DIO – Finding the Sacred Heart – Live in Philly 1986
Eagle Records
www.eaglerockent.com

Rating: B

Back in 1986, when Heavy Metal fans went to a show, they expected a show.  They wanted the musicians in cool, almost costume, like clothing.  They wanted a huge sound and a giant lightshow.  They wanted loud guitars and solos…tons of solos, drums, bass, guitars and even, sometimes, keyboards (as long as it was short and led into a cool song, lets face it, keyboards and Metal usually go together like grapefruit and hot sauce).   They also wanted to see some cool shit on stage, like Ronnie James Dio slaying a dragon ( which happens in this concert).

Ronnie James Dio was totally in tune with the aforementioned and he strived to give the people what they wanted and did so in a bombastic way.  His stature may have been lacking, but his voice was huge and his stage presence larger than life.

Finding the Sacred Heart is released separately on Blu-Ray, DVD and as a double CD.  The show looks and sounds better than ever.

Recorded at the Spectrum in Philadelphia on June 17, 1986, the band featured Ronnie’s new guitarist Craig Goldy.  The show was released on VHS back in the day but now the show has been restored to its entirety including songs edited out of the VHS release.  The band lineup for the show is Ronnie James Dio (vocals), Vinny Appice (drums), Jimmy Bain (bass), Craig Goldy (guitar) and Claude Schnell (keyboards). 

If there are any doubts left as to if one should check this out just look at the track listing…”Don’t Talk to Strangers,” “Hungry for Heaven,” “Heaven and Hell,” “Stand UP and Shout,” “Rainbow in the Dark” and “We Rock.”  Plus there is a great medley featuring “The Last in Line,” “Children of the Sea” and “Holy Diver.”  Oh, and those solos we talked about, they are all here as well.

While the clothing and the look of the event may not be as timeless as the music, this is a great example of what a Metal show was like in 1986.  While the CD is great, the video aspect of the show is what will really tug on the heartstrings as this writer for one wishes he could jump into a time machine and hang out in the Heavy Metal Parking Lot and then have his mind blown by a DIO show…damn those were the days!

TRACK LISTING:

DVD/Blu-ray/CD:
01. Draco Ignis
02. King Of Rock And Roll
03. Like The Beat Of A Heart
04. Don’t Talk To Strangers
05. Hungry For Heaven
06. Medley: The Last In Line / Children Of The Sea / Holy Diver / The Last In Line (reprise)
07. Drum Solo
08. Heaven And Hell
09. Keyboard Solo
10. Guitar Solo
11. Sacred Heart
12. Medley: Rock ‘n’ Roll Children / Long Live Rock ‘n’ Roll / Man On The Silver Mountain / Rock
‘n’ Roll Children (reprise)
13. Time To Burn
14. Stand Up And Shout
15. Rainbow In The Dark
16. We Rock