The "Gods of Metal" walk among us

Howdy Mega-friends and fans. Just musing over the exhilaration I've been feeling over the current Heaven and Hell tour. We've got a little less then two more weeks ahead of us on this last leg, and from Canada and through the States, it's just been an outstanding vibe.
The Metal fans pouring into the arenas and amphitheaters have definitely brought us all back to the great days of Metal. The ones we were weaned on and the ones we've weaned others on. From my perspective, Dave has been supercharged by the shows and we're all so damn excited about finally getting United Abominations out to you.

Of course props go out to Black Sabbath (I still have trouble calling them Heaven & Hell) for some truly inspirational performances.

Big props to Machine Head for getting out there and standing tall... Great band!

O.K... so, my tech Fred and I are having a meeting in Cincinnati to prep some gear for our up and coming European tour. We're catching a bite in a little restaurant/bar called Havana's located in a mall walkway under the Hilton. I've got a view of the Mall area in front of the restaurant. A group of three Metal-heads catches my eye. One tall pumped up guy in a cut off tee shirt, one slightly more conservatively dressed fellow and one smaller dude with an ultimately curled-down-to-his-back Old school "Metal doo" (If anyone knows one, I do).
Suddenly, the realization comes over me. It's Vinny Appice, Ronnie Dio and their touring assistant. I had to take a moment. You see, Dio had a shopping bag. Although I've seen these guys everyday, even raised a glass with 'em on occasion. I suppose, like you, the juxtaposition of these rock behemoths was just a little more then I was ready for (I always assumed that if Dio needed anything, he could simply "conjure it"). I guess what I'm saying is, even after all these years of playin' rock star myself, I'm still a fan.