Disturbed's David Draiman takes a pop at Dio hologram

David Draiman says Dio hologram "bugs" him

David Draiman says Ronnie James Dio hologram \"bugs\" him (Image credit: Getty)

Disturbed’s David Draiman says that the Ronnie James Dio live hologram is “weird” and makes him “sad.”

Dio Disciples debuted the hologram at Wacken Open Air festival in Germany in August, marking “the first time a hologram has been accompanied by a live band in a traditional concert setting.” They then confirmed they’re planning to bring it on tour with them next year.

But frontman Draiman says the spectacle is similar to “a guy dressing up” as the late singer and performing with the band – and that it fails to respect his legacy.

Draiman tells Vorterix (via Blabbermouth): “It makes me sad. I’m always happy to hear any music from anybody that’s left us, that we’ve lost. But the hologram thing almost isn’t letting the dead be dead. It just seems weird.

“Is there a difference between a hologram and a guy dressing up like Ronnie James and doing it?”

He continues: “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, respect the legacy. Personally, it kind of bothers me. Maybe it’s because I love Ronnie so much and revere him as a god of vocal ability. So, it just bugs me.”

Disturbed are currently touring the US in support of their sixth studio album Immortalized, which was released in 2015.

Disturbed tour dates

Oct 05: University Park Bryce Jordan Center, PA
Oct 07: Atlantic City Boardwalk Hall, NJ
Oct 08: Huntington Big Sandy Superstore Arena, WV
Oct 09: Reading Santander Arena, PA
Oct 17: Austin Moody Theater, TX
Oct 18: Midland Horseshoe Pavillion, TX
Oct 19: El Paso Speaking Rock Arena, TX
Oct 21: Glendale Gila River Arena, AZ
Jan 10: Glasgow SSE Hydro, UK
Jan 12: Newcastle Metro Radio Arena, UK
Jan 13: Birmingham Genting Arena, UK
Jan 15: Sheffield Arena, UK
Jan 16: Manchester Arena, UK
Jan 18: Nottingham Motorpoint Arena, UK
Jan 19: Cardiff Motorpoint Arena, UK
Jan 21: London O2 Arena, UK

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Former TeamRock news desk member Christina joined our team in late 2015, and although her time working on online rock news was fairly brief, she made a huge impact by contributing close to 1500 stories. Christina also interviewed artists including Deftones frontman Chino Moreno and worked at the Download festival. In late 2016, Christina left rock journalism to pursue a career in current affairs. In 2021, she was named Local Weekly Feature Writer of the Year at the Scottish Press Awards.