DISTURBED frontman David Draiman says that he has mixed feelings about the hologram of Ronnie James Dio, which made its debut at the Wacken Open Air festival in Germany on August 6. Created by Eyellusion, the surprise appearance of the heavy metal icon during DIO DISCIPLES’ set closed out the massive metal event which was attended by more than 75,000 fans.
Speaking to Argentina’s Vorterix radio, Draiman said about the Dio hologram: “It makes me sad. I’m always happy to hear any music from anybody that’s left us, that we’ve lost. But I don’t know… The hologram thing, to me, it almost isn’t letting the dead be dead. And… I don’t know… It just seems weird. It seems no different than… Is there a difference between a hologram and a guy dressing up like Ronnie James and doing it? You know what I mean?”
He continued: “Ronnie was Ronnie, and he was the best in the entire damn world. Whether you’re doing it with somebody like Ronnie James Dio or Michael Jackson or whomever, it just seems like, you know what? Respect the legacy. And me personally, I don’t know… It kind of bothers me. Maybe it’s because I love Ronnie so much and revere him as a god of vocal ability. So… I don’t know. It just bugs me.“
