Drummer Simon Wright guest on Episode 263 of One On One With Mitch Lafon. In the show's only interview, drummer Simon Wright discusses his work with Operation: Mindcrime, Dio Disciples (new album & upcoming hologram tour), Led Zeppelin/ John Bonham, AC/DC (Cliff Williams retirement and Axl Rose), UFO and Michael Schenker, the Ronnie James Dio November 4th - Bowl-A-Thon, the AC/DC Fly On The Wall album, Ronnie James Dio's Holy Diver live and a lot more.

On The Ronnie James Dio hologram: "It was pretty nerve wracking. I wanted to get right and we wanted it to be good, so I really didn't have time for any emotion."

Over 75,000 fans were rocked at the Wacken Open Air music festival in Germany as the late Ronnie James Dio reunited with his bandmates via hologram. The surprise performance took place at the end of Dio Disciples' set to close the world's largest annual live heavy metal event. Dio Disciples features members of the Dio band, which last performed with Ronnie in 2008 before he passed away two years later, leaving a void in the rock community.

Eyellusion, a hologram entertainment company focused on the live music market, created the hologram and produced the groundbreaking performance.

Eyellusion present the official video from their Ronnie James Dio hologram production. Watch below:

The new 6CD box set, A Decade Of Dio: 1983-1993, is available via Rhino. Follow Dio through the band's early years with A Decade Of Dio: 1983-1993, a new box set that brings together their first six studio albums, each featuring newly remastered sound.

Titles included:

Holy Diver (1983)
The Last In Line (1984)
Sacred Heart (1985)
Dream Evil (1987)
Lock Up The Wolves (1990)
Strange Highways (1993)

This 6CD set comes housed in boxes featuring new artwork by Marc Sasso, who was responsible for many of the band's iconic covers.

Ronnie James Dio's sinister howl and wicked songcraft bewitched hard rock fans in the Seventies and Eighties during his memorable stints with Elf, Rainbow, and Black Sabbath. In 1983, the singer formed his own band, launching a successful solo career that led to 10 studio albums and sales of more than 10 million records around the world.

After two albums with Black Sabbath, Ronnie James Dio left in 1982 and formed Dio with fellow Sabbath band mate Vinny Appice on drums. The groups platinum-selling debut Holy Diver arrived in 1983 and is now revered as a heavy metal masterpiece, including two songs that would become rock signatures: the title track and the epic “Rainbow In The Dark”.

The band returned the following year with The Last In Line (1984), which became the band s second platinum seller and included the single “Mystery”, as well as “We Rock”, a song the band often used to close its shows. Sacred Heart (1985) achieved gold certification and introduced fans to the concert staple “Rock N Roll Children”. Dio’s fourth studio album, Dream Evil (1987) included the singles “All The Fools Sailed Away” and “I Could Have Been A Dreamer”.

In the Nineties, the group released two more stellar studio albums. Lock Up The Wolves arrived in 1990 and featured the single “Hey Angel” and rocking title track. Following a brief reunion with Black Sabbath in 1992, Dio returned with Strange Highways in 1993. The album featured future fan favorites like “Jesus, Mary And The Holy Ghost”, “Evilution”, and the title track.

Although Ronnie James Dio lost his battle with stomach cancer in 2010, his towering voice and legacy live on. The Ronnie James Dio Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund, co-founded by Wendy Dio, is a non-profit 501(c)(3) charitable fund dedicated to supporting cancer-prevention research, raising awareness and educating the public about the vital importance of early detection and prevention when dealing with this deadly disease.