Dio
We Rock DVD
Review by Greg Olma
Do you remember when metal was fun? Well if you need a reminder, pick up this DVD and be transported back in time to 1983-1984. Although I have been a fan of Dio (the man and the group) for quite some time, I have to admit that the material offered up on these 2 shows is some of their more potent performances. There are 2 concerts on this DVD, both of which have been released previously on videotape. The first show is from Utrecht, Holland. Many US fans have probably never seen this show or if they have, it was on bootleg video. What I like most about this show is the way it was filmed. It gave you the sense of being at the concert. The camera spends a bit of time on each shot giving it an almost raw feel. Modern concert DVDs jump from frame to frame so quickly that it takes away from the whole concert experience. It works for just a one song video, but for a whole show, it leaves the viewer exhausted. It is also great to see Vivian Campbell on his first world tour. He certainly had the musical chops, if not the stage presence, to play for Dio. The second show is the Special from the Spectrum concert video. This one has been widely circulated but it's still great to have it on DVD format. This show is a little more slickly produced with more cameras and the angles, giving it a more professional feel. This concert was filmed about a year after the first one and it shows just how quickly Dio turned into a well-oiled machine.
While I can whole-heartedly recommend this DVD, I do have a couple of complaints. First off, both shows are not complete. A song was left off of each concert seemingly for no specific reason. I feel that both songs could have been left in, especially since they were on the original videotapes. Also, I saw both of these tours live and know that even the videos were not the complete concerts. Re-releasing them on this new format would have been the perfect excuse to go back to the master tapes and release the full shows. My other complaint is that the only bonus material is a recent interview with Ronnie James Dio. While the interview is good, it would have been better to have dug up an interview (or other footage) from that era. If that would mean turning this single DVD into 2 DVD set, then so be it. But then again, I am a Dio complete-ist and my complaints only hold any validity to hardcore fans. For those of you who don't care about bonus footage, I suggest you go buy this DVD, invite some friends, flash the horns (standard heavy metal sign language), and get ready to stand up and shout. You won't be disappointed.
This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2006 Volume 1 at lulu.com/strangesound.
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