In the 11 years since Ronnie James Dio’s untimely passing, there have been various projects put together to celebrate the Man on the Silver Mountain’s legacy. One such project is Last in Line. Assembled not long after Dio’s passing, this band saw the reunion of Dio’s classic 80s lineup of Vivian Campbell on guitars, Jimmy Bain on bass, Vinny Appice on drums, and Claude Schnell on keyboards. Rounding the lineup out was veteran singer Andrew Freeman. Unfortunately, in the time since their initial formation, Schnell left and Bain tragically passed away in 2016. Nevertheless, Last in Line has soldiered on with former Ozzy Osbourne bassist Phil Soussan. Their concerts are a loud and proud tribute to their two fallen brothers, and Saturday night’s show at the Arcada Theatre in St. Charles, Illinois was no different.
This was my first time seeing Last in Line. I had seen Vivian Campbell years back with Def Leppard, but this was another experience altogether. I was finally going to see Campbell play the riffs and solos that put him on the map nearly 40 years ago. Despite the time that has passed since those original recordings, Campbell still plays with the same fire and tenacity as he did back then. He blazed through every passage with ease, reminding us why alongside Randy Rhoads and John Sykes, he was one of the premiere metal guitarists of the early 80s.
While Campbell was the star of the show, Freeman blew my mind with his vocal heroics. Does he sound exactly like Ronnie James Dio? Absolutely not. Nobody does. That said, I couldn’t think of anybody better for the job. Singing cuts like “Straight Through the Heart” and “We Rock” on a nightly basis is no easy task. Freeman sure made it look easy, hitting high note after high note with equal parts clarity and power. Furthermore, his voice fits right in with the band’s own original music: An old school brand of melodic metal that draws heavily from those first three Dio albums.
I must admit that I was slightly disappointed there was no love shown for Sacred Heart, but between half of Holy Diver and a handful of Last in Line classics (“Egypt (The Chains Are On)” being the standout), I can’t complain. If you’re a Dio diehard and haven’t seen this show already, do yourself a favor and check it out. You can feel the magic floating in the air!
Setlist
- “Landslide”
- “Stand Up and Shout” (Dio cover)
- “Straight Through the Heart” (Dio cover)
- “Year of the Gun”
- “Holy Diver” (Dio cover)
- “Black Out the Sun”
- “The Last in Line” (Dio cover)
- “Starmaker”
- “Electrified”
- “Egypt (The Chains Are On)” (Dio cover)
- “Rainbow in the Dark” (Dio cover)
Encore
- “Don’t Talk to Strangers” (Dio cover)
- “Devil in Me”
- “We Rock” (Dio cover)
yes sir – a great band assembled of true rock royalty – and mr. freeman is a legend in the making – dam good show they put on back in august 2021 at austins saloon in libertyville i saw – and would gladly shell out to catch this memorable act again rock on !