Wendy Dio recently spoke about the problems she faced with the polarizing Ronnie James Dio hologram. Due to many technical and financial aspects, the scope of a hologram tour became extremely limited and is partially why the project is “on hold.”

The Dio hologram made its U.S. debut at the 2017 Pollstar Awards. Though the hologram looked fairly impressive on YouTube, the resulting tour was marred by mixed reviews and financial woes. “It cost us over $2 million to make and I don’t know when we’re ever gonna recoup that,” Wendy Dio said in a 2021 interview.

While speaking with Brazil’s Kazagastão, Wendy delved further into the hologram issues. "[The hologram] was well received sometimes, sometimes not; it all depends on the people. The problem with the hologram, and it's great — and I won't say never again — but it costs so much money, you can only go into certain venues because of the height of it and the size of it. It's too expensive to travel, so therefore we couldn't come to Brazil, couldn't come to South America, couldn't go to Japan, couldn't go to Europe with it. So it limits you so much.”

Instead of a hologram, the next Dio tour will be special effects based. "So we are going out next year in March — the Dio band will go out again — but this time I found an ISO film, a 17-camera shoot, there's an ISO one of Ronnie only,” Wendy says. “So we took that, and we're making this with special effects. So it won't be a hologram — it'll be a film of Ronnie himself with the Dio live band and special effects. So we're working on that.” [via Blabbermouth]

Wendy Dio Discusses Ronnie Jame Dio, Growing Up, Ritchie Blackmore & More - Radio Broadcast 28/03/2021

During a 2017 interview with Loudwire, Dio hologram creator Jeff Pezzuti reacted to the criticism the project received. “When I started seeing the ethical thing [online], I said, ‘Well, they’re not getting what we’re trying to do.’ This is a celebration of Ronnie James Dio. This is not about, ‘Hey, let’s put Ronnie onstage and just charge people a bunch of money.’ It’s not that at all. This music is important to a whole legion of fans around the world … If an artist is not out there touring, nobody’s going to know who they are.”

The Eyellusion CEO continued, “When I see the detractors, I’m actually kind of surprised. Dio fans, to me, are the ones that really should embrace this and understand this is coming from a good place, this is not coming from a corporate place.”

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