A follow-up on the Dio post. Perhaps the best concert I’ve ever been — in terms of feeling — was a Dio concert in Irving Plaza, New York, April 29, 2000. Now I found a taped video of that particular show, featuring almost every song, on YouTube! If I remember correctly I actually stood somewhere near where this taping guy was.
The set-up is classic: it’s Vinny on drums, Craig on guitar and Jimmy on bass. Dio and his voice were great. The climax of the show was the last one, a medley of silver mountain and long live. See it here and hear how the whole club sings along:
When I found the clip, it felt simply unreal to get into the moment again. It really happened! It was also amazing to hear Dio’s words again, just like I remembered them: “Long live new york city, long island, …, and rock and roll!” Those words have run through my head many times thereafter.