(Gibson) As of right now the Dio Disciples – a band made up of former Dio members and singers Tim "Ripper Owens and Toby Jepson – only have European tour dates scheduled. But it looks like the group, which is paying tribute to late metal legend Ronnie James Dio, could be headed to North America later this year."We picked Europe first and the main reason is the summer festivals," Owens told Metal Assault. "So we go there first and we're working on U.S. dates [for September]. We're trying to take it one step at a time; we're trying to build this thing and [do it right]."
Owens said that the band, which includes Simon Wright (drums), Craig Goldy (guitar) and Scott Warren, are having a tough time creating the perfect setlist for their performances, which begin June 29 in Milan, Italy. "I don't care what band you're in, it's hard to make a setlist," the singer said. "And when you have someone like Ronnie [whose recorded work] goes back a long ways, you're not gonna please everyone, but every day we rehearse, we've added another song in there, trying a different song." more on this story