"Wishing a very happy Birthday to our friend Lzzy Hale (10 Oct.)! Thank you for always supporting the Dio Cancer Fund! Here is a photo of Ronnie, Lzzy and her dad Roger on 29 Aug.' 2009, House of Blues in Atlantic City NJ, when Halestorm was the opening act for Heaven & Hell. This night would be Ronnie's last performance ever."
Dio Cancer Fund, 11 окт.' 2021, Twitter (link)
Нечий коментар към Лизи: "You and Ronnie are the two greatest vocalists in Hard Rock history, and not one bit of that is an exaggeration: you're our ultimate voices!"
"We got to open up for Ronnie at the House of Blues in Atlantic City NJ on 28 Aug.' 2009 while he was touring as Heaven & Hell. It was a one-time deal, and my teenage inner self was freaking out. During our set I looked up at the balcony side stage and saw Ronnie and Geezer Butler watching us perform. At the end of the night, after I watched Ronnie destroy live for the first time, he came over to hang with us, holding up their post-show meet-and-greet to say hello. As I stated before, he made us all feel so welcome, like we were already a part of his inner circle... After his meet-and-greet we talked more, and then he walked with us out to the buses, where 30-50 of his fans were waiting for him. Ronnie turned to me and said he'd be right back. We watched him sign every CD and piece of paper, and take every picture. He then still came back over to our vehicle to say goodbye! I expressed to him how nice of him it was for him to come back over to see us off, and how inspiring it was to see him be so great to his fans even at 2 AM. I added that after 40 plus years in the business we all would understand if he just wanted to get on his bus and go to bed! Ronnie then turned to me wagging a finger at my face, and said: 'Lzzy, it's a moment in time; you may never remember these venues you play, or the names and faces of the people you meet, but they will remember that moment of meeting you for the rest of their lives; so you gotta make it good for every single one of them!' This statement is something I carry with me every day through my own journey and career... Shortly after that show we heard that Ronnie was diagnosed. His crew members would frequent our shows in the next months giving us updates of Dio's progress, and the news was always positive: 'he got to keep his hair, he's in high spirits', etc. Then all of a sudden he was gone... We found out later that the show we opened for him was his last. I still think that that fluke, one-off gig, and he and I meeting, was no fluke or accident at all! It was meant to happen. I not only am the singer I am today thanks to Ronnie James Dio, but I am a better person thanks to meeting him. Rock 'n' Roll will never die because of the people he touched. Now I imagine he's teaching the angels how to sing, and having a Bass Ale with the Devil; and none of us should ever forget that Dio's watching."
Lzzy Hale, 16 май' 2015*, Billboard (link)
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* Кончината на Дио е на 16 май' 2010
Видеозапис откъм онази нощ, Halestorm:
