was in great form, all through the first song he touched the "horns" with every fan in front who extended his hand, myself included, and made an effort to make contact with as many people as he could. He made eye contact with me a couple of times and I even got a full handshake as he leaned over my way. One guy muscled his was in between myself and another fan, but yelled in my ear, "I'm not trying to butt in, I just want to touch his hand one time". I let him get in next to me, and he reached out to Ronnie, and surprisingly, RJD came right over and "locked horns" with the guy right away!

Next was the Egypt/Children of the Sea medly, which sounded great, but I noticed Ronnie pointing to the troublesome monitor and yelling to the sound guy. This proved to be a continuing problem throughout the show, and seemed to cause Ronnie some grief.

The single from KTD, Push, followed, then Simon Wright's drum solo. Simon still uses a classical loop played behind his drums for about half the solo, but it is a different piece from "O Fortuna" which he used earlier in the tour. Stand up and Shout was next, with Ronnie again visiting the sound engineer during the solo, and wildly waving his hands and pointing to the monitor. This time he shrugged and shook his head, then returned to the song. Ronnie followed up with Don't Talk to Strangers.

At about this time in the show Ronnie exhibited the humor he seems to be well known for. A young lady came forward and handed him a bunch of flowers, which made him smile widely, and he showed them to the audience before saying into the mike, "Thank you, thank you, this is the first decent meal I've had in about two weeks!". Later on another gal handed him a KTD CD cover and a pen, to which Ronnie remarked laughingly "'xcuse me while I sign an autograph, I've got nothing better to do right now". Stopping in the middle of the show to sign a CD case for a fan is one of the classiest things I have ever seen a performer do.

Rock and Roll was next, with Ronnie mentioning the ridiculous censoring of our music on NYC radio stations following the Sept. 11 massacre. The strain of playing with malfunctioning gear was beginning to show, as Ronnie reached the line in Rock and Roll that goes "is there sight without sound..." he looked the the sound guy again and said into the mike " not here!"

After Rock and Roll he lit into Man on the Silver Mountain. This is one of my all time favorite songs, and usually it is played way too fast on stage, but Ronnie seemed to slow it down a bit, and it sounded great! Doug Aldrich did a great job and Jimmy Bain seemed very steady and comfortable playing this old Rainbow favorite.

Doug took his solo during this song, and I was very impressed. This is the first time I had seen him up close doing what he does best, and he was very tight. His skills really showed through as he went from a classical/fusion mix into blusey  rhythm , and Yngwie-like arpeggios. I remember seeing Vivian Campbell with Dio back in '85, and Doug, in my opinion, was far better.

Long Live Rock and Roll was done as the last half of MOTSM, in the usual combo, then Ronnie introduced Lord of the Last Day, and Fever Dreams. During these songs his voice really climbed and soared, he sounded great, despite the ongoing difficulties with the monitors.

Holy Diver and Heaven and Hell came next, with the crowd really getting into things. Doug actually stepped down off of the stage and played the solo to Holy diver right in front of me, close enough almost to touch. During the beginning of H&H Ronnie extended the mike to the crowd on a few occasions and let us carry the lyrics for him. This was the final song of the regular set, and as the band left the stage and I waited with trembling hands for the encores. Would he do Rainbow in the Dark? He had not played this, my favorite Dio tune of all, during his stint opening with Deep Purple/Scorpions, and I desperately wanted to hear it again. The band came back on after a few minutes and Ronnie called out the next tune, Last in Line. This got a huge ovation from the crowd, and Ronnie responded, delivering a roof-shaking performance. After LIL, he came to the mike and announced Rainbow in the Dark! I stood with my eyes glued on his every move, transfixed on Doug's impeccable finger work during the solo, knowing that the long drive down here was definitely worth it!

They closed with a thundering rendition of We Rock, one of my favorite songs to see life, then it was out to the parking lot in back to try to meet Ronnie and the band for the first time in the twenty-plus years I have been a fan.

I retrieved my camera from my truck and stood patiently with a small group of fans in the back lot, watching the crew begin to load the gear back on the trailer for the trip to the Wash DC show the next night. It was freezing cold but we all agreed that we wanted to meet him so badly that it was worth a little frostbite and frozen toes, so we waited. I began a conversation with a gent dressed in denim, who told me he was there to do a review of the show for www.metalmaniacs.com. I did not get the guy's name, so I have no way of knowing for sure he was for real.

After only a half-hour or so a security guy came over and told us Dio would not be coming out, and we should go home. At this, the *alleged* reporter for MM.Com began running his mouth, telling everyone within earshot "That's why he was fired from Sabbath!!" I told him I had heard of instances where people said Dio would not appear, and then Ronnie came out anyway, so he should wait and see, but the guy decided to take his attitude and go home. I guess he wasn't there when Ronnie stopped the show to sign the CD case for that lucky girl in the front row.

I decided to wait, after all, I had driven quite a way and didn't want to waste a chance to meet the Great One, but I observed a chap in a Hard Rock Cafe jacket talking to a few of the other fans, and they looked dejected. I went over and asked him what was up, and he said "Ronnie won't be coming out, he can't risk catching a cold with a live show to be filmed in NYC in a couple days". I told him I had driven all the way from Philly, and was there any way he could arrange just a quick autograph. He said no, there wasn't, but when I told him I would be attending three of the next four shows his demeanor brightened. He said " My name's Willie, ask for me by name, after the next show, I'll take whatever you've got in to Ronnie and get him to sign it."

I asked "Are you Willie Fyfe?" and he said "Yes". I knew right away that at least I'd get my autograph. I thanked him and told him I'd see him after the DC show. It turned out his offer was never needed, but I thank him just the same.

I returned to my hotel room, pleased to have seen a kick-ass show and grateful to Willie not to have been made to stand in the cold for nothing.

The next night Dio performed in Washington DC. Since Towson seemed close to DC I had reserved the room at the Ramada for two nights, figuring to make the drive to DC and then back to sleep before driving home, but in hindsight this was a mistake. It rained a cold, miserable rain all day Wed, 12-11, and I believed I would not get the chance to meet RJD after the show, there would be no way he would come out in the crappy weather if he was worried about his voice. The drive into DC took over an hour, and when I arrived the Nightclub 9:30 for the show I had to ask to be sure I was in the right place. It was in a pretty rough neighborhood. I stopped for gas a few blocks from the club and saw four bullet holes in the glass of the gas station. No kidding, really. I took a picture of them. Luckily the club had a fenced in and guarded parking lot, and I entered just in time to catch the last couple songs of Hammerfall's set. Maybe it was the weather, but there were only a hundred people in the place, and the concert floor was sparse. After Hammerfall left the stage a few folks who had been right in front left and myself and a couple others moved in. I was directly front, center! WhooHoo! I settled in and chatted with a couple guys about Dio, Rainbow, and other topics while waiting for King-X to finish, and then it was DioTime again!

This time I had decided to take a risk. During the Towson show a fellow had handed me a small camera and asked me to snap a pic of the stage, so I did. Later, however, this guy asked another dude next to me to take a pic for him, only to have a security guy berate him and tell him to lose the camera. Now, though, I thought I would be brave and I brought a small Fuji disposable camera into the show. As Dio's sound guy was setting up I was presented with a golden opportunity. At Towson, Dio had not used the large Killing the Dragon backdrop, probably because of the limited room behind the stage, but here in DC it was there, unfurled for all to see. Simon Wright's drum set was uncovered, and the sound guy set up Ronnie's microphone and stand right in front of me, I hunched down and took a quick pic. I thought the mike stand, alone there at center stage in front of the drums and backdrop would be a perfect computer desktop!

On with the show! Dio came on with the same set as the night before, however without We Rock at the end. He had no trouble with his amps, and sounded great! Again, he touched hands with the crowd and made contact with as many as he could. It was a great night of music. I snapped as many pix as I dared, keeping one last frame in case I got the chance to meet Dio after the show. The crowd was very small, maybe 250 or so, but enthusiastic. Dio was well received and didn't seem to care whether he played for 250 or 25,000.

Here's the high point of the night. About halfway through the show I noticed the guy standing next to me also had a camera, although his was a 35mm compact with a short telephoto lens. I never take good cameras to shows, for fear of theft or confiscation, but this guy seemed to have no problems, and no one said anything to him about it. Between a couple songs, as Ronnie spoke to the crowd, this guy yelled to him "Ronnie..I met you a couple years ago. Remember me?" and handed Dio his camera! I couldn't believe it, but Ronnie joked a little as he figured out how to use it, then took a picture of us from the stage! I was right there next to the guy and I know I am in that pic! I came to DC to get a picture of myself with Ronnie, and here I am having HIM take a pic of ME! When the show ended I asked the guy, whose name turned out to be Ed, if he would email or send me a copy of the pic. He said he would, and I certainly hope he does!

Outside, after the show, I went across the street to the tour busses. Again I ran into Steel Prophet's Vince Dennis and said hello, then met up with a small group of fans waiting for Dio. Immediately I felt optimistic. The rain had stopped and the tour busses were right across from the main entrance to the club, so unless Ronnie had made a mad dash for the bus right after going offstage, he would have to come past us if he wanted to get out of town! Haha! I was getting my autograph, no matter what!

I chatted with the group of fans for a while, including one guy from Virginia who had a Rainbow Rising album sleeve autographed by Ritchie Blackmore! He wanted Jimmy Bain and Ronnie to sign it, in the worst way! Can't say I blame him.

One of the people waiting to meet him was the girl from the front row at the Towson show, who had handed Ronnie the KTD CD case to sign, and we chatted for a while. She was very nice and had met Ronnie before, but wanted another chance. She wasn't dressed for the below freezing cold, and was very uncomfortable.

The show had ended about midnight, and by 1:30 A.M. all but six of us had left, including the gal from Towson, who's parting salutation was "I know he'll come out ten minutes after I leave, but it's too cold out here!". She was more right then she knew. While we waited Ed, the guy who had handed Ronnie the camera during the show, came out and came up to me. He showed me a packet of prints he had taken during the Magica tour, at that same club, two years earlier. He also had a pic he had taken with Ronnie, and hope to get it signed.

At about 2:00 am Ed elbowed me, and pointed to the club door. Jimmy Bain was walking over to us! Jimmy came right over and said "Hi mates" and smiled. Everyone got a handshake from him and he signed my KTD tour shirt. He didn't say much, but he was a very nice guy and took a moment for everyone.

As I looked at his signature on the shirt I happened to glance up, towards the club door, and there was Ronnie James Dio in person! He came over to us, dressed in black pants and a suede jacket, with Willie right alongside. He didn't even wait to get near us before saying "Hello everyone.." and holding out his hand. He shook hands with everyone, and "touched horns" with a few of us, then started the meet-and-greet. I was closest, so I introduced myself and shook his hand, warmly, and told him how much I enjoyed the show. He thanked me, and when I told him I was following his last few shows up to Massachusetts and Connecticut he put his hand on my shoulder and smiled, and thanked me again. I asked him to sign my ticked stub, and handed him a Sharpie, he took the stub and signed it, and the one from the Towson show also, and when I mentioned that Jimmy Bain had signed my shirt he took that and signed it too! I was amazed! Any celebrity would be justified to just sign one thing, then go on to the next person, but here was my hero of two thirds of my life signing three things for me! I was stunned. As he signed the shirt I was still at a loss for words, there were so many things I wanted to tell him, or ask him, and I knew he had little time to chat, but I decided to tell him the one thing I always wanted to tell him. He shook my hand again after handing the shirt back, and I said simply "Thank you for all the years of music, you have no idea what it means to me". I told him of a time when I was younger, how after a period of great personal loss and tragedy I suffered severe depression, and would often stay up all night listening to Rainbow in the Dark over and over again, and how the emotions in his music had touched me, and at this he said something I will never forget. He said in a very quiet voice " I want you to know, the reason you hear those emotions in those songs is because that's what I was actually feeling when I wrote them". Then, much to my total surprise, he wrapped his arms around my shoulders, and gave me a hug, like a long lost brother or friend I hadn't seen in years. At that moment I realized that Ronnie James Dio is more then just a singer, he is a man who expresses his feelings and dreams, creativity and pain, everything about himself, through his music, and that is why he has lasted as long as he has, and why his fans are so loyal. They understand him, and he understands us.

Ronnie turned to the other fans and began chatting with them, and I turned to go, but he said "Wait, do go yet", so I stayed, I guessed he had seen my camera and knew I wanted a pic. As he chatted with the other fans I noticed something remarkable about him; while talking to me he was quiet and comforting, serious and understanding, reacting to my personality and emotional state, but when he went to talk with the other fans he became animated, jovial and humorous, telling jokes and laughing loudly, totally reading the mood of the people he was meeting and adjusting his own attitude to theirs. I was dumbstruck that he had such affinity towards people's emotions.  I also noticed that when he talked to Ed, he remembered him from the front row and recognized him as the guy who had handed him the camera. He joked with him a bit, commenting that he hadn't played We Rock because he had to stop to take pictures from the stage! Ed handed him the stack of prints from the Magica show, and Ronnie signed every single one of them! Talk about being fan-friendly!

After this magical moment, it was time for my picture. Ronnie and I raised horns to the camera and one of the fans snapped my last exposure. Ronnie said to me "Boy that must be some fast film!" and I realized with horror that I had forgotten to turn on the flash! I had deliberately obtained a disposable camera with an switchable flash, since I had used them in concerts before with good results, usually the stage lights are more then bright enough to get good exposure, and the lighting outside Nightclub 9:30 was pretty bright I did not think to use the flash.

Ronnie said his goodbyes, and we all parted. I shook hands with Ed and thanked him for adding to the night's entertainment, and began my hour long drive back to the hotel. I was exhausted, but happy. I was sure the picture of  Ronnie and I would turn out, and also the pics from the show. The next morning, Thurs, 12-12, I headed home, arriving first at the 1-Hour photo shop to drop off the film.

I only slept a few hours, how could I sleep, when I knew the moment of a lifetime was caught on film only a few miles away, and when I awoke I raced to the photo shop to get my prints. As I opened the packet my stomach turned a backflip! Only four of the shots from the show had developed, and the one of Ronnie and I was just a black blob! I rode home feeling like a kid who's puppy had just chased a ball onto the highway. I believe I used enough foul language that day to offend Andrew Dice Clay.

Even though the bulk of the pics had not come out, the four that did were some very good poses of Ronnie, and with the red lights over the stage seeming to provide most of the illumination they showed a good effect. I was happy with them, and the germ of an idea began forming. Read the last part of this article to see what it was!

Since I had only taken enough time off from work to attend the two shows during the week, and the Worcester and Hartford shows were still to come, I worked my usual shift at the factory I call my second home that night, and again on Friday, and then readied myself for the second half of my Odyssey.

    On Saturday, 12-15, I drove to north to Allentown and picked up my lovely girlfriend Vicki, and we headed up I-78 towards NYC, and on to Massachusetts. I told her of my misfortune with the camera and accepted her commiserations. We arrived at the Beechwood Hotel in Worcester, Mass, at about 6 pm. The Palladuim was only about three miles away, and we settled in to a nice dinner and watched Oceans 11 on HBO. I was excited about the show, but beginning to feel a little under the weather. It seems standing out in the cold down there in Wash DC had given me a sore throat and I knew a cold was coming on. I hoped the exertion of the show wouldn't worsen it.

Since Vicki knew nothing of Ronnie's music I had played a selection of his best work for her on the five hour drive to Worcester, and since we needed the rest we decided to skip Hammerfall and Kings-X. We arrived at the Palladium just as Dio hit the stage. I had thought about trying to get some better pictures at this show, and had obtained another disposable camera for that reason, but since we arrived late we couldn't get close enough to the stage to bother trying. We hung back and watched the show, content in the fact that I had proven my loyalty by making the trip, and wanting to baby my cold so I didn't puke on RJD if indeed I met him again!

The show was the same as DC, although the mix didn't sound as tight, but overall I had a good time. Vicki seemed to enjoy herself, although she knew only Rainbow in the Dark out of the set.

After the show I was feeling worse, with congestion and a bad cough, and I was so tired from the drive I realized that if I tried to stand out in the cold again I would be a wreck. If I didn't get my chance to meet Ronnie and replace the defective picture that night I would make myself so sick I'd never be able to try again at the Hartford show. Discretion being the better part of valor, I decided to return to the hotel and sleep it off, and try again Sunday night at the Webster Theatre.

Sunday I felt a bit better, and we checked out of the Beechwood and took the hour long drive south to Hartford, stopping for dinner and some fresh air at a nice little country inn. At the Webster we arrived again just as Dio was going on stage, and took places in the crowd about halfway back. Since this was the last night of the Killing the Dragon tour I half expected Dio to pull something special out of his hat, like maybe bring a guest on stage to give the crowd an added thrill, but no such luck. The show was good, Ronnie and Doug sounded especially strong and the audience of about 600 people responded well. They wound down the set with Rainbow in the Dark, and left the stage to a powerful ovation. We left the theatre to again pursue my dream.

One comment about the Webster Theatre...alcohol was served at the first two shows, in Towson and DC, and even with an open bar I saw no examples of fans getting out of hand. I didn't notice if there is a bar at the Palladium, but I saw no rowdy fans there either. At the Webster, they also had an open bar, and no sooner had we taken our places to see the show then a female patron began shoving me violently and screaming obscenities at me. I was a good three feet from her, and she had no reason to do this. Finally she shoved her way between myself and another male patron, causing him to turn  to me and say " Jeez, you need a @#!$% cattle prod in here!". I saw her begin harassing another person ahead of me, and I went to tell security. The guard I spoke to listened attentively, and called two other security people over to help. I gave them my complaint, and after listening to me and also the other gent this woman had shoved, they promptly tracked her down and gave her the boot! They were polite and understanding, definitely good people at their job.

Parking was remarkable easy at the Webster. and I had obtained a parking place just inside the lot behind the theatre. The tour busses were parked on the street by the main entrance, so again, I felt that optimism. I knew Ronnie would have to come by us to get to the bus! We ran around to the lot and got in my truck, left the lot, went around the block and parked right behind the Dio tour bus! In front of the bus, near the front door of the Web, was a couple of sections of waist high metal fence that had been placed there. It didn't keep anyone from walking right up to the bus, but gave the after show fans a place to lean. Trying to nurse my cold, we stuck to sitting in my Dodge Dakota with the heater running.

Off and on while we waited I walked over the the fans by the fence and chatted. I had some good conversations, and also looked for anyone from the ronniejamesdio.com message board, but found no one.

The show at the Webster had ended at midnight, and by 1:30 everyone was impatient, asking whomever happened to come by when RJD was coming out. Willie Fyfe was running around busily, but he took a minute to shake my hand and say hello, and assured me RJD would be out soon. I told him my pic had failed to come out, and he asked if I had another camera. I assured him I did.

That brings me to the camera. I run a part-time Ebay business (who doesn't these days) and I used to have a full time business selling online, so I always keep a Sony digital camera handy. Why, you ask, did I not have it in DC, when it would have come in handy so very well? The answer is simple, lose a 6.00 camera and you don't care. Lose a 400.00 camera and you cry. I don't like traveling with anything I don't want to lose! This time, though, I had the digital camera, and the Fuji disposable from the previous night as a backup.

There must have been quite some after-show party because it was 2:00 A.M. before Jimmy Bain and Doug Aldrich came out. I got both to sign my KTD CD, and had a pic taken with Doug, using the disposable camera, of course. I didn't want to risk wasting the battery on the Sony before Dio came out. Doug was a nice guy, he took time to talk to everyone and I told him how much I liked watching him play. He gave me a pick, and a big handshake, and then Simon Wright came over. I chatted with him for a few minutes, being an AC/DC fan as well as Dio. He was very friendly, and seemed glad so many people appreciated his work with AC/DC. He also signed the KTD CD.

Hammerfall's bus was parked nearby, and this gave me another chance to get a pic. I met their towering guitarist, Oscar, and their lead singer. Both were amiable and friendly, posing for pix and signing whatever we offered.

The tension was becoming painful around 3:00 A.M., and Dio hadn't come out yet! I corralled Willie and was informed that the backstage pass holders were about to go in, then RJD would be coming out. I asked him " What do you have to do to get a backstage pass, anyway?" and Willie answered with one of the wisecracking quips he's so good at. "Nothing I'd want to do with you, mate!". He chuckled as he said it, and everyone listening had a good laugh. Jimmy Bain was nearby, smoking a cigarette and he was nice enough to pose for me with Willie in front of the Dio tour bus. I used the digital camera for that one, just to be safe.

Finally, at 4:00 A.M. sharp, Ronnie came out. By this time there were only ten people left waiting, but we all woke up, cracked our frozen knuckles, and went over to him.

Ronnie remembered me, and smiled, shook my hand and I told him my picture hadn't come out. He was very pleasant, and said "Well we can take care of that".

Now for the idea that had been brewing ever since I had returned from the photo shop with only four good shots of the DC show. Each pose in those pix was different. One I especially liked. It was Ronnie standing just off center, with his fist in the air, probably taken right at the beginning of Last in Line. The other three were a little different, but all good poses. Remembering how Ronnie had signed all of Ed's prints, I asked him to sign these, one to me, and the other three to friends of mine who are also Dio fans. Ronnie very agreeable signed each one as I asked, then he got to the last one and cracked a killer joke.! As I handed him the pic I told him, "This is for a good pal of mine, his name is Chris, but after a little joke he does we all call him Number Four. Would you make it out to '4', just the number?" Ronnie looked at me and grinned, inscribed the number '4' on it, and signed it, then hesitated, looked at me and said "My number's 6!" He wrote a '6' on the pic, and handed it back to me! I was in hysterics! He signed my other two ticket stubs and also the KTD CD, giving me the complete band autographs! I handed Willie the Sony digital camera and he snapped a killer pic of Ronnie and I, which I promptly checked the preview of on the little screen, and after making sure it was good as gold, thanked Ronnie again, and made my was back to the truck, happy as a clam.

When I got to the truck, I decided that since my digital camera took short movies, I would fill up the rest of the disc with a clip of Ronnie signing autographs and talking to the fans. I went back over and shot about 30 secs of mpg's. I ran back to the truck and went to play back the clip and show Vicki the still shot of Ronnie and I, but the screen read "Disc Error!" I practically panicked as I tried to play back the still pic, but to no avail! All I got was a maddening "Disc Error" upon the screen! I was on the verge of tears! Could I be robbed again by fate?!

Racing back to the bus a third time, I saw Ronnie was finishing up with the last fan, and Willie was tapping him on the shoulder and pointing to his watch, time to go. I grabbed Willie and told him about the camera, and my situation, and he rolled his eyes, but took my backup Fuji disposable, Ronnie turned around, and Willie took another pic, this time WITH the flash!. We said goodbye again, and the boarded the bus, away to another Strange Highway.

All through the drive home I fretted, and could barely contain myself. Had the digital camera I used every day with total reliability finally picked this time to barf up a screw?

I arrived home at 8:00 am, so tired I could barely think, but ran to my computer and inserted the floppy, right out of the camera. I tried to open the picture but the floppy just kept spinning and spinning, no picture loaded, nothing was there! The camera had put it on the disc, but in some garbled gibberish no program I have could read! Oddly, the pic of Jimmy Bain and Willie Fyfe came out perfectly, but the next one on the disc, of Ronnie and I, was ruined! The digital camera sat on my desk, mocking me, and suddenly I decided the camera had to die. I whipped it by it's strap overhead into the floor until parts were scattering across the room. Bye bye. This incident has fueled speculation by several people I know that maybe Ronnie just doesn't show up on film! I keep telling them, he's not a vampire, he's a wizard, there's a difference!

I ran the Fuji over the the photo shop, and within and hour, (a gut-wrenching hour!) I had my prints. There is was, Ronnie James Dio, and myself, perfectly clear and in living color! I went home and went to bed, waking up almost sixteen hours later.

16 total autographs, 53 pictures attempted, 9 actually in the bag, four ticket stubs, a tour shirt (which will never be worn!) a retired CD of Killing the Dragon, a bottle of Advil, some cold & flu medicine, 4 days, 5 night, 2 hotels, about 1500+ miles on my truck, 4 tanks of gas, about 16 Wendy's hamburgers, one romantic evening, a dead digital camera, and one picture of a lifetime!

The prints Ronnie signed for my friends went over big, and now I have four ticket stubs, and tour shirt, CD, and personalized picture signed by the guy who has given me the most memorable and meaningful music of my life, and also one of the nicest guys you'd every want to meet. This was an adventure, to be sure, and if you asked me would I do it again, I'd say,...what do you think!

\m/

Richie B.

Ambler, Pa