Dio – Evil or Divine

Ronnie James Dio fans aren’t getting any younger. To save nursing homes the trouble and expense of loading up all the old people into wheelchairs, loading them up into the retirement wagon and dragging their wrinkled hineys to the nearest concert venue. Dio has released Evil or Divine on DVD, a live concert from 2002.

Aw, c’mon. We kid because we love. I hope to be in the shape Ronnie James is in when I’m his age, which is basically impossible, seeing as though he’s 30+ years older than me, and already in better shape than I am. The 100 minute long DVD features Ronnie James in top form — running, performing, and of course, singing, without ever missing a beat. It’s guys like this that make Axl Rose’s and Rob Zombie’s live vocal performances seem embarassing.

Of course, Dio OUGHT to be good at this — he’s been doing it for a long, long time. From Rainbow, to Black Sabbath, to his incredible solo career, Dio has been rocking longer than most nu-metal band members have been alive. And in Evil or Divine, he gives them a history lesson.

The moment you see the track names “drum solo” and “guitar solo”, you know you’re going to be treated to a classic-style metal show, and Dio delivers. With material spanning his entire career, Dio delivers on such hits as “Rainbow in the Dark”, “Holy Diver”, and “Man on the Silver Mountain”. Dio also treats viewers with tracks from his latest release, Killing the Dragon.

The DVD delivers beautiful audio. With dolby digital, 5.1, and DTS tracks to choose from, this disc is guaranteed to blow your speakers wide open. Unfortunately, the video quality isn’t quite as good — it’s pretty grainy, and looks it was either blown up or highly compressed. Either way, once the music kicks in you really won’t care.

Beside the concert footage, the DVD also contains an interview, some behind the scenes footage, a photo gallery, and a music video (“Push”).

I’ve started collecting these DVDs for my son. He’s two years old, but I’m convinced when he gets older all that will be left on MTV and the radio will be boy bands, teenage girls singing computer-generated hits, and lots and lots of rap. And when he’s older, he’ll ask me about “the good ol days.” And when he does, I’ll put this DVD on and we’ll rock out together. And then he’ll ask me if he can cut his mullet and I’ll say no.

01. Killing the Dragon
02. Egypt/Children of the Sea
03. Push
04. Drum Solo
05. Stand Up and Shout
06. Rock and Roll
07. Dont Talk to Strangers
08. Man on the Silver Mountain
09. Guitar Solo
10. Long Live Rock and Roll
11. Lord of the Last Day
12. Fever Dreams
13. Holy Diver
14. Heaven and Hell
15. The Last in Line
16. Rainbow in the Dark
17. We Rock

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