Sabbath Reunion with Ozzy - Terrible Idea

No one I know was really shocked to hear the news last Friday that Ozzy is getting back together with the rest of Sabbath for a 2012 tour and yes even a new album -- the first album since 1978's Never Say Die. It was the worst kept secret of the month, and something about the Spinal Tap-ish announcement on 11-11-11 seemed appropriate.

The response has been generally positive from what I have seen and people seem genuinely supportive. Me? I think this idea sucks. Ozzy jumped the shark 15 - 20 years ago and I guarantee the new album will be a piece of crap and the tour will descend into Sabbath playing the same ten songs they always play with Ozzy.

You want proof? See this Ozzfest show from 1999. You think Ozzy is going sound any better with these guys 13 years later? Dream on.
 

Contrast that with the STELLAR Dio reunion and Iommi and crew should have just gone out on a high note.
  Call me a curmudgeonly old fart but I dunno...

Rare Dio-Era Rainbow Videos

To get your three-day weekend started off in style (or if you are not the U.S., your 2-day weekend), dig these killer Dio-era Rainbow videos, posted by Rainbow bassist Bob Daisley himself.

The back story, as according to Blabbermouth.net:

Bassist Bob Daisley, who was a member of Rainbow from 1977 to 1979, has posted high-quality video footage of the band performing the songs "Gates of Babylon," "Long Live Rock 'N' Roll" and "L.A. Connection" at a New York studio prior to the release of the band's third studio album, 1978's "Long Live Rock 'N' Roll." 

Although Bob Daisley and David Stone are listed on the "Long Live Rock 'N' Roll" credits for their contributions, they joined Rainbow after the recording sessions had already commenced and only appear on a couple of tracks. Guitarist Ritchie Blackmore played most of the bass parts himself for the album.

They are pretty obviously miming along but the vocals are for sure different from the record so maybe those were live. Regardless, these are pretty cool. Enjoy:

Gates of Babylon


Long Live Rock N Roll


LA Connection

BlackSabbath.com Posts Dio's Last Concert

Bittersweet to see this one, but here is Ronnie James Dio's last live performance ever. He still sounded epic - who knew he'd pass away just eight months later!

It's The Mob Rules, so enjoy it dammit!

Last Dio Track Ever Recorded

Let's wrap up this week's series of Dio posts with definitive evidence that the man went out on top.

Classic Rock.com posted a link to the below YouTube, a song called Elektra, which was slated to appear on a follow-up to Dio’s Magica album, released in 2000. The track was reportedly recorded before Dio’s stomach cancer had been diagnosed.

Magica was originally intended to be the first part of a trilogy of concept albums. Shortly before starting his (final) run of dates with Heaven And Hell, Dio announced that he planned to start working on new Magica material after the tour’s end.

This song is pretty pummeling, and shows that Dio's voice at 67 was as sharp as it was over his whole career. Enjoy the song, and have a great weekend everyone.

One More Dio Post

So here I am on a trip for work, running about 3 miles to my Dio mix, and I got some classics. Neon Knights from Live Evil is probably the most pummeling metal vocal I have ever heard. 'Nuff said.

There have been loads of comments, articles, stories the last two days. Notably the New York Times ran no fewer than three items - one a fairly amusing blog post about the lighter side of Dio. I will let you enjoy that here.

It's pointless to repeat it all but one interesting statement seemed to encompass everything. This is from Queen's Brian May:

“It’s a shock to hear that Ronnie has gone. Even though we had all known he was battling with cancer for some time, he was such a wiry fighter, and of such an amazingly optimistic nature, I think I assumed he would go on forever. Well, he fought to the very end… was gearing up to go back out on tour. I know this will be a very hard blow for my friend Tony Iommi. When I last saw Ronnie in Los Angeles, he was as full of life and positivity as anybody I’ve ever known… and sang up a storm with Heaven & Hell in the Universal Amphitheatre.

In my opinion, Ronnie was one of the creators of the genre of heavy metal. I’m not an expert on his work — there are many people much more knowledgeable than me… but our paths crossed many times over the years, and I had clear glimpses of his unique spirit and personality. He was in many ways the antithesis of the current mould of TV-bred singers. He had no apparent desire for fame, in the sense that so many X-Factor contestants seem to. He was not a TV face, a ‘celebrity.’ He just loved doing what he did. So, to his millions of fans, there was an unquestionable feeling of reality to his persona, his songwriting, and his performances. His lyric-writing was very distinctive, and set a style in heavy metal which has influenced many bands over the years. To me, it was as if his mind operated in layers — on the surface, a hard-working honest singer, with a great humanity and strong sense of humour — and underneath, in the world of his songs, his subconscious seemed to be populated by hobgoblins of all kinds, and palpable evil forever on the march. His lyrics, dark and mysterious, in tune with the metal ethos, always represented the sword of goodness in triumph over evil.

I don’t know if he invented the devil-horn salute, but he was certainly the man who, more than ever, made it a universal symbol, a worldwide salute of metal. He was universally loved in the community of rock music, and will be sorely missed.”

Still can't believe he lost that fight but there is a lot of his music to crank, so let's rock it this week. Horns at half mast...

Some Thoughts On Ronnie James Dio

It's been about 12 hours since I heard about Dio's passing and I am sitting in the Portland Airport waiting for a flight for work. Last night I created a "Dio mix" for the trip, comprised of his three studio albums with Rainbow, all his Sabbath work and Holy Diver, along with a bootleg or two.

Great to listen to but it's not like I had not been listening to Dio lately. Unlike some other bands that made a huge impression on me growing up, (The Who come to mind), I never really stopped listening to Dio.

I had the great, great fortune of seeing the man with Heaven & Hell just three years ago and as I posted in my review of that show, he blew me away. At age 65, he still sang better than most. I was frankly shocked at not only how excellent he was, but how many notches he raised Sabbath beyond when I had seen them with Ozzy a few months prior. It was like a different band.

And as stated by many others, Dio was also a great guy. I never heard a story of him treating people with anything but respect. No drugs or alcohol stories, yet he was not preachy about it. Even his reports on his battle with cancer were heartfelt and genuine.

At age 67, Dio went out at the TOP of his game. He will be missed but his influence will ripple forward for decades. Can anyone imagine the current state of heavy metal without him near the top? I can't. Below is his last interview, with Eddie Trunk, and a great live take on Heaven and Hell from the early 80s:


VH1 TV Shows Music Videos Celebrity Photos News & Gossip

RIP Ronnie James Dio

Sad, sad Sunday. From Wendy Dio:

Today my heart is broken, Ronnie passed away at 7:45am 16th May. Many, many friends and family were able to say their private good-byes before he peacefully passed away. Ronnie knew how much he was loved by all. We so appreciate the love and support that you have all given us. Please give us a few days of privacy to deal with this terrible loss. Please know he loved you all and his music will live on forever.

Total bummer and a great loss. I will post some personal thoughts tomorrow night. Come back and mourn with me.

April Fools and Dio Cancer Update

First up, the funny stuff. I totally duped my 10 year old by telling him I won a "bring the band to your neighborhood" contest and that KISS would be playing in our back yard for his birthday. Yes he bought it, yes he is gullible and yes I feel kinda bad. But he laughed when I busted out the April Fools on him. Ha ha.

In other news, it looks like Ronnie James Dio is beating his stomach cancer with regular chemo treatments. I stumbled on this report from a Texas station. Watch it a couple of times. They pull the sound down on a very humble Dio a couple of times when I am almost certain he's about to swear. He looks pretty good for a regular old 67 year old with crazy hair in a hospital hooked up to chemo machines.

But seriously, this is good news. Beat that bastard cancer, Dio, and then write some Devil songs about it.

What In The (Heaven and) Hell?

Man, it's been a tough couple of months for Heaven and Hell. Just saw today that drummer Vinny Appice will be out of commission for five months after shoulder surgery that he'll have today (11/30).

But that's nothing compared to Ronnie James Dio, who is reportedly battling stomach cancer. Dio's Web site posted the following last week: "Ronnie has been diagnosed with the early stages of stomach cancer. We are starting treatment immediately at the Mayo Clinic. After he kills this dragon, Ronnie will be back on stage, where he belongs, doing what he loves best, performing for his fans."

Eeeks. Here's best wishes for speedy recoveries for both guys.

Happy Birthday Dio - He's 67 (WHAAAAAT?)

Any of us aging rockers worried about not being able to cut it as we get older, or feeling the need to perhaps take up a different hobby so we don't seem ridiculous rocking away as we get closer to the rocking chair, dig this factoid - Ronnie James Dio turned 67 on Monday.

Dio is 7 years younger than my dad. And I gotta say, if my dad ever dressed up like Dio, I'd shoot myself.

I am sure Dio comes from some crazy healthy gene pool, and I am sure he must have partied a bit in the 70s (who didn't? - well, I was 9, so not me...) but the dude is a testament that moderation and taking care of yourself can pay off in spades as you get older.

Dio - 67. Un fucking believable.

He was 65 in this video:

Get Ready for a Heavy Metal X-Mas

As recently reported by LimeWire and now on sale at Amazon.com (be the first to write a review!), a handful of heavy metal luminaries have recorded rocking versions of classic Christmas songs for the CD We Wish You A Metal Xmas And A Headbanging New Year.

The compilation involves the members of Foo Fighters, Heaven and Hell (Dio and Iommi) Queensrÿche, The Cult, Alice Cooper, ZZ Top, Dokken, KISS, L.A. Guns, Marilyn Manson, Motörhead, Testament, King’s X, Judas Priest, Anthrax, Ratt, Styx, and Toto.

Toto? Yeah, I wondered about that too.

The LimeWire story reports that Dio’s manager wife Wendy put the project together with Bob Kulick (ex-KISS) and some dude named Brett Chassen. Dio and Iommi for some reason do a remake of God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen and there are nine other tunes.

Dio reportedly said, “The Metal Xmas album was a great opportunity to pay homage to my least favorite holiday.”

This will go on my wish list right next to Chris Squire's album from last year, Chris Squire’s Swiss Choir.

Ah yes, and here is the ad:

A Little Bit of This and That

What to report, what to report? A couple of small things:

It's all over the news but Jimmy Page broke a finger so the Led Zeppelin reunion show has been postponed to December 10. The most exciting thing for me on this front is that I found out my friend Al Toribio was able to get a ticket - his wife submitted their email (along with me and a million other people) and were one of the 20,000 selected to buy tickets. Talk about winning the lotto! So they are off to London next month and I hope to get some first hand scoop from Al to post here after he gets back.

Also, Dio in a recent interview with Komodo Rock dropped the news that the Heaven and Hell version of Sabbath will indeed record a new album next year, after some time off after the current kick ass tour that is about to wrap up. That is really good news, because I feel like that band is firing on all thrusters and it would be a shame if they stopped now.

I will leave you with something totally unrelated. A YouTube video of The Who playing Eminence Front at a sound check. This was the MTV video I used to drool over in 1982 and I have been looking for the audio of this for years but alas it remains unreleased as far as I can tell. Despite the tacky 80s garb, Pete's leads in the front of the song are tasty indeed and pretty flipping raw! This looks like the footage they used to make the video before it was edited, too.



And to contrast that with the good old Who I loved so much:



And flash forward to the recent past where they are still loud and obnoxious!

CD and DVD Review - Heaven and Hell at Radio City

Anyone who read my posting of the Heaven and Hell show earlier this year knows what I think of the Dio-led version of Sabbath. For those who need a reminder, I think it's one of the best hard rock lineups to ever grace the earth. Forget the Ozzy led Sabbath. Just forget it. That version is a whole other thing, great in its own way, and yes, OK they co-founded heavy metal. But the Dio era Sabbath built on those roots and just sledge hammered it out of the park.

The Mob Rules. Heaven and Hell. Children of the Sea. Falling Off the Edge of the World. The Sign of the Southern Cross. Die Young. Neon Knights. Need I go on? Forget about it!

In terms of the show I saw earlier this year, these guys were in fine form, clearly pleased as a cup of Jesus Juice to be playing these classic heavy duty tunes. Not to rest on their laurels, they also played three songs from their 1992 overlooked reunion album Dehumanizer and two of the three brand new songs recorded for the Dio Years compilation CD. Much to my amazement these non-classic numbers fit in with the classics like a hand in a well broken-in studded leather glove.

Now the band's performance at Radio City Music Hall from this tour is out on CD and DVD and needless to say I bought both and whole heartedly recommend that anyone with even a cursory interest in Sabbath or hard rock go out and buy them right now.

I started with the CD. It's excellent. The same set list I saw, plus Lonely Is the Word. Nothing really to say about the CD except it is an accurate sonic snapshot of the kick ass tour. Dio's voice is soaring and powerful, he hits all the notes and just delivers. Iommi and Butler are playing better then ever. It's all there.

These guys sound like they have something to prove and are out to convert the masses, when really they could have just trotted out and farted through it all. They didn't. Oh, and Dio's scream at the start of The Mob Rules made the hair stand up on my arms. I'm not kidding. I actually laughed at how killer some of this stuff was. Iommi plays a LOT of guitar on this tour and the CD performances are blistering. And I am still amazed at how good Geezer is on this stuff.

The DVD is a must have as well. Same audio, obviously, but the company that filmed the thing really understands how to do it right. From a musician's standpoint, you can't beat it. There are loads and loads of close ups of Geezer, Iommi and Appice actually playing. For example, I am thinking, "Here comes that killer Geezer Butler bass fill at the end of the verse in Die Young," and bang, the camera is on his fretboard and you see him do it. Very nice.

I am so sick of DVDs that don't show the band PLAYING. Paul McCartney is the worst offender. His live DVDs are shot after shot of the audience singing along. Kill me now, man.

No, we get to see the prosthetic tips of Iommi's fingers blaze through the riff in Falling Off The Edge of The World. We get to see how fast poor Geezer has to play for all 5 minutes of Neon Knights. We get to see Appice trot out his fills in the new songs. Lots and lots of close ups.

Now if you don't care about this crap, there are loads of shots of the stage from all angles, and plenty of Dio devil horns. That's the one thing - he didn't hold back on his use of the 'horns' and at some points he is a little bit campy. Heavy metal, but campy. Heavy metal campy!

It's the one area where I have a critique of the band. Dio is a little bit on the edge of Spinal Tap with some of his antics and his overall look. My buddy Dave said it best when he said "The whole wispy hair elfin thing just isn't really doing it for me." But, hell, it's Dio. What are ya gonna do? He's always been true to himself, so good for him. I'll accept it.

Side note: You know how Johnny Depp based his character in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies on Keith Richards? I think they based Gollum in the Lord of the Rings on Dio. I'm just saying...

Back to the DVD. The audio is great. Geezer is mainly in the left speaker and Iommi is to the right. If you unplug one of your speakers you can hear the other guy shine. I suggest you unplug Iommi's side and bask in the insane talent that is Geezer Butler.

But you will also note when you take Iommi's side out of the mix that there are a lot of keyboards and even some guitar in the background that is being supplied by someone offstage to help fill in the sound. We actually meet this guy in the bonus material. His name is Scott Warren and he's been playing with Dio for years.

The bonus material is pretty good. You get the story of how they got back together and how much they love this music. Iommi says about five times that he was sick of playing the same 10 songs with Ozzy for eight years, and even notes that when the Ozzy reunion started, the shows were two hours but slowly whittled down to an hour or less. He clearly savors this version of Sabbath.

Which makes me wonder what is next? They could easily crank out another album. Or maybe they will let it go for a few more years. For sure there is no bad blood between these four. One can hope they'll do another tour at some point. I'll be there. In the meantime, we have the DVD!

Good Morning from Dio

I am sure this has been Photo-shopped, but it's still funny.

Have a nice day!

Dio Speaks!

This is from Blabbermouth.net, copied in its entirety. But these quotes are so informative for those who care about Dio and Sabbath (and who doesn't!), I thought they bore repurposing:

David Glessner of the Express-News spoke with legendary vocalist Ronnie James Dio (Black Sabbath (Heaven And Hell), Dio, Rainbow). A few excerpts follow:

Discussing his universally recognized forked-fingers devil-horn salute:

"You see it at Britney Spears concerts now and that's when you know you've lost it. I certainly didn't invent it, but I've become synonymous with it. It's cool to do a show and not (flash the horns) for a while, because everyone in the audience is just waiting and waiting for it."

Talking about comparisons to the Ozzy-fronted version of Sabbath:

"As you said, I think (both versions of Black Sabbath) are two distinct entities. In listening to 'Heaven and Hell,' I find very few flaws in it. If you've got a great band playing great songs that defined an era, you've got something really special. Some of the people who discovered Sabbath at that point didn't even know there had been a Sabbath with Ozzy. This is not a me-versus-Ozzy thing. Sabbath with Ozzy invented heavy metal. They deserve the credit they've been given. I just brought something different, because I came from a more musical place. We kept the integrity of the heaviness, but musically, there were a lot more places for Tony and Geezer to go."

Chatting about Dio's original departure from Sabbath after the 1982 live album, "Live Evil," parts of which were recorded in San Antonio:

"There were too many people whispering behind too many other peoples' backs. Truth be told, Vinny and I were waiting for Tony and Geezer to come to the studio and they never did. Things got blown out of proportion."

Discussing the "Dehumanizer" album, which Dio describes as "one of the great, underrated albums of the metal genre":

"About a week into the American tour, I was told we were going to be the opening act for Ozzy for two shows. I said, 'No, I won't do that.' At that point, so much dirty water had gone under the bridge and I knew Sabbath was going to reunite with Ozzy anyway, so I just refused. They got Rob Halford as a late replacement for me to do those two shows. I did what I believed in and I still think it was right."

On Dio's determination to make sure the gates of Heaven And Hell will be locked before the legacy is pillaged:

"Had I been bright enough, I would have used your exact last words. If you get into the cycle of an album and a tour, and then another and another, at some point you're forced to do something you don't want to do. We all have other commitments and the guys are going to have their 40th anniversary with Sabbath next year, so I'm sure they'll do something with Ozzy."

Heaven and Hell Concert Review

Caught the Heaven and Hell show last night in Man Jose at the HP Pavilion. Overall, they did not disappoint. My buddy Kevin and I showed up just after 8:30 and we caught Megadeath saying goodnight. Which was perfect because I didn’t give a rat’s ass about seeing Megadeath or the other opener.

Quick set change and the mighty Dio-led Sabbath took the stage. They were fricking great. Exceeded all of my expectations. Dio was the stand out. His voice is still so powerful. It is clear that he has taken very good care of himself. Kevin and I had seen Dio play solo twice in the 80s (Holy Diver and Last In Line tours) and we agreed he sounded even better last night.

The guy also has the best attitude. He smiled all night, interacted with the front general admission layers of people. He took items fans had made for him, held them up and put them aside for later. He even tried to do a between song autograph but no one had a pen. Iommi came to rescue with a handful of picks. But you could just tell that Dio was having a blast singing these songs, with this band.

Tony Iommi was also a stand out. I had seen Sabbath at the last Ozzfest (more on that in a second), so I knew he was still at the top of his game as a player. But he really shines on the Dio-era songs. He ripped some of the most kick ass guitar solos – ranging from moody and dark to so blazingly fast I thought his prosthetic fingertips would burst into flame. Lots of smiles from Tony, too.

The guy who surprised me was Geezer Butler. I knew he was good, but I wasn’t sure if live he was sort of a slop hound. But he played the shit out of that bass. Fast and precise, melodic. Lots of cool wah-wah effects in Sign of the Southern Cross (funny, I always thought that was guitar on the album). The surprise of the night.

Drummer Vinny Appice was fine in the songs – really good, actually. But he wrecked it by doing the most Spinal Tap, bogus, crappy drum solo I have seen in years. Iommi must have needed a smoke break or something, because Appice had no business doing a drum solo. Boring, cliché and uninspired.

The set list was a dream. Sure, they skipped some Heaven and Hell and Mob Rules tunes in favor of new material or stuff from Dehumanizer, but I thought it worked overall. In fact, the three Dehumanizer tunes they did (After All, I, Computer God) were much, much better than their studio counterparts. It made me realize that the trouble with that album was the way it was produced – not the songwriting. These songs fit right in with the classic stuff.

They did two brand new songs that were recorded for the new Dio Years compilation. One (The Devil Cried) was very forgettable, but Shadow of The Wind was pretty killer – good vocal melody and very heavy riff.

Of course I am saving the best for last. They treated us to the classic Dio era Sabbath, doing Mob Rules, Lady Evil, Children of the Sea, Falling Off the Edge of the World, Sign of the Southern Cross, Voodoo, and the three standouts by far – Die Young, Heaven and Hell and a blistering encore of Neon Knights. Actually, I pretty much got my money’s worth with Children of the Sea. Epic.

The stage was gothic but not too Spinal Tap. No video screens thank God. I felt like this show would be so great in a little club. Just super heavy ass music played by talented hard rock legends.

Overall, it was very clear they were enjoying playing this music that they haven’t done in more than 15 or 20 years. Like I said, I had seen the Ozzy fronted Sabbath at the last Ozzfest and they just struggled. Ozzy lost his voice half way through, everyone was looking at the ground, and you just got the sense that they were so far past their prime it was kind of embarrassing. With Dio, it’s a whole different band. Tight, powerful, passionate, heavy, and really into what they are doing. I wish I could see them again, but I hear there is a DVD from this tour coming, so I will just have to get that instead!

Oh yeah, and Dio still says “Hell,” “Devil” and “Fire” the way only Dio can say “Hell,” “Devil” and “Fire.”

Set list:
E5150
After All (The Dead)
The Mob Rules
Children of The Sea
Lady Evil
I
The Sign of The Southern Cross
Voodoo
The Devil Cried
Vinny Appice Solo
Computer God
Falling Off The Edge of The World
Shadow of The Wind
Die Young
Heaven and Hell
Neon Knights

I Broke the Ticketmaster Code!

So, I was able to get a work related trip to the Bay Area arranged for the week of April 23, which puts me there in time to see the Heaven and Hell show on April 24 at the HP Pavilion in Man Jose. Ticketmaster offered tickets today via an Internet pre-sale and not knowing if the show was smoking hot or not, I wanted to get my ticket ASAP. It took me three tries to hit upon the correct pre-sale password. I tried "Hell" and "Black" before nailing it with "Sabbath." How very clever. I felt like a big time hacker. Yee hoo. Anyway, I found out that the whole floor is general admission anyway, so it didn't really matter. But I still felt like I beat the system, so I win for the day.

Heaven and Hell Dates Revealed

Well, folks, Eddie Trunk posted an entry laying out the U.S. dates for Heaven and Hell, the Dio-led Sabbath reunion. And OF COURSE they are not coming anywhere near the Northwest. Not even Seattle. Yeah, I could go to Vancouver B.C. this Sunday but that ain't gonna happen. They ARE however, playing in San Jose on Tuesday April 24, and I could parlay that date into a trip to the Bay Area for work. So, maybe we'll make this happen after all...Stay tuned, people.

Dio and The Pole

Since I've been chatting about Dio lately and how classic he is, paired with how kind of funny he is, I dug up this old story on Dio from an article that came out last year. This is from an Austin360 story on rock club The Back Room in Austin, Texas that closed doors last year after 33 years in the business. Bands, managers, bartenders, etc, were telling their best Back Room memories and one guy had this to say about Dio. I think the story shows how totally cool he is:

As told by Mark Olivarez, former Back Room manager: "Dio performed here around 1990, when the stage was still in the corner. He hated that stage. He hated the shape, position and an infamous pole on the stage-left triangle corner. After the show, he didn't mince words to me about the conditions of the performing environment. Fast-forward a couple years later, and Dio announced another tour. The agent called and said Dio distinctly remembered our room and he'd rather not deal with that . . . pole. I said, "He won't have to deal with that pole, because we've moved the stage." Of course, I neglected the small detail of an all-new pole that was in the front and center of our beautiful new stage. Dio stayed in his room until minutes before the show. I met him at the back door and handed him his wireless mike. He smiled, walked up the stage and stopped dead in his tracks as he noticed the black-painted pole. He turned around and looked at me, laughed and winked. Then in the most Dio-like metal wail, he screamed 'Pooooooooooooooole!' and launched into 'Holy Diver.'"

Reunion Roundup

2007 is shaping up to be the year of reunions. Or at least reunions I am actually interested in following - either because they are going to rock, or for the same reasons people like to watch air crashes and NASCAR spin outs. So without further ado, let's take a look at the many announced reunions of 2007:

The Police. A money grab? You bet. They are going to sock away tons of money. All the hooplah around this one is a constant reminder that there was no bigger band in the early 80s. Am I wrong? U2 is the only other band this big that comes to mind in the 80s but that was after Sting had said farewell and left the others in the dust. Maybe there were others. I dunno. Anyway, reunion tour stadium shows are selling out in seconds - blah blah blah. I got two Seattle show tickets for June 6 but had to buy them separately because Ticketmaster would not let me buy more than one at a time - at ANY PRICE LEVEL. That probably says more about TicketHitler than The Police, but nevertheless, they are selling out any venue they book. And per my earlier post, based on their Grammy performance, this tour is going to kick ass. Just the three Police men - no Sting solo tunes - no back up singers - hopefully no little round trampolines for Sting to leap on (remember the Synchronicity tour?). They will for sure re-work the classics and go outside the box with it. This tour is just a no miss because they all seem to be really sincerely into it - and it will probably never happen again. Enough said - 10 out of 10.

Van Halen. Money grab? Oh my God yes. But beyond that, this one is sort of sad to me. It could be SO great. I thought the choice of Eddie's son as new bass player was bad but at least typically weird for old Ed and I guess it made some kind of sense, consistency wise - three Van Halens - wow! But Eddie said Michael Anthony was out because he was playing with Hagar and "You can't be in two bands." Really? Huh. OK. But once I saw the photo of the 'new' Van Halen with Wolfie and Dave, I actually got a boner to see this show. A kid in the band (and Eddie's kid at that) might inject something really current and interesting into the mix. But then as soon as I got interested - bing - it's postponed indefinitely due to "contract issues." A friend who has a buddy in the Roth circle says it's due to Ed's health. If so, that is too bad. The guy has gone through a divorce, hip replacement, substance abuse and tongue cancer in the last ten years - that's a big load to deal with. If he's not fit to tour, OK - good idea to cancel. His health comes before my amusement. But if Ed's health is together, I am hoping this one happens after all. Probably more for the same reasons I wanted to see Britney's shaved head and new tattoo than the possibility of this being any good. I want to go to the circus and watch some clowns crash the little cars. 6 out of 10.

Black Sabbath with Dio. Called "Heaven and Hell" so no one gets confused. Money grab? I don't know. It looks to me like they all looked at each other and said "It's time." And then Ozzy freaked out and promised a new album of Oz-led Sabbath in 2008. Ha ha ha. That's worth it right there to see what THAT would sound like. The Dio led Sabbath has always been my favorite. They put out the most demonic heavy shit EVER with Dio. No dross. Just pure devil metal. I used to tune my guitar down a half step and play along to LiveEvil after dinner every night for a few months in high school. Beautiful. Like the Police reunion, they are talking about only Dio-era stuff (no Ozzy era songs or Dio solo, etc), so that would also keep it pure for me. The only trouble is they recorded three new songs for the upcoming Black Sabbath: The Dio Years CD. I heard one of the songs and it was a bit of a self parody. Called "The Devil Cried," it was pretty heavy and I tried to like it a lot but the lyrics were a little hackneyed. Dio even had a line where he says "FIRE" the way only Dio can say it - if you know Dio you know what I am talking about. This classic utterance either totally ruins it or redeems it, depending on my mood! Anyway, I will go see this show for sure. Not looking for a train wreck. Hoping it will be as true spirited as the Police reunion but worried it will be a bunch of metal elves way the hell past their prime. 8 out of 10.

Genesis. Money grab? Who gives a shit? My interest in this plummeted when I heard it would not include Steve Hackett or Peter Gabriel. My desire to see this will be directly proportionate to what songs they decide to play. Firth of Fifth, Carpet Crawlers, Dodo, Abacab and Supper's Ready? I may go. Invisible Touch, I Can't Dance, Jesus He Knows Me? FUCK no. These are talented mofos but they have toyed with their legacy so many times even THEY are probably struggling with what they ought to play. I saw them in the 80s and I have to say, from the hardcore proggers to the teeny boppers, no one was satisfied with their set list. It's was all over the place. They need to pick an era and stick with it. Maybe what will happen is they will do this stupid tour and THEN Gabriel and Hackett will join next year. I would go and see that for sure. And by the way, when did Peter Gabriel start looking like a baked Col. Sanders? 4 out of 10.

Asia. Oh man, I saved this one for last. I mean, look at this photo. It's like they hit the Glamour Shots in the mall. Money grab? Please - they would be lucky to play for free fish and chips and veggie burgers. So at least you know they are doing this because they WANT to. I have to say - I love the first Asia album. I love Steve Howe and Carl Palmer and their respective bands, Yes and Emerson, Lake and Palmer. I have seen Howe on his own and with Yes a number of times and he is always a pro - always makes me want to cut my own hands off and sell all of my guitars. And I saw the Carl Palmer Band last year in the 650 seat Aladdin Theater and was so blown away. He has a bass player and guitar player who were probably born after ELP had already broken up for the first time, and they did incredibly incendiary ELP instrumentals all night - with no keyboards. Again, I considered chopping off my hands. But LOOK AT THE PHOTO. I have seen some clips of the reunion on YouTube and have read things and it seems like everything is going fine but this one just scares me. I want to like it so bad but I am just afraid I will see this and will vomit. I mean, there is NO question at least half of this band is so far past its prime. Maybe what I do is go see it, stand in the back and get really really drunk so I can pretend it's 1984 and the album just came out. A friend who books artists told me Asia will be coming to the Northwest this summer. Will I go? Yes, but with great fear.

OK, well, I know there are other reunions (Rage Against The Machine being one of the more interesting ones I am leaving out) but barring Pink Floyd touring with Waters, these five are my contenders for 2007. Love 'em or leave 'em.