Ronnie James Dio A Tribute to Ronnie James Dio 10 July 1942 - 16 May 2010 In Memorian   -   In Memorian pt 2   -   Geezer Butler   -   Memorial Serice News   -   Memorial Service   -   Public Memorial   -   Memorial Program Memorial Service Photos   -   Photos Pt 2   -   Photos Pt 3   -   Catclub Tribute   -   Fanclan Tribute   -   Rata Blanca Tribute   -   Other Tributes Cat Club, Hollywood, CA   May 31st, 2010 After I arrived at my hotel, my photographer and I had heard that a special Dio Tribute was being held at the Cat Club, located on the famous Sunset Strip in Hollywood, CA, and next door to the famous Whisky (A Go-Go), and just doors down from the Rainbow Bar & Grill The place was small and dark with its black painted walls and adorned with picture-framed images of rock artists placed strategically along the walls of the club And to say this club was small was an understatement, but it certainly was not a dive either. And considering the fact that the smoking laws in the state of California have been well in place in an establishment like this for at least a couple of years or so, this place was tolerable to sit down in, relax and guzzle some hops. On this night, Happenin' Harry and his band of All-Stars were going to perform a Dio Tribute in honor of the late Heavy Metal vocalist who passed away from stomach cancer on May 16th The flyer that was posted on various Internet fan forums, all over the world, caught the eye of both myphotographer friend and the webmaster for Rainbow Fanclan Legacy, Frans van Arkel He thought it might be best, if I wanted something to do, to stop by and check this particular show out. Several bands were on the bill that night, but my main interest was in seeing who, if any, from Dio's past would show up to play for the crowd that had gathered And for either an admission of 10 dollars or a receipt from the Stand Up & Shout Cancer Fund, patrons were let in, and an official "club" stamp was promptly placed on the back of my right hand. Then at approximately 12:25 a.m., the fun began Happenin' Harry had placed his mic stand just in front of the stage to fit all the musicians on the tiny stage behind him, and began wailing his first song of the night, Black Sabbath's 'Neon Knights' On stage were members of DC4 with former Dio guitarist Rowan Robertson, brothers Jeff Duncan (g/v) and Shawn Duncan (d), as well as bassist Greg Coates (The Bangkok 5). After the first track, Happenin' Harry who had also just come from the Public Memorial in honor of the late singer, apologized to the crowd right away for using a table that was to the left of him, in order place a number of lyric sheets of the set list he was about to perform. But for me, no worries, as the musicians who sat in during the set would just get on stage and strap their instrument on or sit behind the kit, to perform a variety of tracks from the extensive Dio song catalogue Drummers Scot Coogan (Brides of Destruction, Ace Frehley) and Randy Cook (Ian Gillan), bassist, Scotty Griffin (LA Guns) and Jimmy Bain (Rainbow, Dio) also came to perform as well Although later, just after the show, guitarist Billy Duffy (The Cult) was seen hanging outside the Cat Club taking pictures with various club goers who had attended Bain, who was a significant part in Dio's life, both on and off stage, during his years in Rainbow and well into the '80s with DIO, Bain looked a little, worn, tired, and pale while he was performing on stage this night When asked by my webmaster of this site what I thought of his appearance and playing, my simple answer to him (on his appearance) was, "Well if you had just lost your "brother", band mate, and longtime friend, wouldn't you look like "shit" too? Of course, that did not mean Bain "sounded" like shit, by any means Bain, like I had remembered, played with the same intensity and ferocity when he was on the arena stage during his DIO playing days in the mid to late '80's And being a huge fan of his other former band, Rainbow, it was certainly a treat for me to see him perform again, at least some of the Rainbow tracks the all-star band performed on that night Even though he unfortunately was never associated with those tracks, it was great to see him on stage after all of these years. In addition, it was later mentioned that it was the first time that both Bain and guitarist Rowan Robertson had performed together, since release of the Lock Up The Wolves album in 1990 and the subsequent tour throughout '90 and '91. Getting back to Bain's appearance on this night--as Happenin' Harry had mentioned in one part of the show, Jimmy regretted not attending the Public Memorial earlier in the day I even noticed when he first walked into the club, prior to his performance, that he seemed a little down and withdrawn, which of course in this case, understandably, was normal given the circumstances It was nonetheless mentioned that he, as well as many of his other musician peers, had attended a private funeral service and reception for the late singer in the days' previous. So, the show must go on, right? And for the next hour and 20 minutes, after 'Neon Knights' played, this all-star band rocked the house with a selection of tracks that Dio would have been proud of, IF he was there in attendance that night. Or maybe he was...in spirit that is. Set List: 1) Neon Knights 2) Turn Up The Night 3) Man On A Silver Mountain - with Jimmy Bain on bass 4) We Rock - with Jimmy Bain on bass 5) Long Live Rock'n'Roll 6) Mob Rules 7) Country Girl 8) Heaven And Hell 9) Rainbow In The Dark - with Jimmy Bain on bass 10) Stand Up And Shout with Jimmy Bain on bass 11) Last In Line - with Jimmy Bain on bass 12) Holy Diver - with Jimmy Bain on bass Tribute ends Total time: 1 hour, 20 minutes 12:25 am -1:45 am - May 31, 2010 Julie Barela Mills © 2010 JayBeeEm Photography, LLC