Dio tribute band makes Tacoma debut

Photo courtesy of band

LAST IN LINE. Stand Up & Shout brings their tribute to Ronnie James Dio to Hell’s Kitchen on May 1.

Ronnie James Dio ranks among the legendary heavy-metal singers. He began in the 1960s with the bluesy hard rock outfit Elf. He moved on to Rainbow, formed by former Deep Purple guitarist Richie Blackmore. Next was the daunting task of replacing Ozzy Osbourne in Black Sabbath.

Dio was up to the task. He recorded two studio albums with them, “Heaven and Hell” and “Mob Rules,” and a live album, “Live Evil.” His songwriting and frontman skills revived the band’s status and commercial success.

He left the band in 1982 and formed a solo project, Dio. His first album, “Holy Diver,” and its follow-up, “Last In Line,” sold millions of copies. Dio quickly was headlining major arenas with elaborate sets and light shows.

Among his fans are five musicians in the Seattle-based band Stand Up & Shout. It consists of Chris Zio on vocals, Singe the Demon Hand and Lightning Surge on guitars, Jericho the Bass Monk on bass and Animal on drums.

The group was formed in August 2007. Zio and Singe have known each other since 1991. Singe and Lightning Surge were in a band that fizzled out. They decided on a tribute band and considered several groups. Bands like Iron Maiden already had many tributes, while there were only three Dio tributes in the world.

The band’s name is the leadoff song on “Holy Diver.”

The members’ exposure to Dio was varied. In his first band in the early 1990s, a band mate turned Singe on to some Dio concert videos. “At that time I had only heard ‘Rainbow In The Dark,’” he recalled. “I did not know he was in Sabbath.”

Zio became a fan in the early 1980s. “I was hooked from the moment I heard him,” he said. “There is so much magic and power in his music. As a student of theology it really took me for a ride. Much of the music is spiritual on many levels.”

Dio’s lyrics stood out from more hedonistic metal subject matter in the 1980s, Singe observed. “It was not just about chicks and cars.”

Early on they played material from “Holy Diver,” “Last In Line” and the third album, “Sacred Heart,” all from the peak of Dio’s commercial success.

After nailing down an initial set, each member came up with a song to learn. Thus their repertoire grew to include Rainbow tunes like “Man On The Silver Mountain,” Sabbath classics like “Neon Knights” and “Children Of The Sea” and some of Dio’s more recent material.

Zio said they observe the crowd’s reaction. They dropped one Rainbow tune when fans seemed blasé to it. “We are watching to see what the Dio fans want, not just what we like.”

Zio has seen Dio perform numerous times, meeting him on a few occasions, and has spent countless hours watching concert footage. It shows in his performance, as he seems to have mastered Dio’s hand gestures and facial expressions.

“He eats, drinks and breathes Dio,” Jericho remarked.

Zio, who is also an artist, made their stage props. These include Murray, a demonic mascot Dio used on several album covers, which sits above the drum kit.

“We want the fans to have as close of an experience as they can to being at a Dio concert,” Jericho said.

Their first show in Tacoma is a bill with Off The Rails, an Ozzy Osbourne tribute band. Zio said Ozzy and Dio have never played a show together. It takes place at Hell’s Kitchen at 9 p.m. on May 1.

On June 19 they play Bender’s in Renton. If the turnout is good, the owner may give Stand Up & Shout an ongoing spot on his schedule.

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