Zane Ewton's antiMUSIC memories: Meeting DIO

As a small town boy who loved rock 'n roll, my daydreams were usually filled with concerts and meeting the people who made the incredible racket screaming from my bedroom stereo. At that point, the closest I ever came to meeting a rock star was when the tour bus for Foghat broke down by the truck stop at the end of town.

By the time I graduated college I was able to see a few concerts, and even felt comfortable enough in my love of music and journalism skills to apply as a writer for antiMUSIC. While the site celebrates 10 years, I personally mark my fourth year as a contributor.

Of the fond memories I have, among the best was when I got the chance to meet Ronnie James Dio, on tour supporting the Master of the Moon record. Now that I am older, I am more apprehensive about meeting my heroes. Experience has shown me that musicians can be lousy bastards. Fortunately, they can also be more than you could hope for.

Dio was playing Alice Cooperstown in Phoenix, AZ. I had heard rumors of Dio being one of the lousy bastard musicians, but his demeanor on stage removed my fears, and meeting him after the show blew those notions away completely. Cooperstown is an odd venue. Over half the crowd is pushed off to the side of the stage, I guess so people in the restaurant can see the action as well. Unfortunately, I lot of paying ticketholders were stuck with a view of the monitors and keyboardist Scott Warren's derriere.

Dio took to the stage and sang his guts out, greeted the crowd warmly and took time to acknowledge the fans stuck on stage right. He put on a pitch perfect rock show during a crisp October evening. All that was missing was a fire breathing dragon.

After the show, my wife and I bunkered down with a few obnoxiously drunken fans and waited for nearly three hours to meet Ronnie James Dio. Three hours was really pushing it – we both had to work the next day and my wife had just finished a full shift at her restaurant before the show. I am glad we stayed though because when I met him he was genuinely nice. He signed a t-shirt for my mom – looking back, I am embarrassed to have asked him to sing a shirt for my mom. I am sure that made him feel good – and he thanked me and gave me a hug. Now, if you saw me standing next to him, the idea of the two of us hugging is laughable. I honestly don't remember what we talked about while he signed the shirt and our after show passes, other than when he hugged me he told me to be good.