At The Autry Museum Of The Western Heritage South Lawn, Los Angeles On May 18th

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All Photos By Junkman

The annual "Rock For Ronnie" concert to benefit the late singer's Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund took place on a picture-perfect Sunday afternoon in Los Angeles, and as one can imagine, had everyone in attendance thinking about how missed and appreciated the late Ronnie James Dio is. Ronnie's respect for his audience is well documented, and his wife Wendy Dio has worked tirelessly to keep his legacy alive. The Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund (www.diocancerfund.org) that Wendy created has benefitted incredible leaps in cancer research as well as helped those in need over the years, and the yearly concert to raise funds is always a good time, and a feel-good day to all attending.

A new venue for the concert, the massive South lawn of the Autry Museum of Western Heritage, in the Griffith Park area of Los Angeles, was very comfortable and easy to navigate. There was plenty of free parking, food trucks, beer, wine, soft drink and ice cream vendors, as well as booths that featured products for sale, such as artist Howard Teman and his outstanding poster art, as well as Los Angeles record store Licorice Pizza, among others.

Rock for Ronnie's marquee sponsors this year were Motorhead Whiskey and White Hag Beer. Additional sponsors included Archies Ice Cream, Liquid Death, Marquis Beverages, Celsius, HOP WTR, Total Wine and More, Smart and Final, In 'N Out Burger, Street Food Cinema, Adam Parsons Entertainment, The Ivey, Mates, Chipster PR, BMG, DW Drums, Valley Relics Museaum, Christine Moore Realty, Skateboard Marketing, Cleopatra Records, and Bill McBride Wealth Management.

There was also a huge tent featuring collectibles and products for a silent auction and raffle, as well as a live auction featuring items such as a signed Ritchie Sambora guitar, a signed book of Dio pictures, and a poster signed by the members of BLACK SABBATH. One interesting item was a guitar that was painted by an elephant! The story goes is that Wendy Dio and SABBATH bassist Geezer Butler were visiting an elephant sanctuary in Thailand, and with the help of some of the people onsite, got one of the elephants to paint a guitar with a brush. It fetched $2600 and 100 percent of the proceeds went to the cancer fund. Plenty of collectibles such as signed photos and lots of cool rock memorabilia and such collected quite a bit for the cause in the silent auction as well.

Among the other booths on site were ones offering Rock for Ronnie event T-shirts and bags as well as a "Garden of Hope" where loved ones who have died from cancer could be remembered. Again, all proceeds went directly to the fund. There was also a large information tent that offered the latest on cancer detection technology and much more. All the booths were well attended and staffed by Wendy's outstanding team. They really did a great job on all fronts.

As for the show itself, there was lots of action on the huge stage. Host/MC Ahmet Zappa got things started by welcoming everyone and bringing opening act ANITA SQUEEZE to the stage. This trio, featuring singer/guitarist Josh Lewis, played a short but solid set that got the day out to a rousing start. Lewis dedicated the song "Throw Me a Line" to his late parents, who had both succumbed to cancer. It was nice to see LA musician Robbie Crane playing bass with the band. He and Lewis are both part of LA's 1980's "Sunset Strip Glam" band lore, going way back.

Ahmet Zappa then brought Wendy Dio onstage to greet the still-arriving crowd and talk about the items that would be auctioned off, as well as thank everyone for being there. Jason Charles Miller and his rockin' band then took the stage and performed a great set of his brand of southern rock. Miller and his band are very tight. His songs are solid, and their musicianship is top-notch. They all come across like they are having a great time being onstage, as opposed to so many that look like they would rather be somewhere else. Jason has quite a resume, and a huge catalogue of music. Check him out.

After Miller's set, Ahmet Zappa came out and did his best to keep the crowd occupied and entertained. He even asked guests in the front rows of the VIP section to tell their favorite Ronnie James Dio stories and share their memories of him. And there are many. Ronnie was beloved by all. Soon it was time for more music and this time up it was Las Vegas custom motorcycle builder Danny "Count" Koker and his band COUNT'S 77.

Koker has been in the press a lot lately, mainly because he announced this past week that he is selling his popular, long-time running Las Vegas rock club Count's Vamp'd. Today it was all about the music, and COUNT'S 77 gave the crowd a real kick in the ass with a very solid set of rocking boogie blues that sort of reminded me of a revved-up ZZ TOP. Lead guitarist Stoney Curtis, who is a legend around the Las Vegas area with his band, was outstanding, and Koker is a good front man. The band tore it up, and ended their set with a blazing version of THE DOORS classic "Break On Through".

KILL DEVIL HILL was next up onstage and appropriately, killed! The bands heavy blend of grungy rock, combined with the powerful vocals of singer Dewey Bragg was the perfect way to crank things up. Guitarist Mark Zavon and his stinging lead guitar and harmony vocals work with Bragg's voice with a perfect balance. They are very reminiscent of vintage ALICE IN CHAINS, and even heavier in a BLACK SABBATH way. But they are very original, and they performed a mix of both their older and new material, spotlighting their latest release Seas of Oblivion. For me, and others who agreed, they were my favorite set of the day.

After KDH's set, a live auction of the guitars that I mentioned earlier happened onstage as the next band was setting up. Ahmet Zappa went into auction mode and really ramped up his antics onstage. The next band onstage was none other than the 2025 version of DIO DISCIPLES, which included DIO band members Simon Wright on drums and Scott Warren on keyboards. They were joined by guitarist Ira Black and bassist Bjorn Englen as well as singers Patrick Stone from the Los Angeles band BUDDERSIDE, as well as Gabriel Colon who I recently saw fronting a version of LYNCH MOB.

DIO DISCIPLES rocked a nine-song set of DIO and Dio-era BLACK SABBATH and RAINBOW songs to the delight of the now full crowd, who pumped their fists and "threw their horns" skyward as the band, clearly having a good time, cranked out Dio favorites such as "Rainbow in the Dark", "Mob Rules" and finishing up with a sing-along "We Rock". Afterwards, Wendy Dio came onstage and presented publicist Sharon Weiss with an award for her tireless work with not only organizing the event, but also her long-time association with the Stand Up and Shout foundation. It was a well-deserved recognition for a long list of jobs well done by Sharon over the years. Wendy then brought out RJD's physician, Dr Wong, from UCLA, who mentioned that he had just flown in from Korea to attend the event. His research and development of a revolutionary "swab test" to detect various forms of cancer and his association with Wendy, were rewarded with a $25,000 check that Wendy Dio presented to him onstage, and will be used to help fund future exploration and testing.

Headliner Sebastian Bach was next up onstage, and immediately had the crowd up and ready as his band, featuring guitarist Brody "Bruiser" De Rozie, and bassist Fede Delfino launched into his 2023 comeback single "What Do I Got to Lose?". From there on, it was classic Sebastian, as he stalked the stage and squawked at the crowd in between screaming out a 12 song set of mostly SKID ROW material, much to the delight of the crowd assembled. The band also tipped their hat to Ronnie James Dio with covers of "Stand Up And Shout" as well as a long version of "Heaven and Hell".

Bach was in vintage form, and his voice sounded good throughout the set. Not bad for what it takes to do that after so many years singing live. He spoke to the crowd like he was at a cocktail party, including everyone in the show. He gave numerous "shout outs" to RJD, and even acknowledged host Ahmet Zappa's famous father by screaming "Let's hear it for Frank Zappa!" He also welcomed up his son Paris Bach, as well as pounder Jeremy Colson to sit in on drums with the band. For the set closer, Bach welcomed up a young kid to play guitar on the SKID ROW classic "Youth Gone Wild" which added to the family vibe of the event.

The fun continued with a series of guests performing on an advertised "All Star Jam" to conclude the event. First it was singer/guitarist Ricky Warwick and former BUCKCHERRY guitarist Keith Nelson who rocked out on a couple of songs, including a killer version of THIN LIZZY's "Jailbreak". Warwick has fronted a later version of that band over the years, so it was right in his "wheelhouse" and sounded great. After that, ARMORED SAINT singer John Bush joined current VIXEN members, bassist Julia Lage and guitarist Britt Lightning, along with guitarist Marc Ferrari for the RAINBOW classic "Long Live Rock and Roll". Also joining the band was singer Neil Turbin. Seeing former ANTHRAX singers Turbin and Bush together onstage was very cool and unique.

Other highlights of the jam session included Sirius/XM's Tommy London joining the band on vocals for the VAN HALEN classic "Panama" as well as the trio of singer bassist dUg Pinnick from KING'S X, drummer Matt Starr, and guitarist Stoney Curtis ripping a mind-blowing version of Jimi Hendrix's "Voodoo Chile" that sent the crowd into a frenzy. Singer Gabriel Colon returned to the stage, along with Scott Warren, bassist Sean McNabb and drummer Matt Starr, along with guitarist Doug Aldrich for yet another take on DIO's "Holy Diver" that would have made Ronnie proud.

Bassist Rudy Sarzo then joined the jam along with singer Chaz West, keyboardist Mike Mangan, and Aldrich, to blaze through the crowd-pleasing version of the WHITESNAKE number "Crying In The Rain". Guitarists Phil Demmel and Ira Black as well as bassist Marten Andersson, Neil Turbin, Jeremy Colson and others rocked the JUDAS PRIEST classic "You Got Another Thing Coming" before LA-based LED ZEPPELIN tribute act LED ZEPAGAIN played a medley of ZEP rockers to close out a fantastic afternoon. Everyone had smiles on their faces, and the spirit of Ronnie James Dio was everywhere. A beautiful day for rock was had by all, and our memory of Ronnie has, once again, been refreshed. Congratulations and big props to Wendy Dio and her team for putting on such a great event, and for bringing the Ronnie James Dio Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund to the forefront for a future generation. For more info, go to www.diocancerfund.org and spread the word. "Stand Up and Shout!"

Check out some more photos from the event!
All Photos By Junkman