Post by Pete on Dec 9, 2010 7:43:37 GMT -5
Brave Dio wouldn’t blow last show despite cancer agony
Singer was doubled-up with pain – but he performed anyway, says Heaven and Hell bandmate Geezer
Heaven and Hell bassist Geezer Butler has told how singer Ronnie James Dio refused to call off his last show with the band even though he was doubled up with stomach pain.
Dio didn’t know he was suffering from the cancer which would eventually kill him, and didn’t know it would be his final appearance on stage – but he knew he was in agony. Yet it didn’t stop him going on to play a full concert.
Butler says: “Ronnie started going downhill in September of 2009, towards the end of the US tour. It was supposed to be in two parts but Tony Iommi had to have a hand operation, so we had to postpone the second part of the tour.
“Ronnie’s stomach problems got worse and worse. He’d been having aches, but everyone gets flu or food poisoning when you’re on tour. You’re in front of 10,000 people and 2000 might have the flu – there are all these germs around so you always get something on tour.
“One night he’d be alright and the next he’d be doubled-up. The last week of the tour he was in agony.
“I’ll always remember he came out for the very last gig. We said, ‘Look, Ronnie, if you’re that ill we’ll just blow the gig.’ And he said, ‘No, I’m not gonna blow the gig.’ He made himself go on.
“We thought, ‘God, what’s going to happen?’ None of us thought it was cancer. He went to the doctor who gave him constipation medicine. Then he went to a specialist and got the report it was cancer.”
Butler reveals the band agreed to play the Dio tribute show at last year’s High Voltage festival after the promoter offered to make a significant donation to a cancer charity.
The bassist says: “It was really weird doing Heaven and Hell stuff without Ronnie being there. It was bittersweet. It was supposed to be an original Heaven and Hell gig and the promoter said, ‘If you do it as a tribute, I’ll pay the same amount of money into the Dio charity.’ That made sense – if it makes people more aware of cancer, it’s good cause.”
In the aftermath of his bandmate’s death, Butler says he was too numb to write new music, but he managed to get back to work a few months ago.
“I didn’t even go into my home studio,” he explains. “I didn’t want to hear anything – I didn’t even want to watch Neon Nights, the live DVD. It was just too close.
“But you have to life your life and carry on as much as you can. I’m gradually getting back into work and I hope something will come out of it. I’ve been slowly writing stuff that could be my next GZR album.”
And even though there’s to be a final Dio song released next year, Butler says there will be no more material from Heaven and Hell: “We’ve never had any leftover material. We got back together because the label wanted extra tracks for the Dio years Black Sabbath album, and we didn’t have any.
“It went so well we toured and did another album. We were having a great time – we never imagined we wouldn’t have the chance to do more.”
Singer was doubled-up with pain – but he performed anyway, says Heaven and Hell bandmate Geezer
Heaven and Hell bassist Geezer Butler has told how singer Ronnie James Dio refused to call off his last show with the band even though he was doubled up with stomach pain.
Dio didn’t know he was suffering from the cancer which would eventually kill him, and didn’t know it would be his final appearance on stage – but he knew he was in agony. Yet it didn’t stop him going on to play a full concert.
Butler says: “Ronnie started going downhill in September of 2009, towards the end of the US tour. It was supposed to be in two parts but Tony Iommi had to have a hand operation, so we had to postpone the second part of the tour.
“Ronnie’s stomach problems got worse and worse. He’d been having aches, but everyone gets flu or food poisoning when you’re on tour. You’re in front of 10,000 people and 2000 might have the flu – there are all these germs around so you always get something on tour.
“One night he’d be alright and the next he’d be doubled-up. The last week of the tour he was in agony.
“I’ll always remember he came out for the very last gig. We said, ‘Look, Ronnie, if you’re that ill we’ll just blow the gig.’ And he said, ‘No, I’m not gonna blow the gig.’ He made himself go on.
“We thought, ‘God, what’s going to happen?’ None of us thought it was cancer. He went to the doctor who gave him constipation medicine. Then he went to a specialist and got the report it was cancer.”
Butler reveals the band agreed to play the Dio tribute show at last year’s High Voltage festival after the promoter offered to make a significant donation to a cancer charity.
The bassist says: “It was really weird doing Heaven and Hell stuff without Ronnie being there. It was bittersweet. It was supposed to be an original Heaven and Hell gig and the promoter said, ‘If you do it as a tribute, I’ll pay the same amount of money into the Dio charity.’ That made sense – if it makes people more aware of cancer, it’s good cause.”
In the aftermath of his bandmate’s death, Butler says he was too numb to write new music, but he managed to get back to work a few months ago.
“I didn’t even go into my home studio,” he explains. “I didn’t want to hear anything – I didn’t even want to watch Neon Nights, the live DVD. It was just too close.
“But you have to life your life and carry on as much as you can. I’m gradually getting back into work and I hope something will come out of it. I’ve been slowly writing stuff that could be my next GZR album.”
And even though there’s to be a final Dio song released next year, Butler says there will be no more material from Heaven and Hell: “We’ve never had any leftover material. We got back together because the label wanted extra tracks for the Dio years Black Sabbath album, and we didn’t have any.
“It went so well we toured and did another album. We were having a great time – we never imagined we wouldn’t have the chance to do more.”
