Last night (August 3), Def Leppard and former Dio guitarist Vivian Campbell performed his inaugural show with Last In Line, his new project with the original members of Dio at the Slidebar in Fullerton, California. Fan-filmed video footage of the concert can be seen below.
Named after Dio’s second album, Last In Line features original Dio band members Campbell, Vinny Appice, Jimmy Bain and Claude Schnell as well as former Hurricane and Lynch Mob singer Andrew Freeman. The group performs material from the early Dio albums when Campbell was a part of the lineup.
In an interview with Backstage Axxess earlier this year, Campbell said that Last In Line should be seen as an original band, not a cover or a tribute show: “The original band, we actually wrote the majority of that material as a band, so I feel like we’re entitled to go out and play it. I don’t think we’re a tribute band or a cover band or anything like that.”
He added that the addition of Freeman gave the old material a new vibe: “…he doesn’t sound anything like Ronnie [James Dio], which is great, [because] I don’t wanna draw that comparison. Ronnie was a very unique singer, but Andy is a great singer in his own right, and he certainly sings the songs very respectfully.”
In related news, Campbell was one of several big name guests on Rich Davenport’s Rock Show this week. He spoke about reconnecting with his musical legacy, his contribution on the first three DIO albums, the real story behind his departure from Dio in the mid 80s and Last In Line’s long term plans and forthcoming UK tour dates. The chat can be streamed below.
Rich Davenport's Rock Show – Vivian Campbell, Heaven & Earth, Pete Way and Jeff Givens Interviews by Rich Davenport on Mixcloud